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Spanish Gerund - Gerundio
The English gerund is the -ing form of the verb. In Spanish, it's the -ndo
form.
| Formation |
Regular verbs |
| |
|
| I. |
-AR verbs |
Drop the infinitive ending and add -ando. |
|
hablar |
hablando |
|
tomar |
tomando |
|
mirar |
mirando |
| |
|
| II. |
-ER verbs,
-IR verbs |
Drop the infinitive ending and add -iendo. |
|
aprender |
aprendiendo |
|
comer |
comiendo |
|
poner |
poniendo |
|
abrir |
abriendo |
|
describir |
describiendo |
|
escribir |
escribiendo |
| |
|
|
| Formation |
Irregular Verbs |
| |
|
|
| I. |
Verbs with stem that ends in vowel - Drop the
infinitive and add -yendo. |
|
caer |
cayendo |
|
leer |
leyendo |
|
traer |
trayendo |
| |
|
|
| II. |
-IR verbs with stem-change in third person
preterite
- Same stem-change in the present participle. |
|
decir |
diciendo |
|
dormir |
durmiendo |
|
pedir |
pidiendo |
|
poder |
pudiendo |
|
venir |
viniendo |
| |
|
|
| III. |
Ir (to go) |
--> yendo |
| |
| Usage - The Spanish gerund has two main
uses. |
| |
|
|
| I. |
Gerund - An impersonal verb form which is used as an
adjective or adverb to express an action in progress. It is used to refer to
an action which is simultaneous with or prior to the action of the other
verb in the sentence. |
|
Caminando por la plaza, vi a mi abuelo. |
While walking in the plaza, I saw my grandfather. |
|
Pasó todas sus vacaciones esperando una sorpresa.
|
He spent his entire vacation waiting for a surprise. |
|
Aprendo mucho estudiando con ellos. |
I learn a lot by studying with them. |
|
|
| II. |
Progressive / Continuous Tenses |
|
Present |
Estoy leyendo. |
I am reading. |
|
Imperfect |
Estaban estudiando. |
They were studying. |
|
|
Past |
Estuve leyendo. |
I was reading. |
|
|
Future |
Estará trabajando. |
He will be working. |
|
|
|
Note |
The Spanish gerund cannot be used as a noun, the way it is in English and
French. This is a common mistake, even for native Spanish speakers. |
|
X |
Me gusta leyendo. |
--> Me gusta leer. |
|
X |
Trabajando es importante. |
--> Trabajar es importante. |
|
X |
Escuché los pájaros cantando.
Escuché los pájaros cantando. |
--> Escuché los pájaros cantar. |
|
|
|
Gerund with
Object Pronouns
Past participle
Spanish verbs |
©
Laura
K. Lawless
All rights reserved.
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