How do you form the present participle in French?

In French grammar, the present participle is formed as follows:

For regular -er verbs:

• Remove the -er ending from the infinitive form of the verb.

• Add the present participle ending -ant.

Example: Parler (to speak) becomes parlant (speaking).

For regular -ir and -re verbs:

• Remove the -ir or -re ending from the infinitive form of the verb.

• Add the present participle ending -issant for -ir verbs and -ant for -re verbs.

Examples:

• Finir (to finish) becomes finissant (finishing).
• Vendre (to sell) becomes vendant (selling).

For irregular verbs:

Irregular verbs have unique present participle forms that must be memorized.

Examples:

• Être (to be) becomes étant (being).
• Avoir (to have) becomes ayant (having).

It's important to note that the present participle can be used in various constructions, such as the progressive tense, gerunds, and participial phrases, and it agrees in gender and number with the subject when used as an adjective.