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### The Gerund (Le Gérondif)

When you want to express that two actions are happening at the same time ("while doing"), or explain the method used to achieve something ("by doing"), you use the gerund. 

In French, the gerund is formed by combining the preposition **en** with the present participle of a verb.

### Forming the Present Participle

To create the present participle (the equivalent of the English "-ing" form), take the **nous** form of the verb in the present tense, drop the **-ons** ending, and add **-ant**. 

| Infinitive | *Nous* form | Present Participle | Gérondif |
|---|---|---|---|
| écouter | écout**ons** | écout**ant** | **en** écoutant |
| balayer | balay**ons** | balay**ant** | **en** balayant |
| faire | fais**ons** | fais**ant** | **en** faisant |
| conduire | conduis**ons** | conduis**ant** | **en** conduisant |

### Explaining How Something is Done

You can use the gerund to explain how an action is accomplished. In this context, **en** translates to "by". The gerund often follows the main verb, but it can also be placed at the beginning of the sentence.

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### Multitasking: Two Actions at Once

The most common use of the gerund is to show that a person is doing two things simultaneously. Here, **en** translates to "while". It is incredibly useful for talking about multitasking and managing daily chores.

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Notice that the gerund always refers to the subject of the main verb. In the sentence below, it is "we" who are chatting, and "we" who are doing the dishes.

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The gerund (en parlant)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

contraction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

prep

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Definite articles and elision (le, la, l')

Indefinite articles (un, une)

Identifying vs. describing (c'est vs. il est)

Feminine adjective agreement (+e)

Plural pronouns and 'to be' (nous sommes, vous êtes)

Formal and informal you (tu vs. vous)

Plural nouns and indefinite articles (des... -s)

Plural definite articles (les)

Plural adjective agreement (+s)

Stressed pronouns (moi, toi, lui)

The verb "to have" singular (j'ai, tu as, il a)

The verb "to have" plural (nous avons, vous avez, ils ont)

There is / there are (il y a)

Basic verbal negation (ne... pas)

Negating "there is" (il n'y a pas de)

Regular -er verbs singular (je parle, tu parles, il parle)

Regular -er verbs plural (nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent)

The verb "to be called" (s'appeler)

Yes/no questions with intonation (Tu parles ?)

Yes/no questions with "Est-ce que" (Est-ce que tu parles ?)

Informal questions (qui, que, quoi)

Standard questions (est-ce que)

Singular possessives (mon, ton, son)

Plural possessives (notre, votre, leur)

Demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces)

Adjective placement

Numbers 1 to 20

Numbers 21 to 100

Age and physical states (avoir)

The verb to go (aller)

The preposition to/at (à, au, aux)

Question word for location (où)

Prepositions for cities and countries (à, en, au, aux)

The verb to come (venir)

The preposition from/of (de, du, des)

Question word for origin (d'où)

The verb to do/make (faire)

Days of the week (lundi, mardi)

Telling time (il est... heure)

Question words for time (quand, à quelle heure)

The verb to take or have (prendre)

The verb to drink (boire)

Partitive articles (du, de la, de l')

Zero quantity (pas de)

Expressions of quantity (un peu de, beaucoup de)

Asking how much or how many (combien, combien de)

Very vs. a lot (très, beaucoup)

The verb to want (vouloir)

Polite requests (je voudrais)

The verb to be able to (pouvoir)

Obligation (devoir)

General obligation (il faut)

Why and because (pourquoi, parce que)

Expressing purpose (pour)

Reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nous, vous)

Daily routine verbs (se lever, s'habiller)

Adverbs of frequency (parfois, rarement)

Never (ne... jamais)

Regular -ir verbs (choisir, finir)

Regular -re verbs (attendre, répondre)

Irregular -ir verbs (sortir, partir, dormir)

Informal 'we' (on)

The imperative mood

Direct object pronouns (le, la, les, l')

The near future (aller + infinitive)

The recent past (venir de + infinitive)

The passé composé with avoir

Irregular past participles (eu, été, fait, pris, vu)

The passé composé with être

The negative passé composé (ne ... pas)

Saying goodbye

Please, sorry and thank you

Which / what (quel)

The indefinite adjective (tout, tous)

Irregular feminine adjectives (-euse, -ve)

Double consonant adjectives (-enne, -ette)

Feminine adjective endings (-ère, -trice)

Irregular plurals (-x)

Plurals ending in -al (-aux)

Present tense stem changes (e to è)

Accent stem changes (é to è)

Double consonant verbs (appeler, jeter)

Verbs ending in -yer (payer, envoyer)

Irregular communication verbs (dire, lire)

Irregular action verbs (écrire, mettre)

Question	Answer
while / by (with gerund)	en
the podcast	le podcast
efficient	efficace
By listening to a podcast, you are more efficient.	En écoutant un podcast, tu es plus efficace.
the task	la tâche
to concentrate	se concentrer
To finish a task, it is necessary to concentrate.	Pour finir une tâche, il faut se concentrer.
distracted	distrait
I no longer work while watching television because I am very distracted.	Je ne travaille plus en regardant la télévision parce que je suis très distrait.
We do the boring tasks while listening to a podcast.	Nous faisons les tâches ennuyeuses en écoutant un podcast.
to sweep	balayer
She sings while sweeping the kitchen.	Elle chante en balayant la cuisine.
to iron	repasser
He watches a film while ironing the clothes.	Il regarde un film en repassant les vêtements.
to fold / to bend	plier
I fold tomorrow's clothes while listening to the radio.	Je plie les vêtements de demain en écoutant la radio.
the earphone (m)	l'écouteur
He works at the office while wearing earphones, but he is distracted.	Il travaille au bureau en portant des écouteurs, mais il est distrait.
He talks on the phone while driving; it is very dangerous.	Il téléphone en conduisant ; c'est très dangereux.
the road	la route
To concentrate while driving, it is necessary to look at the road.	Pour se concentrer en conduisant, il faut regarder la route.
We chat while doing the dishes.	Nous discutons en faisant la vaisselle.
I save time by doing several tasks at the same time.	Je gagne du temps en faisant plusieurs tâches en même temps.
While crossing the road, you take off your earphones.	En traversant la route, tu enlèves tes écouteurs.
She is very efficient while ironing and folding her clothes.	Elle est très efficace en repassant et en pliant ses vêtements.
He always sings while sweeping the kitchen.	Il chante toujours en balayant la cuisine.

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