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The French present participle is formed by replacing the -ons ending of the first person plural present with the ending -ant.
| parlons |
parlant | |
finissons |
 |
finissant |
vendons |
vendant |
| C'est une jolie bague valant plus de mille dollars. It's a pretty ring worth more than a thousand dollars. |
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| Un secrétaire parlant plusieurs langages vaut
son poids en or. A secretary speaking several languages is worth her weight in gold. |
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| Conaissant le problème, il a hésité. | Knowing the problem, he hesitated. | |
The present particple is sometimes used as an an adjective...
| Ils ont l'eau courante dans leur maison. | They have running water in their house. | |
| Nous allons à une fête dansante samedi
prochain. We're going to a dancing party next Saturday. |
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When the present participle follows en, it is a gerund, equivalent to English -ing verbal nouns following while, by, or on.
| Il faisait une grimace en mangeant ses escargots. | He was making a face while eating his snails. | |
| En attendant, elle est très malheureuse. | While waiting, she is very unhappy. | |
| Elle est arrivée en sifflant légèrement. | She arrived whistling lightly. |
