The 'Gérondif' Formula: Adding Elegance to Your B2/C1 Sentences

Published: March 17, 2026 | Category: Grammar | Read Time: 10 Mins

When grading your French writing and speaking, examiners look for Syntactic Variety. If you string sentences together using only "et" (and), "parce que" (because), and "mais" (but), you risk locking yourself into a B1 level score.

To break into the B2 (CLB 7) or C1 (CLB 9) tier, you need complex sentence connectors. The Gérondif (the -ing form in English) is the most elegant way to fuse two ideas into a single, high-scoring sentence.

The 'Gérondif' Formula: Adding Elegance to Your B2/C1 Sentences

The 'Gérondif' Formula: Adding Elegance to Your B2/C1 Sentences

1. What is the Gérondif?

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🚨 The Golden Rule of Gérondif

2. The 3 Advanced Uses of Gérondif

A. Manner / Means (How something happens)

B. Condition (Equivalent of "If")

C. Concession (Equivalent of "Even though")

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3. Common irregulars you MUST know

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