wordmark

French - Participles

The concept of participles is essential in French because they are used to build tenses and function as adjectives. There are two main types: the Past Participle and the Present Participle.

Part 1: The Past Participle (Le Participe Passé)

This is the most common and versatile participle. It is the French equivalent of forms like "spoken," "finished," or "gone."

How to Form the Past Participle

The ending changes based on the verb group.

  • -ER verbs → -é

    • parler (to speak) → parlé
    • manger (to eat) → mangé

  • -IR verbs → -i

    • finir (to finish) → fini
    • choisir (to choose) → choisi

  • -RE verbs → -u

    • vendre (to sell) → vendu
    • attendre (to wait) → attendu

Irregular Past Participles: Many of the most common verbs are irregular and must be memorized.

  • avoir (to have) → eu
  • être (to be) → été
  • faire (to do/make) → fait
  • prendre (to take) → pris
  • dire (to say) → dit
  • écrire (to write) → écrit
  • voir (to see) → vu
  • pouvoir (to be able to) → pu
  • vouloir (to want) → voulu

How to Use the Past Participle

The past participle has three main functions.

1. To Form Compound Tenses (like the Passé Composé): This is its most frequent use. It combines with an auxiliary verb (avoir or être) to talk about the past.

  • J'ai mangé une pomme. (I ate an apple.)
  • Elle est partie à midi. (She left at noon.)

Crucial Rule: Agreement The spelling of the past participle sometimes changes to agree in gender and number.

  • When the auxiliary is être, the participle always agrees with the subject.
    • Il est tombé. (He fell.)
    • Elle est tombée. (She fell.)
    • Ils sont tombés. (They fell.)
    • Elles sont tombées. (They fell.)
  • When the auxiliary is avoir, the participle agrees with the direct object only if the direct object comes before the verb.
    • J'ai mangé la pomme. (No agreement, "la pomme" is after.)
    • *La pomme que j'ai mangée...* (Agreement, "la pomme" comes before.)

2. To Form the Passive Voice: It is used with the verb être to show that the subject is receiving the action. The participle always agrees with the subject.

  • La voiture est lavée par mon père. (The car is washed by my father.)
  • Les lettres ont été écrites. (The letters have been written.)

3. As an Adjective: The past participle can be used on its own to describe a noun. In this case, it functions exactly like a regular adjective and always agrees with the noun it describes.

  • *la porte fermée* (the closed door)
  • *un livre intéressant* (an interesting book - note: not all adjectives are past participles)
  • *des fenêtres ouvertes* (open windows)

Part 2: The Present Participle (Le Participe Présent)

This is the -ant form of the verb, equivalent to the English "-ing" form when used as an adjective or to connect clauses.

How to Form the Present Participle

The rule is very consistent.

  1. Take the nous form of the verb in the present tense.
  2. Drop the -ons ending.
  3. Add the ending -ant.
  • parler → nous parlons → parlant (speaking)
  • finir → nous finissons → finissant (finishing)
  • boire → nous buvons → buvant (drinking)

There are only three exceptions: être → étant, avoir → ayant, and savoir → sachant.

How to Use the Present Participle

1. To Replace a Relative Clause (qui...): This is a more formal or literary use. It can replace a clause beginning with qui (who/which).

  • Je cherche une secrétaire parlant japonais. (I'm looking for a secretary who speaks Japanese.)
    • This is the same as: ...une secrétaire qui parle japonais.

2. As an Adjective: When the -ant form is used to directly describe a noun's quality, it acts as an adjective and must agree in gender and number.

  • *une histoire amusante* (an amusing story)
  • *des résultats surprenants* (surprising results)

Special Case: The Gérondif (en + Present Participle)

This form deserves a special mention because it is often confused with the present participle.

  • Formation: en + present participle (e.g., en parlant, en finissant)

  • Function: It is an adverbial phrase meaning "while doing" or "by doing" something.

  • Agreement: It is invariable and never changes.

  • J'ai vu Paul en sortant du bureau. (I saw Paul while leaving the office.)

  • Elle a appris le français en regardant des films. (She learned French by watching films.)