Participe/Gérondif – Free Exercise

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Exercise

Complete the table with the present participle and the gerund of the verbs.

Infinitive Present Participle Gerund
perdre to lose    
marcher to walk    
lire to read    
écrire to write    
réfléchir to think    

Complete the sentences with the present participle of the verbs in brackets.

  1. C’est une chambre (donner)   sur la rue.nous donnons → donnantIt’s a room facing the street.
  2. J’ai lu un livre (passionner)  .nous nous passionnons → passionnantI read a fascinating book.
  3. Ne (voir)   pas le panneau, elle se gare au mauvais endroit.nous voyons → voyantNot seeing the sign, she parked in the wrong place.
  4. Nous cherchons une personne (parler)   anglais.nous parlons → parlantWe’re looking for an English-speaking person.
  5. C'est une coïncidence (troubler)  .nous nous troublons → troublant
    Here the present participle is used as an adjective, so must agree in gender and number with the noun (une coïncidence)
    feminine singular = add -e    It’s a worrying coincidence.

Choose between the present participle, the past participle or the perfect participle to complete the sentences.

  1. Martin est (tomber)   dans la piscine.Sentence in the passé composé → past participleMartin fell in the pool.
  2. Ce film (effrayer)   m’a fait crier.Adjectif verbal describing the noun ce film → present participleThis scary film made me scream.
  3. Jeanne (oublier)   les clefs de l’appartement, nous dormîmes dans la voiture.Expressing one past action that happened prior to another (first Jeanne forgot the keys, then they slept in the car) → perfect participleSince Jeanne had left the keys in the apartment, we slept in the car.
  4. (partir)   tôt, ils furent seuls sur la route.Expressing one past action that happened prior to another (first they left early, then they were on the road): perfect participle
    We can also omit the auxiliary être and just use the past participle here → partis    Since they had left early, they were all alone on the road.
  5. Ton seau est (trouer)   !Adjective form of the verb trouer → past participleYour bucket has a hole!