16 Lesson 6: GERUND or present progressive
Spanish Books (See webpage for complete content)
Libro digital Herramientas de español
Spanish Tools Online Grammar Book
27. Gerund and Infinitive / Gerundio e infinitivo
| To form the gerundio (-ing form in English), change the infinitive ending: | |
| from –ar to –ando: hablar → hablando |
from –er, –ir to –iendo: comer → comiendo ; vivir → viviendo |
| –ir stem-changing verbs are affected (see Appendix A): pedir : pidiendo • dormir : durmiendo | |
| –ir and –er verbs with stems ending in a vowel add –yendo: traer : trayendo • oír : oyendo • creer : creyendo • ir : yendo • destruir : destruyendo |
|
| The gerund does not change to agree (in gender, number,etc.) with any other word in a sentence. |
A. THE GERUNDIO is used for actions in progress (present participle in English):
A1. with the appropriate form of estar (or hay) to form the progressive tenses:
| Lisa está estudiando. Estamos aprendiendo. No hay nadie hablando. |
Lisa is studying. We are learning. There’s no one talking. |
Note that in Spanish this construction cannot be used to express the future, as it frequently is in English (I am leaving next week). The simple present can be used in this sense: “Salgo la próxima semana”.
A2. with the verbs seguir and continuar to mean “go on doing something”:
| Continuó diciendo. Siguió cantando. |
He went on saying. She continued to sing. |
Note that, unlike English, Spanish does not offer the option of using an infinitive after seguir or continuar:
He went on to say → Siguió diciendo.
A3. to express “by doing” or “while doing” something (no preposition in Spanish):
| Vas a mejorar estudiando mucho. Me duermo leyendo esto. |
You are going to improve by studying a lot. I fall asleep (while) reading this. |
Spanish does not use the gerundio as an adjective. Clauses or different expressions have to be used:
| the answering machine a never-ending process passengers carrying a big case… an intriguing beginning a disappointing ending |
la máquina contestadora (el contestador) un proceso que nunca termina (interminable) los pasajeros que llevan una maleta grande… un comienzo intrigante un final decepcionante |
PRÁCTICA 27A.
1. Escriba el gerundio que corresponde a cada uno de los siguientes infinitivos:2. Exprese en buen español:
| 1. We are considering that option. We are having a meeting next week. 2. There is no one solving that problem. 3. Indigenous people continue to defend their rights [derechos]. 4. They want to do this by participating in politics. 5. They go on to protest with some disappointing results. 6. We are going to solve this problem (by) using our imagination. 7. By solving this, we are going to close a never-ending cycle. 8. This a time-consuming activity for pet-loving people. |
DICCIONARIO
|
B. THE INFINITIVE is the verb form that Spanish uses as a noun:
B1. as the subject of a sentence or the object of a verb*:
| Ver es creer. No me gusta estudiar. Decidir casi siempre es difícil. |
See