Le participe présent Le gérondif

 

The participe présent What is the participe présent and how is it formed? What is the difference between a participe présent and an adjectif verbal? How do the French and English present participles compare? How is the participe présent used in French? What is the participe présent and how is it formed? The present participle is the verb form that ends in -ant. This ending is added to the stem of the first person plural of the present indicative, as follows: Infinitif nous form of the indicatif présent Participe présent aller manger prendre allons mangeons prenons allant mangeant prenant Only three verbs have irregular present participles: avoir être savoir avons sommes savons ayant étant sachant What is the difference between a participe présent and an adjectif verbal? Unlike the many adjectives in -ant, which are obviously related to present participles, the present participle itself is invariable. To determine whether a form in -ant is an adjective or a participle, check whether it is followed by a direct object, an indirect object, or a prepositional object, or whether it is used in (as opposed to with) a negative construction. Direct, indirect and prepositional objects, on the one hand, and negative constructions, on the other hand, can only be used with verbs; their presence is therefore evidence that we are dealing with an invariable participle. Compare the following sets of examples: Le gouvernement a pris des mesures choquantes. Choquant tout le monde, sa fille ainée s'est mariée avec un punk. Les Michaud ont de la chance d'avoir des enfants si obéissants. Les enfants, obéissant à leurs parents, sont allés se coucher. Il y a beaucoup de gens qui aiment leur viande saignante. Saignant de la tête, mon petit frère a dû être hospitalisé. Dans la vie, il faut adopter une attitude tolérante. Ne tolérant plus le bruit que nous faisions, grand-mère nous a chassés de chez elle. In the very last example, a participe présent is used: tolérant is a verb form appearing in a negative construction. In the sentence below, on the other hand, an adjective verbal is used: tolérante is an adjective used after the verb (or copula) être, which is itself used negatively. L'Eglise catholique du 21e siècle n'est pas plus tolérante que celle d'il y a cinquante ans. What is the equivalent form in English and how does it compare to its French counterpart? The English present participle is the verb form that ends in -ing, e.g. going, eating, taking. Importantly, though, the English -ing forms are not always expressed in French by means of a present participle. They are translated in a variety of ways, the most common of which are exemplified in the table below. Note the use of the infinitive in examples 1 to 3, of a relative clause in example 4, and of a simple tense in examples 5 to 7. English Number French I saw her working 1 Je l'ai vue travailler Before coming here, they lived in Italy 2 Avant de venir ici, ils vivaient en Italie They spent an hour reading the paper 3 Ils ont passé une heure à lire le journal We heard him leaving 4 Nous l'avons entendu qui partait She is calling 5 Elle appelle They were writing letters 6 Elles écrivaient des lettres You will be having dinner at 8 7 Vous prendrez le dîner à 20h The use of the infinitive or of a relative clause is particularly common after verbs of perception (seeing, hearing, feeling etc.; cf. examples 1 and 4). The infinitive may be preceded by means of the formula en train de if it refers to an ongoing rather than an instantaneous event : Je l'ai vue en train de travailler. After a preposition (as in example 2), French always uses the infinitive (except after en, which is used to form the gérondif) The use of à + infinitive is common when the English present participle expresses manner of passing time. It is mandatory after the verb passer (as in example 3), but it also occurs after verbs such as rester and s'amuser. Je suis resté là à lire l'affiche. L'enfant s'est amusé à découper des images. The use of a relative clause is not uncommon after the verb trouver, which, in addition, allows the construction en train de + infinitive. It is possible to have either of the following: On les a trouvés qui s'embrassaient passionnément. On les a trouvés en train de s'embrasser passionnément. Both sentences have the same meaning (They were found passionately kissing). (Être) en train de + infinitive emphasizes the idea of ongoing activity (as when someone is busy doing, engaged in doing, or in the act of doing something), and must not be overused to translate the very common present, past and future progressive of English illustrated above (examples 5 to 7). In many cases, a simple tense such as the one used in the French versions will be enough to mark ongoing activity. Thus, while it is possible to say Elles étaient en train d'écrire des lettres, it is not absolutely necessary to be so specific, since the French imparfait already denotes ongoing activity all by itself. How is the participe présent used in French ? The present participle is often perceived as more formal than the equally correct constructions it replaces. It can be used to express a sequential relationship between actions performed by the subject. It expresses either anteriority (what happened before the action expressed by the main verb) or posteriority (what happened after the action expressed by the main verb). Prenant son chapeau, il est parti.    (= Il a pris son chapeau et il est parti.) Elle est morte, laissant son dernier roman inachevé.    (= Elle est morte, et de ce fait a laissé son dernier roman inachevé.) Ayant réfléchi toute la journée, il s'est résolu à lui dire la vérité.    (= Après avoir réfléchi toute la journée, il s'est résolu à lui dire la vérité.) Note, in the last example, the use of the compound form of the present participle (i.e. the past participle of the verb, preceded by the present participle of its usual auxiliary; réfléchir is conjugated with avoir). The present participle can also be used to express simultaneity. This is the case: when the simultaneous action constitutes a mere circumstance. Elle est entrée chez elle, pensant aux événements de la journée.    (= Elle est entrée chez elle, absorbée dans les événements de la journée.) when the subject performs the main action, and the direct object the simultaneous action. De bonne heure ce matin, Cédric a rencontré Marie-Paule sortant de la bibliothèque.    (= De bonne heure ce matin, Cédric a rencontré Marie-Paule, qui sortait de la bibliothèque.) Cette entreprise cherche une secrétaire sachant parler au moins trois langues.    (= Cette entreprise cherche une secrétaire qui sache parler au moins trois langues; the subjunctive is triggered by the verb chercher.) As the glosses indicate, this use of the present participle is often equivalent to a relative clause introduced by qui. The clause containing the present participle is sometimes embedded in the main clause. For this to happen, the subject of the main clause must carry enough weight. A mere unstressed subject pronoun is not good enough. Compare: Profitant du soleil, des centaines de touristes se sont rendus vers la plage. Des centaines de touristes, profitant du soleil, se sont rendus vers la plage. Croyant qu'il y aurait encore pas mal de place, moi aussi j'y suis allé. Moi aussi, croyant qu'il y aurait encore pas mal de place, j'y suis allé.    (Incorrect: *Je, croyant qu'il y aurait encore pas mal de place, y suis allé aussi)

The gérondif What is the gérondif and how is it formed? What are the equivalent forms in English? How is the gérondif used in French? What is the gérondif and how is it formed? The participe présent is used either on its own (as illustrated above) or in combination with en. The construction with en is referred to as the gérondif (English gerund). It is noteworthy that the presence or absence of the preposition en often has a dramatic impact on the meaning of an utterance. The following sentences mean two quite different things. De bonne heure ce matin, Cédric a rencontré Marie-Paule sortant de la bibliothèque. De bonne heure ce matin, Cédric a rencontré Marie-Paule en sortant de la bibliothèque. In the first sentence, the encounter occurred as Marie-Paule came out of the library; the present participle is equivalent to a qui clause (qui sortait) in which the relative pronoun qui refers to Marie-Paule (see above). In the second sentence, the encounter occurred as Cédric came out of the library; the gerund (as explained below) is equivalent to a pendant que clause (pendant qu'il sortait). What are the equivalent forms in English? The gérondif usually corresponds to an English present participle introduced by a preposition (e.g. (up)on, when, while, by). When it takes an additional tout (as in tout en parlant), several English translations are possible: while or still + present participle, even though or although + clause, etc. How is the gérondif used in French? The implied subject of the gérondif must coïncide with the main subject, as in the examples below. The gérondif occurs mainly as a simple form (compound gerunds do exist, but are very rare) and can convey a number of different ideas such as simultaneity, cause, manner or means, condition and contrast. simultaneity - construction equivalent to a clause starting off with pendant que, alors que, au moment où, quand, lorsque... En me promenant dans le jardin public cet après-midi, j'ai vu un écureuil. cause - construction equivalent to a clause starting off with parce que François-Xavier est tombé malade en travaillant dix-huit jours par jour. manner or means Je laverai la voiture en la frottant très fort. condition - construction equivalent to a clause starting off with si Tu aurais eu la réponse en posant la bonne question. contrast or incompatible behaviour Marie-Noëlle continue à fumer tout en étant enceinte. The final consonant of tout must be pronounced before the vowel that follows.