The gerund and the present participle are similar to the English -ing form but their use is more limited than their English counterpart. The French present participle which always ends in ant may be used as a verb gerund noun or adjective.
The French gerund is used when there are two verbs both performed by the same subject.
The gerund in french. The French gerund is used when there are two verbs both performed by the same subject. In the final example Joséphine étudie en écoutant de la musique Joséphine studies while listening to music the two verbs are étudier and écouter but both are performed by Joséphine. The French gerund is made by combing en with the present participle.
The present participle is made by replacing the -ons in the nous present form with -ant. The gerund can be used to express simultaneous actions while verb-ing as well as cause and effect actions by verb-ing. Forming the gerund in French is fairly simple once youre familiar with the present participle.
Simply learn the steps outlined above and then apply it to any verb. However this wouldnt be a French grammar lesson if there werent a couple of stubborn verbs that beat to the sound of their own drum. To express an action that is related to the main verb.
This present participle called a gerund always follows the preposition en. Describe an action that is related to and simultaneous with the action of the main verb usually translated as while or upon. En voyant les fleurs elle a pleuré.
The French gerund is used with the preposition en. It is equivalent to the English while -ing as in while eating en mangeant. Upon -ing as in upon arriving en arrivant.
And by -ing as in by exercising en faisant de la gym. Gerund French le gérondif is the verbal form ending by ant and preceded by the preposition enIts equivalent in English is the structure while verb ingThe gerund is usually used to express the simultaneity the cause of the action and it is used too in the conditional sentences. French gerunds called le gérondif luh zhay-rohn-deef consist of the present participle of a verb that ends in ant the equivalent of the English ing ending such as mangeant mahn-zhah n.
Heres a clear explanation about The gerund way and simultaneity French Grammar in French thats easy to learn and digest. You can also browse through all our other French grammar topics. The French present participle which always ends in ant may be used as a verb gerund noun or adjective.
Because it has no number or person marker its an impersonal verb mood. Structurally French present participles are equivalent to verb ing in English but grammatically there are many differences between them Par exemple. What are participles and gerunds in French grammar.
Le participe passé past participle le participe présent present participle and le gérondif the gerund are impersonal verb forms similar to the infinitive. The gerund and the present participle are similar to the English -ing form but their use is more limited than their English counterpart. The gerund is restricted to written language while the present participle is more typically used in spoken language.
The infinitive and the gerund French question answered by our amazing French teachers and community. Your intelligent French coach. French learning library - Grammar lessons - Vocabulary themes - Listening practice - Reading practice - Speaking practice - Writing practice.
French words for gerund include gérondif substantif verbal and du gérondif. French Translation of gerund The official Collins English-French Dictionary online. Over 100000 French translations of English words and phrases.
Present Participle as a Verb or Gerund. When used as a verb the French present participle expresses an action that is simultaneous with but not necessarily related to the action of the main verb. There are two possible uses for this in French.
To modify a noun or express an action that is related to the main verb. Here a noun phrase with a gerund fishing for salmon was substituted for a regular noun golf. Ici un groupe nominal avec un gérondif fishing for salmon a remplacé un nom commun golf.
You will learn how to use the gerund after the verb to go. Tu apprendras à utiliser le gérondif après le verbe to go. A gerund is a verb that typically functions as a noun or as the direct object of another verb.
Generally speaking creating a gerund is as easy as adding ing to the base form of the verb. There are some exceptions however. A gerund ˈ dʒ ɛ r ən d-ʌ n d abbreviated GER is any of various nonfinite verb forms in various languages.
Most often but not exclusively one that functions as a noun. In English it has the properties of both verb and noun such as being modifiable by an adverb and being able to take a direct object. The term -ing form is often used in English to refer to the gerund specifically.
In French the present participle of a verb the ing form may be used with the preposition en while on upon by in when to form a gerund a noun that in English ends in ingWhen used without en the present participle may act as an adjective and is also used to express the ing form of the verb in English. Gerunds are formed by adding -ing to the verb. Sleeping drawing swimming But they are not the -ing verb forms that you see in the present or past continuous tense.
They look the same but gerunds are actually verb forms used as nouns.