The present participle ends in -ant in French and in -ing in English (seeing, writing, working). But do not assume that every English -ing form is the equivalent of a French verb form ending in -ant. As we shall see later in this chapter, most English -ing forms are not translated by the French present participle.
To form the present participle, drop the ending -ons from the present tense of the first-person plural (nous) form and replace it with -ant.
The present participle of verbs ending in -cer has a cédille.
The present participle of verbs ending in -ger ends in -eant.
The following three verbs have irregular present participles:
Note: Ne … pas surrounds the present participle:
EXERCICE
14•1
Comment dit-on en français?
1. walking _____________
2. reflecting _____________
3. waiting _____________
4. traveling _____________
5. hoping _____________
6. pronouncing _____________
7. coming _____________
8. going _____________
9. believing _____________
10. having _____________
11. being _____________
12. understanding _____________
13. doing _____________
14. laughing _____________
15. seeing _____________
16. reading _____________
17. writing _____________
18. fearing _____________
19. not knowing (savoir) _____________
20. wanting _____________
The present participle also has a compound form, the perfect participle, which consists of the present participle of avoir or être and the past participle of the verb.
The perfect participle is used to indicate an action that precedes the action expressed by the main verb.
Note: Ne … pas surrounds the auxiliary of the perfect participle.
EXERCICE
14•2
Comment dit-on en français?
1. having heard _____________
2. having come _____________
3. having gone _____________
4. having been _____________
5. having fallen _____________
6. having lost _____________
7. having slept _____________
8. not having gone out _____________
9. having chosen _____________
10. not having seen _____________
11. having lived (vivre) _____________
12. having left _____________
The present participle (which is invariable) can be used alone or with the preposition en to form the gerund.
The present participle (without en) occurs mainly in written French (in the press, literature, correspondence, or administrative language). It is used
to indicate a cause, a reason for something (English: because, since).
to replace a relative clause introduced by qui (English: which, who).
EXERCICE
14•3
Traduisez en français les mots entre parenthèses, en utilisant le participe présent.
1. (Not knowing what to say) ______________, il s’est tu.
2. (Being hungry) ______________, il est rentré.
3. (Being tired) ______________, je n’ai pas couru.
4. (Wishing [souhaiter] to spend the weekend in your region) ______________, je vous serais reconnaissante de bien vouloir me réserver une chambre.
5. (Not being able to finish his studies) ______________, il doit trouver un emploi.
6. (Not wanting to disturb her) ______________, il restait silencieux.
7. (Having American citizenship) ______________, il peut voter aux États-Unis.
8. (Seeing the red light [le feu rouge]) ______________, le conducteur s’est arrêté.
9. (The subway being on strike) ______________, il a dû prendre un taxi.
10. (Having missed the bus) ______________, j’ai pris le métro.
11. (Not having received my fax) ______________, il n’a pas pu finir le travail.
12. (Having lived in Japan for ten years) ______________, elle parle couramment le japonais.
13. Elle a acheté une voiture (that consumes little gasoline) ______________.
14. Il a percuté (He hit) un camion (coming in the opposite direction [en sens inverse]) ______________.
15. (The plane arriving from Madrid) ______________ a trente minutes de retard.
The present participle is also used
to indicate the manner in which something is done or the accompanying circumstances.
to express an action that happened immediately before the action of the main verb (at the beginning of the sentence).
to indicate an action that immediately follows the main action, expressing the result of the main action.
EXERCICE
14•4
Traduisez en français les phrases suivantes. Utilisez le participe présent dans chaque phrase.
1. Opening the door slowly, he entered. _________________________________________
2. He got off the train (descendre du train), forgetting his suitcase. _________________________________________
3. Taking his hat, he went out. _________________________________________
4. Having finished his speech, he sat down. _________________________________________
5. The bomb exploded, killing eighty people. _________________________________________
The present participle following the preposition en (while, by, on, upon) is called the gerund (le gérondif). Unlike the present participle alone, which is rarely used in conversation, the gerund frequently occurs in the written as well as in the spoken language.
The gerund serves to express an action that happens at the same time as the action of the main verb. (English: while + present participle)
Note: The word tout is sometimes used before the gerund to emphasize the simultaneity of the gerund and the main verb.
Tout before a gerund can also express an opposition (although, even though).
The gerund serves to indicate the manner or the means by which an action is, was, or will be completed. (English: by + present participle)
The gerund serves to indicate a particular moment when the main action takes, took, or will take place. (English: when, as, on, upon + present participle)
EXERCICE
14•5
Traduisez en français les mots entre parenthèses en utilisant le gérondif.
1. On s’instruit (by traveling) _____________.
2. J’ai eu la voiture moins chère (by bargaining) _____________.
3. Renvoyez dès aujourd’hui ce bulletin (by using) ______________ l’enveloppe ci-jointe.
4. Roméo s’est tué (by drinking) ______________ une potion contenant un poison.
5. Il a trouvé sa montre (when he tidied up) ______________ ses affaires.
6. Ne le dites pas (while laughing) ______________.
7. Il est parti (while crying) ______________.
8. Je vous quitte pour ce jour, ([while] hoping) ______________ avoir bien vite de vos nouvelles.
9. ([By] thanking you) ______________ à l’avance, je vous prie d’agréer, cher Monsieur, l’expression de mes sentiments les meilleurs.
10. Ils sont sortis de l’appartement (by slamming [claquer] the door) ______________.
11. Ce qui m’a frappé (while listening to this song) ______________ c’est la belle voix de la chanteuse.
12. (Upon entering the house) ______________, j’ai remarqué qu’on avait été cambriolés.
13. (On receiving the award) ______________ elle a pleuré de joie.
14. Si nous parlions (while having lunch) ______________?
15. Conduire (while telephoning) ______________ est interdit en France.
EXERCICE
14•6
Traduisez en français en utilisant le gérondif.
1. Switch off the light as you (pol.) go out. _________________________________________
2. One must not speak while eating. _________________________________________
3. It is by visiting France that one learns best (le mieux) how to speak French. _________________________________________
4. You (pol.) succeeded by making an effort. _________________________________________
5. I earn my living by working. _________________________________________
6. He fell when he went down the stairs. _________________________________________
7. He broke his leg while skiing. _________________________________________
8. She found this job by reading the want ads (les petites annonces). _________________________________________
9. I lost weight (maigrir) by exercising (faire du sport) every day. _________________________________________
10. Nowadays, one often telephones while walking, and one eats one’s meals while watching television. _________________________________________
Complétez personnellement en employant en + participe présent.
Exemple: Ils se promènent ______________.
Ils se promènent en bavardant.
1. Je fais mes devoirs ______________.
2. J’écoute souvent la radio ______________.
3. Quelquefois, je parle au téléphone ______________.
4. Parfois, je conduis à l’école ______________.
5. De temps en temps, je regarde la télé ______________.
6. La chanteuse joue du piano ______________.
EXERCICE
14•8
Faites une seule phrase en employant en + participe présent. Suivez le modèle.
Exemple: Anne faisait la vaisselle. Elle a cassé une assiette.
En faisant la vaisselle, Anne a cassé une assiette.
1. Brice allait au théâtre. Il a rencontré un ami. _________________________________________
2. Mireille lisait le journal. Elle a découvert un article intéressant. _________________________________________
3. On regarde le journal télévisé. On se tient au courant de l’actualité. _________________________________________
4. Nous travaillons dur. Nous réussirons. _________________________________________
5. Je fais du yoga. Je me détends. _________________________________________
6. Les joueurs s’entraînent tous les jours. Ils ont gagné le match. _________________________________________
7. J’ai couru très vite. J’ai attrapé le bus. _________________________________________
8. Vous prenez la deuxième rue à droite. Vous arriverez à la gare. _________________________________________
The English -ing form of the verb rarely corresponds to a French verb form ending in -ant.
English frequently combines the verb to be with the present participle to form the present, past, and future continuous tenses (I am going, he was/has been/had been drinking, we will be leaving). These constructions have no equivalent in French where the verb être cannot be followed by a present participle.
When the English -ing form follows the verb to be, French does the following:
To translate am/is/are -ing, French uses the present tense of the verb.
If the speaker wants to emphasize that the action is in progress, the expression être (in the present) en train de + infinitive can be used.
To translate was, were … -ing, French uses the imperfect tense.
If the speaker wants to emphasize that the action was in progress, the expression être (in the imperfect) en train de + infinitive can be used.
To translate have/has been … -ing, French uses
the passé composé if the action was in the past.
the present tense if the action continues in the present (with depuis and ça fait… que).
To translate had been … -ing, French uses
the pluperfect tense if the action was completed before another past action.
the imperfect tense when the action was interrupted by another past action (with depuis and ça fait… que).
To translate will be … -ing, French uses the future tense.
To translate to be going to + infinitive, French uses aller + infinitive.
The present tense of aller is used to translate is/are going to + infinitive.
The imperfect tense of aller is used to translate was/were going to + infinitive.
Comment dit-on en français?
1. He is sleeping. _________________________________________
2. What are you (pol.) doing? _________________________________________
3. I am dying of fear. _________________________________________
4. She is in the process of sweeping the patio (la terrasse). _________________________________________
5. We were watching TV when he called. _________________________________________
6. He was in the process of shaving when the light went out (s’éteindre). _________________________________________
7. They (fem.) have been saying it for a long time. _________________________________________
8. How long have you (pol.) been living here? _________________________________________
9. I have been walking all morning. _________________________________________
10. The police stopped him because he had been speeding (dépasser la limitation de vitesse). _________________________________________
11. He had been living in New Orleans (la Nouvelle-Orléans) for forty years when the hurricane destroyed his house. _________________________________________
12. She will be celebrating (fêter) her thirtieth birthday. _________________________________________
French uses an infinitive to translate an English -ing form
when the English -ing form follows a preposition and when the subject of the main clause is the same as the subject of the subordinate clause. Whereas the use of the -ing form after a preposition is very common in English, where all prepositions (except to) are followed by the present participle (without thinking, before eating, by saying, upon arriving, while speaking, through working, after graduating, etc.), the only preposition that can precede a present participle in French is en. All other (French) prepositions are followed by the infinitive.
when the English -ing form follows another verb, verbal expression, adjective, or thank you/thanks.
when the English -ing form is the subject or object of a verb.
French uses a past participle to translate an English present participle used as an adjective and denoting a position already assumed (sitting, lying).
But the word standing is translated by the adverb debout:
EXERCICE
14•10
Comment dit-on en français?
1. Come in (pol.) without making any noise. _________________________________________
2. That goes without saying. _________________________________________
3. Phone (fam.) me before leaving. _________________________________________
4. I love riding (horses). _________________________________________
5. He doesn’t like flying (prendre l’avion). _________________________________________
6. Have you (pol.) finished painting? _________________________________________
7. I prefer staying here. _________________________________________
8. I saw him crossing the street. _________________________________________
9. After entering the house, he took off (enlever) his coat. _________________________________________
10. After getting dressed, I combed my hair. _________________________________________
11. I have trouble breathing (respirer). _________________________________________
12. We don’t feel like playing. _________________________________________
13. He spends his time studying. _________________________________________
14. This novel isn’t worth reading. _________________________________________
15. Thanks for coming. _________________________________________
16. They (fem.) are sitting in the last row. _________________________________________