Without the preposition en to show a cause, a reason, a motive, a condition, a result, an incidental circumstance, or an action that took place at the same moment as or immediately before the action of the main verb. When used as a verb, the present participle is invariable—meaning that there is no agreement of the present participle with the subject:
- Étant occupé, je l'ai ignoré. (Being busy, I ignored him.)
- Elle est partie, oubliant ses clefs. (She left, forgetting her keys.)
- Regardant la télé, je me suis endormi. (Watching TV, I fell asleep.)
- Il étudie en écoutant la radio. (He studies while listening to the radio.)
- Il est entré criant. (He arrived screaming.)
In addition, the present participle can be used as follows:
Some present participles may be used as adjectives and must, therefore, agree in number and gender with the nouns or pronouns they modify. They generally follow the noun or pronoun:
- Je trouve ces filles charmantes. (I find those girls charming.)
- Ce sont des films amusants. (They are amusing films.)
The present participle can, but rarely does, replace a relative clause ( qui + verb):
- Je vois des gens qui portent des sacs. (I see some people who are carrying bags.)
- Je vois des gens portant des sacs. (I see some people carrying bags.)
The present participle CANNOT be used:
To express “to be” + present participle (the English progressive form). To express that an action is in progress, use the present tense or être en train de + infinitive:
- Il dort. (He is sleeping.)
- Il est en train de dormir. (He is sleeping.)
To replace an English gerund (a noun ending in ‐ing). A French present participle can only be used as a verb and not as a noun. The following examples show you some correct ways to replace an English gerund:
- Je préfère la natation. (I prefer swimming.)
- La pâtisserie est un art. (Pastry making is an art.)
- Je le ferai sans qu'il le sache. (I'll do it without his knowing it.)