Gerund - En + Present Participle

The gerund is a special form of the verb. In French, it is called the gérondif. It always starts with the little word en. Think of en as the glue. It sticks two actions together. The main rule is simple. Both actions must be done by the same person. If you are singing while you shower, you use the gerund. If you are singing while your brother showers, you do not. The gerund describes how you do something. It also describes when you do something. It functions like an adverb in many cases. It adds detail to your main action. For example, you can say j'apprends en lisant. This means "I learn by reading." The reading is how the learning happens. It is a very efficient way to speak. You save words and sound more professional. Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes. They might forget the en or use the wrong subject. But you are going to get it right. It is a logic puzzle that makes sense.

1. 1Creating the gerund is like following a recipe. You only need a few steps. It works for almost every verb in the language.
2. 2Find the nous form of the verb in the present tense. For parler, it is nous parlons.
3. 3Remove the -ons ending from the end. Now you have the stem: parl-.
4. 4Add the ending -ant to that stem. This gives you parlant.
5. 5Place the word en right before it. The final result is en parlant.
6. 6Let us try another one. Take finir. The nous form is nous finissons. Drop the -ons. You get finiss-. Add -ant. You get finissant. Now add en. You have en finissant. It works for -er, -ir, and -re verbs. There are only three rebels to watch out for. These are the irregulars.
7. 7être becomes en étant (while being).
8. 8avoir becomes en ayant (while having).
9. 9savoir becomes en sachant (while knowing).
10. 10That is it. Just three! Even your old high school math formulas were harder than this.

You use the gerund in three main scenarios. The first is simultaneity. This is a fancy word for "at the same time." For example: il mange en regardant la télé. He eats while watching TV. He is doing both right now. The second use is the "manner" or "means." This explains how you achieve something. Elle a réussi en travaillant dur. She succeeded by working hard. The working hard was the method. The third use is condition. This is like saying "if." For example: en prenant le train, tu gagneras du temps. By taking the train (if you take the train), you will save time. You will hear this everywhere. In a job interview, you might say j'ai acquis de l'expérience en gérant des projets. I gained experience by managing projects. It sounds active and capable. Use it when you want to show a connection between your actions. It makes your stories more dynamic. Imagine you are giving directions. You could say en tournant à gauche, vous verrez la banque. By turning left, you will see the bank. It flows perfectly.

This is where things can get a bit sticky. The biggest rule is the "Same Subject Rule." You cannot use the gerund if two different people are doing the actions. If you say en arrivant, la pluie a commencé, it sounds like the rain arrived. That is a grammar ghost! The rain did not arrive; you did. Instead, say quand je suis arrivé, la pluie a commencé. Another time to avoid it is when describing a person. If you want to say "a charming girl," use the adjective charmante, not the gerund. The gerund always needs en. If there is no en, it is just a present participle. That is a different beast for a different day. Also, do not use it for things that happen one after another. If you finish your homework and THEN go out, use après avoir fini. The gerund is for things happening together. Think of it like a grammar traffic light. It only turns green when the subjects match. If they do not match, hit the brakes!

Most people make the same few mistakes. The most common is forgetting the en. If you just say mangeant, it sounds incomplete. It is like wearing one shoe. Always keep the en paired with the -ant. Another mistake is using the wrong stem. People often use the infinitive stem. They might say en parlant (correct) but then try en finirant (wrong). Remember: use the nous form! Finissons becomes finissant. Do not forget the double 's' for -ir verbs. Another classic is the subject mismatch. We talked about this, but it bears repeating. You cannot say en marchant, mon sac est tombé. Your bag does not have legs. It did not walk. You should say mon sac est tombé pendant que je marchais. Finally, do not overthink the irregulars. There are only three. If you try to make en faisant irregular, you will fail. Faire follows the rule: nous faisons -> en faisant. It is regular in its irregularity!

You might confuse the gerund with the present participle. They look similar because they both end in -ant. However, the present participle does not have en. It usually acts like a relative clause. Les élèves travaillant dur réussiront. The students working hard will succeed. Here, travaillant describes the students. The gerund en travaillant describes the action of the main verb. Another contrast is with pendant que. This also means "while." But pendant que needs a full sentence after it. Pendant que je mange, je lis. The gerund is shorter: en mangeant, je lis. Use the gerund for speed and style. Use pendant que when you have two different subjects. Pendant qu'il dort, je travaille. You cannot use a gerund there. It is like choosing between a bike and a car. Both get you there, but one is more agile for specific paths.