Participles and Passive

French Grammar 4

Chapter 7 · Participles and Passive

🔄 Participles, the Gerund and the Passive — Participes, gérondif et passif

You already know the past participle as the second half of the compound tenses (French Grammar 3 2). This chapter shows what else participles can do. The present participle (parlant) and the gerund (en parlant) let you say "while", "by" and "on" doing something in one clause rather than two. The past participle, used alone, opens a sentence (Arrivé à Paris, il a téléphoné). And the passive voice (il est aimé de tous) turns the object into the subject. French uses all of these less than English does, and it has everyday alternatives, so the last section shows the active choices that usually sound more natural.

The present participle

The rule is the same as for the imparfait stem (French Grammar 3 6), with -ant for the ending. The only three exceptions are étant, ayant, sachant. The present participle never changes for gender or number: les enfants jouant dans le jardin.

Where the present participle is used

The participle and the adjective

When the -ant word describes a noun like an adjective, it is a verbal adjective and agrees: une histoire amusante, des enfants charmants. Compare the invariable participle with the adjective:

A few adjectives and participles have different spellings: fatigant (adjective) / fatiguant (participle), différent / différant, convaincant / convainquant, provocant / provoquant, précédent / précédant. The participle always ends in -ant; only the adjective can end in -ent or take a different consonant.

The gerund: en + present participle

The gerund is the -ant form after en. It is invariable and says something about how, when or why the main verb happens. The subject of the gerund is always the subject of the main verb:

Pronouns and negatives. Reflexive and object pronouns stand before the participle: en se levant, en le voyant, en lui parlant. The negative wraps the participle: en ne disant rien, en ne sachant pas. With a gerund of être and avoir, French prefers another construction: En étant malade, il… is rare; say Comme il était malade, il….

The past participle used alone

At the start of a sentence, the past participle can stand on its own as a short clause of time or cause. It agrees with the subject, and the subject must be the same as the main verb's:

The perfect participle: ayant / étant + participle

To make the earlier action explicit, use ayant or étant with the past participle. The auxiliary choice and the agreement follow the passé composé (French Grammar 3 3 to 5):

These constructions belong mainly to written French and formal speech. In conversation, use a full clause instead: Comme il avait fini son travail, il est parti, Après avoir fini son travail, il est parti.

The passive voice

In the active voice the subject performs the action (Marie écrit le livre). In the passive the object becomes the subject and the doer is introduced by par (Le livre est écrit par Marie). The passive is être in the required tense + the past participle, agreeing with the subject:

Par or de. The agent is usually introduced by par (a real action). De is used with verbs of feeling and state, and for things that fill or cover:

Passive or état?

The same words can be an action (passive) or a state (être + adjective). The test: add par + an agent. If you can, it is a passive:

Alternatives to the passive

French avoids the passive when a more natural active form exists. Three are everyday:

🗣️ In Use — En situation

Read these aloud and name the construction: gerund, participle clause, passive, or an alternative.

📋 Quick Reference — Aide-mémoire

✏️ Try It Yourself — Exercices

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