In French, the progressive tense is used to express actions that are ongoing or in progress, similar to the English "to be doing" construction. The progressive is formed with the verb être in the appropriate tense, followed by the gerund (gérondif) of the main verb, which ends in -ant.
- Use être + en + gerund to show that something is happening right now or around the same time as another event.
- The gerund is formed by taking the nous form of the verb, removing -ons, and adding -ant.
Progressive tenses in French use être + en + the gerund (-ant).
Example: Parler (to speak)
| Subject | Être (Présent) | + en + Parler(-ant) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Je | suis | en parlant | I am speaking (right now) |
| Tu | es | en parlant | You are speaking |
| Il/Elle/On | est | en parlant | He/She/One is speaking |
| Nous | sommes | en parlant | We are speaking |
| Vous | êtes | en parlant | You (pl.) are speaking |
| Ils/Elles | sont | en parlant | They are speaking |
- For other tenses, just conjugate être accordingly:
- Imparfait: étais, étais, était, étions, étiez, étaient
- Futur: serai, seras, sera, serons, serez, seront
Progressive tenses require 'être' + 'en' + the gerund form of the main verb.
Gerund Formation from the Verb Root
| Infinitive | Nous Form | Gerund | Meaning (Gerund) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parler | Parlons | Parlant | Speaking |
| Finir | Finissons | Finissant | Finishing |
| Vendre | Vendons | Vendant | Selling |
| Être | Sommes | Étant | Being |
| Avoir | Avons | Ayant | Having |
The gerund of 'manger' is 'mangeant', expressing 'eating' as an ongoing action.
Usage Beyond Present
You can use the progressive idea with Être + En + Gerund in different tenses for Être:
- Past (Imparfait): Je étais en train de parler – I was speaking (in the middle of it).
- Future: Je serai en train de parler – I will be speaking (at that moment).
Progressive forms can be used in any tense by conjugating 'être' appropriately.
French progressive tenses express ongoing actions using être + en + gerund (-ant), similar to "I am doing" in English. This structure can be adapted for past and future by changing the form of être.
- Progressive = être + en + [verb -ant]
- Gerund from nous form: Parler → Parlons → Parlant
- Works in multiple tenses with proper être conjugation