In short

The gérondif is en + the present participle (-ant), and it says that two actions happen at the same time, done by the same subject: En mangeant, je regarde la télé. (“While eating, I watch TV.”) It answers when, how, or by what means.

The rule

The gérondif is a single invariable form: the preposition en placed before a verb’s present participle. The participle is built by taking the nous form of the present tense, dropping -ons, and adding -ant.

• nous mangeons -> mangeant -> en mangeant
• nous finissons -> finissant -> en finissant
• nous prenons -> prenant -> en prenant

Three verbs have irregular participles you must memorize:

• être -> étant -> en étant
• avoir -> ayant -> en ayant
• savoir -> sachant -> en sachant

The key constraint: the gérondif and the main verb share the same subject. En arrivant, Marie a téléphoné means Marie arrived and Marie phoned. If the two actions have different subjects, you cannot use the gérondif - use a subordinate clause instead (Quand Marie est arrivée, j’ai téléphoné).

The gérondif is invariable: it never agrees in gender or number. Elle est partie en courant, Ils sont partis en courant - the form courant does not change.

Pronouns stay inside the gérondif: an object or reflexive pronoun stands between en and the participle, never before en and never after the participle - Elle calme le bébé en le berçant dans ses bras and Il a remercié ses collègues en leur offrant un café. Only me, te, se, le and la elide before a vowel or a mute h: en l’écoutant, en m’habillant, but en leur offrant.

en + present participle (-ant)

The gérondif always keeps en attached to the -ant form. Without en, the bare -ant form is a plain present participle with a different job (see Lesson 47) - it is only the combination en + -ant that expresses simultaneity or manner.

• Il lit en écoutant de la musique. - He reads while listening to music.
• Nous parlons en marchant. - We talk while walking.

You can reinforce the simultaneity with tout in front: tout en stresses that the two actions genuinely overlap, and often adds a hint of contrast.

• Il travaille tout en écoutant la radio. - He works while (all the while) listening to the radio.
• Tout en souriant, elle a refusé. - While smiling, she refused. (contrast: smile vs refusal)

Simultaneity: en mangeant

The most common use: two actions by one subject happening at once. English usually translates it with while / when / as + -ing.

• Je lis le journal en prenant mon café. - I read the paper while having my coffee.
• Elle chante en travaillant. - She sings while working.
• En sortant, ferme la porte. - When you leave, close the door.

Manner/means: en travaillant

The gérondif also answers how? or by what means? - the way an action is carried out. English often uses by + -ing.

• Il a réussi en travaillant beaucoup. - He succeeded by working hard.
• On apprend en faisant des erreurs. - You learn by making mistakes.
• Elle a maigri en faisant du sport. - She lost weight by doing sport.

The adjectival present participle proper is treated at B2

The bare -ant form can also work like an adjective (une histoire amusante, de l’eau courante), and there it does agree in gender and number. That adjectival participle - and the true present participle used as a verb - are covered at B2 in Lesson 47. In this lesson, stay with the gérondif: en + -ant, always invariable.

Forms & patterns

Building the present participle from the nous form:

The three irregular participles:

A pronominal verb keeps its reflexive pronoun, and that pronoun changes with the subject even though the participle itself never does: je me lève -> en me levant, tu te lèves -> en te levant, elle se lève -> en se levant, nous nous levons -> en nous levant.

Examples

Common mistakes

• en mangant -> en mangeant - keep the e after g to preserve the soft sound.
• en commencant -> en commençant - the cedilla ç keeps the c soft before a.
• En arrivant, le train était parti (two different subjects) -> Quand je suis arrivé, le train était parti - one subject only for the gérondif; with two subjects, use a clause.
• en être / en avoir -> en étant / en ayant - use the irregular participles, not the infinitive.
• elle est partie en courante -> en courant - the gérondif never agrees; it is invariable.
• j’ai appris le français en travaille -> en travaillant - en must be followed by the -ant participle, not a conjugated verb.

Tips

• Build the participle from nous: drop -ons, add -ant. This works for almost every verb.
• Only three exceptions: étant, ayant, sachant. Learn them as a set.
• Same subject is the golden rule. Different subjects? Switch to quand / pendant que + a full clause.
• Translate it with while / when / by + -ing to check your English makes sense.
• Add tout (tout en…) to stress overlap or a slight contrast between the two actions.
• Watch the spelling of -ger and -cer verbs: mangeant, commençant keep the soft consonant.