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Gerunds and the progressive tenses in Spanish
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Gerunds and the progressive tenses
Introduction: The gerund (gerundio) is a special, invariable form of the verb which always ends in -ndo in
Spanish, for example: hablando, comiendo, viviendo. An alternate name for it is simply “the -ndo form”. In
English it is translated as the “-ing” form of the verb (for example, “speaking”), which has lead to the
frequent mistake of calling this form the “present participle”. The gerund is a verb form which has an
adverbial function ,not an adjectival function like a participle, nor a noun function like an infinitive.
I. Forms:
A. To form the gerund, remove the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, or -ir) of a verb and add -ando for -ar
verbs, and -iendo for -er and -ir verbs:
caminar > caminando; volver > volviendo; abrir > abriendo.
B. There are a few special cases:
1. Verbs of the second and third conjugations for which the stem ends in a vowel, change the
ending -iendo to -yendo: leer > leyendo; caer > cayendo.
2. The gerund for the verb ir is yendo.
3. Third conjugation verbs with stem changes:
a. Those which have the changes o>ue>u [e.g., dormir, duermo, durmió] use that u
which appears in preterit third-persons forms in the gerund: dormir > durmiendo;
morir > muriendo.
b. Those which have the changes e>ie>i [e.g., sentir, siento, sintió] use that i which
appears in preterit third-persons forms in the gerund: sentir > sintiendo.
c. Those which have the changes e>i>i [e.g., pedir, pido, pidió] use that i which
appears in preterit third-persons forms in the gerund: pedir > pidiendo.
II. Uses. The gerund is primarily used: with estar to form the progressive tenses; with verbs of motion and
seguir/continuar; to introduce an adverbial phrase or express “by (do)-ing (something)”.
A. Progressive tenses: estar + gerund.
To form a progressive tense, use the appropriate tense of the verb estar immediately in front of
the gerund, e.g.:
No me molestes; estoy trabajando.
Estábamos almorzando cuando
llegaron.
Estuvimos haciendo ejercicio por
tres horas.
Dudo que estén practicando a esta
hora.
Don't bother me; I'm working.
We were eating lunch when they arrived.
We were exercising three hours [Or: We spent three
hours exercising.]
I doubt they're practicing at this hour.
Note that any tense can be used to form a progressive, even the preterit as given in the third
example above [note that there the action is viewed as having been limited to a three hour
period]. However, the present and imperfect tenses the ones most frequently seen.
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Gerunds and the progressive tenses in Spanish
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http://users.ipfw.edu/jehle/COURSES/GERUND.HTM
Caution: As the name indicates, the progressive tenses express an action viewed as being in
progress. Do not use the progressive for other purposes, such as for expressing a future action:
“We're leaving for Mexico tomorrow” (Salimos para México mañana [NOT Estamos saliendo).
B. The gerund with verbs of motion and seguir/continuar.
1. To express the idea “to continue (to do something)” or “to keep on (doing something)”, use
seguir or continuar with the gerund:
Sigo teniendo problemas con mi
computadora.
Continúan haciendo las mismas
preguntas.
I keep on having [continue to have] problems
with my computer.
They keep on asking the same questions.
Note that the stem vowel in continuar is the weak vowel u, so it needs a written accent in the form used above.
2. Numerous verbs of motion may also be used with the gerund, for a variety of effects or
purposes. Please note the uses of entrar, salir, venir, and andar given below:
Marcos salió (de la casa)
corriendo.
Mi hermana entró llorando.
Luego ellos vinieron pidiendo más
dinero.
Ese tipo anda quejándose de todo.
Marcos went running (out of the house). [O:
Marcos ran out ...]
My sister came in crying.
Then they came along asking for more money.
That guy goes around complaining about
everything.
C. The gerund in adverbial phrases
1. To express “by (do)-ing (something)” when it comes after a verb, normally the gerund is
used :
Ella ganó miles de dólares escribiendo
cuentos cortos.
Mejoré mi técnica como violista
practicando ocho horas al día.
Perdieron el partido haciendo un error
increíble...
She earned thousands of dollars by writing
short stories.
I improved my technique as a violinst by
practicing eight hours a day.
They lost the game by making one incredible
mistake...
Note that the this idea is not expressed by preposition por plus an infinitive. Por used in
that way means things like “because of (do)-ing (something)” or “for the sake of (do)-ing
(something)”:
Salió por ser cobarde. He left because of being [because he was] a coward.
2. The gerund can also be used to introduce a phrase with a “by the way”-type meaning, or
causal (“because” or “since”) or temporal (“while”, “when”) meanings:
Hablando de vacaciones, ¿qué vas a
hacer este verano?
Sabiendo qué hacer, pude entrar en
la oficina sin que nade me viera.
Speaking of vacations, what are you going to do
this summer?
Knowing [because I knew] what to do, I was able
to get into the office without anybody seeing me.
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Gerunds and the progressive tenses in Spanish
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Camindo por el pueblo, noté que
nadie estaba en las calles.
http://users.ipfw.edu/jehle/COURSES/GERUND.HTM
[While / When I was] walking through the town, I
noticed that nobody was in the streets.
3. After verbs of perception —for example, ver, mirar, notar, oír, escuchar— the gerund
(or the infinitive) may be used to describe how or when the action is being performed.
Ayer vi a Elena caminando por el parque.
¿Has oído a tu marido cantando en la ducha?
Habrás notado los muchos gansos caminando
por nuestra ciudad universitaria.
Yesterday I saw Elena [as whe was]
walking through the park.
Have heard your husband singing in
the shower?
You've probably noticed the many
geese walking around our campus.
III. Cautions. A few things mentioned above may need to be repeated:
A. The gerund is a verb form with an adverbial function; do not use it as a noun. Use the infinitive as
the object of a preposition or as the subject of a verb: después de descansar = “after resting”;
Leer es divertido = “Reading is fun”.
B. Do not overuse the progressive tenses, since they are used far less frequently in Spanish than in
English, and do not use them unless you are portraying an action as truly being in progress.
C. Remember that “by (do)-ing (something)” is normally expressed with the gerund and not por +
infinitive [which means “because of (do)-ing (something)” or “for the sake of (do)-ing
something”.
D. [Please do me a personal favor and refrain from calling the gerund “the present participle”.]
[Práctica: Gerundios e infinitivos]
Contact: Fred F. Jehle
Indiana University - Purdue University Ft. Wayne
Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499 USA
[S210 Main Page]
Home: http://users.ipfw.edu/jehle/
URL: http://users.ipfw.edu/jehle/courses/gerund.htm
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