CONTENT
The gerund (el gerundio) is an impersonal form of the verb that is very commonly used in Spanish.
Spanish
English
Estoy viendo una serie.
I am watching a series.
What Is the Gerundio?
Rule 1. The gerundio in Spanish is a non-personal form of the verb, just like the participle and the infinitive.
Verbs in these forms are not conjugated according to a person or pronoun (like yo, tú, él, etc.), which is why they are called non-personal. For the same reason, verbs in gerund do not have a number, tense, or mood either.
How Is the Gerundio Formed?
Forming the gerund is pretty simple.
Rule 2. First, take the infinitive form of the verb, i.e., a verb that has not been conjugated yet.
| -ar ending verbs | -er ending verbs | -ir ending verbs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive form | hablar | comer | escribir |
| -ar ending verbs | -er ending verbs | -ir ending verbs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive form | hablar | comer | escribir |
Rule 3. Remove the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, -ir) and add the corresponding gerund endings for each category of verbs, as shown below.
| Infinitive | Gerund ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -ar ending verbs such as hablar | add - ando | hablando |
| -er ending verbs such as comer | add - iendo | comiendo |
| -ir ending verbs such as escribir | add - iendo | escribiendo |
| Infinitive | Gerund ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -ar ending verbs such as hablar | add - ando | hablando |
| -er ending verbs such as comer | add - iendo | comiendo |
| -ir ending verbs such as escribir | add - iendo | escribiendo |
Some Irregularities of the Gerundio
Rule 4. If some verbs' stems change in the present indicative, they will continue to change in the gerund.
| Verbs with stem changes | Present indicative | Gerund |
|---|---|---|
| -e > -ie/-i | tú dices | tú estás diciendo |
| -o > -ue | tú duermes | tú estás durmiendo |
| Verbs with stem changes | Present indicative | Gerund |
|---|---|---|
| -e > -ie/-i | tú dices | tú estás diciendo |
| -o > -ue | tú duermes | tú estás durmiendo |
Rule 5. If the stem ends in a vowel, the i in -iendo becomes a y.
| Verb | Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|---|
| leer | leiendo | leyendo |
| ir | iendo | yendo |
| Verb | Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|---|
| leer | leiendo | leyendo |
| ir | iendo | yendo |
Verbal periphrasis estar + gerundio
Rule 6. One of the main uses of the gerund is forming the verbal periphrasis Estar + gerundio, which is used to:
- talk about ongoing actions, very similar to the present progressive in English.
Spanish
English
Estoy hablando por teléfono, dame un segundo.
I am talking on the phone, give me a second.
- talk about actions that are frequently performed. It is usually accompanied by expressions such as siempre, todo el día, and todo el tiempo.
Spanish
English
Manuel siempre está pensando en esa niña.
Manuel is always thinking about that girl.
How is the Verbal Periphrasis estar + gerundio formed?
Rule 6. As the name suggests, this verbal periphrasis is formed by conjugating the verb estar (can be in any tense) with the impersonal gerund form of the verb.
| Person | Estar (present) | Gerundio (hablar) |
|---|---|---|
| yo | estoy | hablando |
| tú, vos | estás | hablando |
| él, ella, usted | está | hablando |
| nosotros, nosotras | estamos | hablando |
| vosotros, vosotras | estáis | hablando |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | están | hablando |
| Person | Estar (present) | Gerundio (hablar) |
|---|---|---|
| yo | estoy | hablando |
| tú, vos | estás | hablando |
| él, ella, usted | está | hablando |
| nosotros, nosotras | estamos | hablando |
| vosotros, vosotras | estáis | hablando |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | están | hablando |
Here is an example of the use of estar + gerund in a conversation in the present indicative.
Spanish
English
- ¿Dónde está mi papá?
- Está haciendo la cena.
- ¿y Alejandro?
- Está viendo la tele.
- Where is my dad?
- He is making dinner.
- And Alejandro?
- He's watching TV.
Quiz
1/3
What is the gerund of the verb comprar?
0
correct answers.