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French everyday participles aloud: marchant, mangeant and nageant

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Read the French participles marchant, mangeant and nageant with IPA, distinguish ch from ge and practise ten written sound-pattern questions.

In short

Read marchant as /maʁ.ʃɑ̃/, mangeant as /mɑ̃.ʒɑ̃/ and nageant as /na.ʒɑ̃/. Ch gives /ʃ/ here; ge before a keeps /ʒ/. The final -ant is /ɑ̃/ in these participles. The e in -geant does not add a separate syllable.

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The gerund combines en with a present participle. Compare the participle’s written consonant patterns, identify the sound shown by the IPA, then read each word aloud.

Three written-to-sound models
ParticipleIPA guideConsonant focusSyllables shown
marchant/maʁ.ʃɑ̃/ch → /ʃ/2
mangeant/mɑ̃.ʒɑ̃/ge → /ʒ/2
nageant/na.ʒɑ̃/ge → /ʒ/2

Compare /ʃ/ and /ʒ/

Both sounds use a narrow air passage near the front of the tongue, behind the upper gum ridge. /ʃ/, as in the ch of marchant, is voiceless. /ʒ/, as in mangeant and nageant, is voiced: the vocal folds vibrate. Try /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ in turn while keeping the tongue position similar and changing the voicing.

A written e can preserve a consonant sound

Mangeant and nageant keep e after g before a. Without that spelling protection, g before a ordinarily suggests a hard /ɡ/. In these forms, ge represents /ʒ/; there is no extra /ə/ syllable between it and the final nasal vowel. Compare nous mangeons and en mangeant for the same spelling purpose before o or a.

  1. Question 1No account needed
    Which guide matches marchant?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    /maʁ.ʃɑ̃/. The supplied participle model has /ʃ/ and no final /t/.

  2. Question 2No account needed
    Which guide matches mangeant?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    /mɑ̃.ʒɑ̃/. The dictionary model has two nasal vowels with /ʒ/ between the syllables.

  3. Question 3No account needed
    Which guide matches nageant?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    /na.ʒɑ̃/. Ge preserves /ʒ/ without an extra vowel syllable.

  4. Question 4No account needed
    Which consonant is voiceless?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    /ʃ/. /ʃ/ lacks the voicing present in /ʒ/.

  5. Question 5No account needed
    Which consonant has vocal-fold vibration?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    /ʒ/. /ʒ/ is the voiced counterpart in this comparison.

  6. Question 6No account needed
    How many syllables are shown for nageant?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    Two. The dot separates /na/ and /ʒɑ̃/.

  7. Question 7No account needed
    What is the purpose of e in mangeant?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    Keep g soft as /ʒ/ before a. The spelling preserves the consonant value.

  8. Question 8No account needed
    Is the final t pronounced in these isolated participle models?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    No.. None of the supplied base participle guides includes /t/.

  9. Question 9No account needed
    Which guide shows a nasal first vowel?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    /mɑ̃.ʒɑ̃/. The tilde on the first /ɑ̃/ marks nasalisation in mangeant.

  10. Question 10No account needed
    Which two participles contain the consonant /ʒ/?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    mangeant et nageant. The ge spelling preserves /ʒ/ in mangeant and nageant; marchant has voiceless /ʃ/.

Return the participle to a full expression

En marchant, elle regarde les vitrines.

As she walks, she looks at the shop windows.

En mangeant, nous discutons du programme.

While eating, we discuss the programme.

En nageant, il compte les longueurs.

While swimming, he counts lengths.

Keep the spelling of the participle unchanged after en in these gerunds. Read the word slowly from the written model, then connect it to en and the rest of the sentence. Preserve the /ʃ/ or /ʒ/ contrast as the phrase becomes more fluent.

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