Gerunds in Spanish
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Explanation
Tricky Terminology
In English, the gerund is the noun form of a verb, such as swimming in the sentence below. In Spanish, this form is often translated using an infinitive, such as nadar.
In English, the term present participle is used to refer to verbal elements or -ing adjectives, such as swimming in the examples below.
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| I am swimming. | Estoy nadando. |
| Where did you buy those swimming shorts? | ¿Dónde compraste ese short de natación? |
Just to be super clear about the differences between certain grammatical terms in Spanish and English, here are the translations for a few tricky ones.
- present participle = gerundio
- past participle = participio
- gerund = no direct translation
Though you may see gerund erroneously translated as gerundio, there is no direct Spanish equivalent to an English gerund. In most translations, the closest thing would be the infinitivo(infinitive).
When to Use Gerundios
In Progressive Tenses with Estar
Gerundios form the second part of progressive tenses formed with estar.
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To Express Ongoing Actions
Gerundios can be used with verbs like ir, seguir, andarand venir, to emphasize the idea of an ongoing action.
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As Adverbs
Gerundios can function as adverbs, modifying the action of another verb in the same phrase.
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When NOT to Use Gerundios
As Nouns
Remember that English gerunds are often translated into Spanish as an infinitive.
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| I like speaking Spanish. | Me gusta hablar español. |
| Seeing is believing. | Ver es creer. |
| Running is good for your health. | Correr es bueno para la salud. |
As Adjectives
English adjectives that end in -ing are not translated to Spanish using a gerundio. You'll often see them translated as phrases beginning with de(of, from) or que(that, which).
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| I bought myself some running shoes. | Me compré unos zapatos de correr. |
| Who does that crying baby belong to? | ¿De quién es el bebé que^ llora?^ |
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