French present participles do not agree in gender and number. The French present participle is invariable. It does not change to show masculine or feminine, singular or plural.

But there is one point of confusion. The present participle can look the same as a verbal adjective. The verbal adjective does agree.

Present participle versus verbal adjective

The present participle acts like a verb. It often shows an action. It does not change.

The verbal adjective acts like an adjective. It describes a noun. It does change. It takes an -e for feminine and an -s for plural.

How to spot the difference

Look at the sentence. If the word is followed by a direct object, it is likely a present participle. If it stands alone or is with a form of the verb être, it is likely a verbal adjective.

Examples of present participles (no agreement)

• Je vois une femme courant dans la rue.
  “I see a woman running in the street.”
  Courant describes an action. It does not agree with femme.
• Nous avons rencontré des enfants jouant dans le parc.
  “We met some children playing in the park.”
  Jouant shows the action of the children. It is invariable.
• On entend les oiseaux chantant le matin.
  “We hear the birds singing in the morning.”
  Chantant shows what the birds are doing. No agreement.
• Il regarde la neige tombant doucement.
  “He watches the snow falling softly.”
  Tombant shows the action of the snow. It stays the same.
• Vous verrez des gens travaillant dur.
  “You will see people working hard.”
  Travaillant is a verb form. It does not change.

Examples of verbal adjectives (with agreement)

• Je vois une femme courante.
  “I see a current woman.” or more naturally, “I see a woman who is current.”
  This is odd. Courant as an adjective often means current, like in “running water” or “current practice.” It is not common for people. A better example is needed.

Better examples of verbal adjectives.

• C’est une histoire touchante.
  “It’s a touching story.”
  Touchante describes histoire. It takes an -e for feminine.
• Nous avons vu des enfants obéissants.
  “We saw some obedient children.”
  Obéissants describes enfants. It takes an -s for plural.
• Elle porte une robe charmante.
  “She wears a charming dress.”
  Charmante describes robe. Feminine singular.
• Ces idées sont rassurantes.
  “These ideas are reassuring.”
  Rassurantes describes idées. Feminine plural.
• Il parle d’un film intéressant.
  “He speaks of an interesting film.”
  Intéressant describes film. Masculine singular. No change.
• Elles préparent des plats réconfortants.
  “They prepare comforting dishes.”
  Réconfortants describes plats. Masculine plural.

Examples for elle with allowed activities

• Elle est une mère dévouante.
  “She is a devoted mother.”
  Dévouante describes elle. Feminine singular agreement.
• Elle chante d’une voix apaisante.
  “She sings with a soothing voice.”
  Apaisante describes voix. Feminine singular agreement.
• On voit elle cousant une robe.
  “We see her sewing a dress.”
  Cousant is a present participle. It shows action. No agreement.
• Elle prie avec une foi touchante.
  “She prays with a touching faith.”
  Touchante describes foi. Feminine singular agreement.
• Elle a les mains tremblantes en servant le thé.
  “She has shaking hands while serving tea.”
  Tremblantes describes mains. Feminine plural agreement. Servant is a present participle. No agreement.

Summary

• The present participle is a verb form. It never changes. It does not show gender or number.
• The verbal adjective is an adjective. It does change. It agrees with the noun it describes.
• They often look the same. Look at the sentence to see its job. If it has an object, it is likely a participle. If it describes a noun like an adjective, it likely needs agreement.