French word

participe

Pronunciation

IPA/paʁtisip/

Meaning

  • masculine nounparticiple

Example

Connais-tu le participe ?

Do you know the participle?

Illustration for participe (participle)

More examples

On forme le participe passé avec avoir ou être.

The past participle is formed with avoir or être.

Core concept

A verb form that bridges action and description, either qualifying a noun or joining an auxiliary in a compound tense.

Common phrases

  • participe passé

    past participle

  • participe présent

    present participle

  • participe composé

    compound participle

Similar words

participe présent: A verb form ending in -ant that expresses an ongoing or simultaneous action.
participe passé: A participle form used to express a completed or past action.
gérondif: A verb form used with en to express an action occurring at the same time as another.
adjectif verbal: A verb-derived form used as an adjective to describe a noun.

Definition in French

Le participe est une forme verbale non personnelle employée comme adjectif ou comme élément des temps composés, surtout le participe présent et le participe passé.

Word origin

French participe comes from Latin participium, a term related to particeps, 'sharing in', reflecting its mixed verbal and adjectival behavior.

Usage tips

  • The sequence en + participe présent is called the gérondif and commonly expresses simultaneous action or means; it is not simply the bare present participle.

Other meanings

  • present participlenoun
  • past participlenoun

Opposites

  • forme finiefinite formnoun
  • verbe conjuguéconjugated verbnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word