What is the difference between gérondif and infinitive?

Infinitive (parler, manger, finir) is the dictionary form — 'I want to speak' (Je veux parler). Gérondif (en parlant, en mangeant, en finissant) describes two actions happening at the same time, or the manner in which something is done — 'while speaking' or 'by speaking' (en parlant). Gérondif is never used as an infinitive.

Does gérondif change for different subjects (je, tu, il, nous, vous, ils)?

No. Gérondif is always the same form — 'en parlant' works for every subject: je, tu, il/elle, nous, vous, ils/elles. This makes it unique among French verb forms — it is invariant.

Can gérondif be used after any preposition?

No, only after 'en'. Gérondif only occurs with the preposition en — 'en parlant', 'en mangeant'. With other prepositions, you must use the infinitive — 'avant de partir' (before leaving), 'pour apprendre' (in order to learn), 'après avoir mangé' (after eating).

Gérondif: en + present participle

Getting Started

The gérondif is a simple way to say “while” and “by” — expressing two actions at the same time (simultaneity) or how something is done (manner). The key feature that makes it different from every other French verb form: it never changes, no matter the subject. One form: “en parlant” works for je, tu, il/elle, nous, vous, and ils/elles alike.

Gérondif is extremely common in French, especially in TEF/TCF writing and speaking tests, when you need to explain how you learned something or what you were doing when another event happened.

Formation: From Nous Form to Gérondif

The rule is simple — three steps:

Take the nous form of the present tense
Remove the -ons ending
Add -ant and prefix it with en

Verb	Nous Form	Gérondif	Example
parler	nous parlons	en parlant	Je parle français en regardant des films. (I speak French while watching films.)
finir	nous finissons	en finissant	En finissant mon café, j’ai vu mon ami. (Finishing my coffee, I saw my friend.)
vendre	nous vendons	en vendant	Il a gagné de l’argent en vendant des livres. (He made money by selling books.)
faire	nous faisons	en faisant	En faisant de l’exercice, on est plus heureux. (By exercising, we are happier.)
prendre	nous prenons	en prenant	Je vais vous donner un conseil en prenant l’exemple de Pierre. (I will give you advice by taking Pierre’s example.)
aller	nous allons	en allant	En allant au travail, elle a trouvé un portefeuille. (Going to work, she found a wallet.)

Three Irregular Gérondifs

Only three verbs do NOT follow the nous-minus-ons rule — this is a short, closed list to memorize:

être → en étant (not en soyons)
avoir → en ayant (not en ayons)
savoir → en sachant (not en savons)

All other French verbs follow the regular pattern above.

Usage 1: Simultaneity — Two Actions at Once

Express what happens “while” doing something else:

French	English
Elle mange en regardant la télé.	She eats while watching TV.
J’apprends en écoutant.	I learn while listening.
Il s’est brûlé en cuisinant.	He burned himself while cooking.
Nous chantons en travaillant.	We sing while working.
En traversant la rue, il a vu son ami.	While crossing the street, he saw his friend.
Elle lit un livre en prenant le bus.	She reads a book while taking the bus.

Usage 2: Manner — How or By What Means

Express the method or way something is accomplished, often translated as “by + -ing”:

French	English
Il a appris le français en pratiquant chaque jour.	He learned French by practicing every day.
On peut améliorer son accent en écoutant des natifs.	You can improve your accent by listening to native speakers.
Elle a réussi à l’examen en étudiant dur.	She passed the exam by studying hard.
Tu fais des progrès en étant régulier.	You make progress by being consistent.
On gagne de la confiance en parlant plus souvent.	We gain confidence by speaking more often.

Common Learner Errors

The biggest mistake: Trying to use gérondif after prepositions other than “en”. In English, we can say “before leaving”, “after eating”, “instead of working” — all -ing forms. French does not work this way. After other prepositions, always use the infinitive:

❌ Wrong	✓ Correct	Meaning
avant de en parlant	avant de parler	before speaking
après en manger	après avoir mangé	after eating
pour en apprendre	pour apprendre	in order to learn
sans en demander	sans demander	without asking
au lieu de en faire	au lieu de faire	instead of doing
pendant en travaillant	pendant qu’il travaille or durant le travail	while working (use present tense or noun, not gérondif)

Second mistake: Confusing gérondif with other -ing uses in English. Not every English -ing is a gérondif — sometimes it’s a gerund (noun), sometimes a participle. Keep it simple: in French, gérondif = “en + verb form” only.

TEF/TCF Mini-Answer

Je me suis préparé pour l’examen en étudiant tous les jours et en écoutant des podcasts en français. En pratiquant la prononciation, j’ai amélioré mon accent. Maintenant, en parlant avec mes amis francophones, je suis beaucoup plus confiant.

(I prepared for the exam by studying every day and listening to French podcasts. By practicing pronunciation, I improved my accent. Now, when speaking with my French-speaking friends, I am much more confident.)

What’s Next

Use gérondif alongside Present Tense Verbs and Passé Composé Basics to describe what you were doing when something else happened. Read French Preposition “en” to see all the other meanings of “en” outside of the gérondif. And if you want deeper mastery of past storytelling, study Imparfait vs Passé Composé — sometimes the imparfait and gérondif express the same background action, so knowing both gives you flexibility.