Present participle and gerund

Of course, you are familiar with the present tense when speaking in the present. But did you know that there is also a present participle?

When something is happening now, you use the present tense. In French, there is also a more specific way to indicate that something is occurring at this moment: the present participle. You can recognize this form by the -ant suffix added to the verb.

Participe présent
The present participle directly describes a noun.

J’ai vu Martin achetant des pommes. (I saw Martin buying apples.)
C’est un livre traitant de l’art contemporain. (It is a book about contemporary art.)
Les gens buvant un verre dans le bar. (The people drinking a glass in the bar.)

Gérondif
The gerund is formed in the same way. You use this form when two events occur simultaneously and when the main clause and the subordinate clause have the same subject.
The gerund always follows the word en.

J’ai vu Martin en achetant des pommes. (I saw Martin while I was buying apples.)
On peut se détendre en lisant un livre. (You can relax while reading a book.)
Les gens dansent en buvant dans le bar. (The people dancing and drinking in the bar.)

Try it yourself?
You form the present participle or the gerund by taking the ‘nous’ form of a verb and replacing the ‘-ons’ ending with ‘-ant’.
So: