📖LearnModule 11 · Lesson 24 of 30Proficient User · CEFR C1, first halfUnit 5 · Rapporter et relier
Le gérondif et le participe présent
Module 11 of the free French course (CEFR C1, first half), lesson 24 of 30: En + the -ant form says two things at once. On this page: 7 words with their genders and respellings, the rule, a watch-out line and the audio — the study notes behind the workbook's lesson 24.
The words
French
English
Say it
en mangeant
while eating
ah(n) mah(n)-ZHAH(n)
en pratiquant
by practicing
ah(n) prah-tee-KAH(n)
annonçant
announcing
ah-noh(n)-SAH(n)
la nouvelle
the piece of news
lah noo-VEL
tout en parlant
while still talking
too tah(n) pahr-LAH(n)
le moyen
the means
luh mwah-YA(n)
simultané
simultaneous
see-mewl-tah-NAY
Respellings follow the course’s say-it key; the stressed syllable is in capitals. Print this lesson’s flashcards (PDF) — the words on the front, the English and respelling on the back.
Hear the words
Each word is read twice — say it back in the gap. Computer-generated voice; credits on the course page.
La règle · The rule
En + the -ant form says two things at once — simultaneity or means: il lit en mangeant (he reads while eating), on apprend en pratiquant (you learn by practicing).
Et aussi · And also
Without en it is the participe présent, the written form that replaces a qui-clause: une lettre annonçant la nouvelle = une lettre qui annonce la nouvelle.
Attention · Watch out
en + -ant is the gérondif (simultaneity or means); without en it is the participe présent, which replaces a qui-clause in writing: une lettre annonçant la nouvelle.
Do it now — on paper
Say all 7 words aloud twice from the respelling, then once from the French spelling alone — begin with en mangeant.
Copy every word with its accents on paper; then cover the English column and write each meaning back from the French.
Write two sentences of your own that get the watch-out line right, then the two practice pages of workbook lesson 24 in Module 11 are the written half of this page.
This free course is the reading half. The writing half — write-in lessons, daily practice pages with built-in review, self-checks and a full answer key — is the companion workbook series, The French Ladder: one workbook per module, fifteen in all, released band by band with the Basic band (Modules 1–5) first.
Keep these words
Turn this lesson’s words into flashcards, then space your reviews — the two habits the research behind our study guides backs hardest.