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Understanding the French Present Participle
The French Present Participle is a special verb form that is used to describe actions that are happening at the same time as another action. It's like saying 'while doing' or 'by doing' in English. It's a little different from the usual verb forms you learn, but don't worry, it's not too hard to understand.
Important Points
To form the present participle, start with the 'nous' form of the verb in the present tense.
Remove the '-ons' ending from the 'nous' form.
Add '-ant' to the stem you have left.
This form is the same for all subjects (I, you, he, she, we, you all, they).
The present participle can be used to describe an action that is happening at the same time as another action.
It can also be used to explain how something is done.
There are some irregular present participles that you just have to memorize.
Examples
Nous mangeons -> mangeant
Ils finissent -> finissant
Elle parle -> parlant
Now, let's look at some examples to see how this works. If you want to say 'while eating,' you would use 'mangeant.' If you want to say 'by finishing,' you would use 'finissant.' It's a neat way to show actions happening together!
Examples
Il lisait en mangeant son déjeuner.
Elle a appris le français en écoutant des chansons.
Nous avons réussi en travaillant dur.
Remember, some verbs have irregular present participles. These are verbs that don't follow the usual rules, and you just need to remember them. For example, 'être' becomes 'étant,' 'avoir' becomes 'ayant,' and 'savoir' becomes 'sachant.'
Examples
Être -> étant
Avoir -> ayant
Savoir -> sachant
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