Gerund in Spanish

The gerund is a verbal form in Spanish that allows us to describe actions that are currently in progress or that occur simultaneously with others. It is equivalent to “-ing” in English and is used to add fluency and naturalness to sentences, in addition to being essential in common expressions in Spanish.

In this article, you will learn how to form the gerund, its main uses, the most common mistakes when using it, and some idiomatic expressions that include it.

Let’s not waste any more time and let’s get started!

What is the gerund in Spanish?

The gerund is a non-personal form of the verb that indicates an action that is happening at this moment or at the same time as another. Examples of sentences with gerund:

• Estoy estudiando para mi examen. (I am studying for my exam.) (action in progress)
• Ella está cocinando la cena mientras yo pongo la mesa. (She is cooking dinner while I set the table.) (simultaneous action)
• Vamos aprendiendo poco a poco. (We are learning little by little.) (progressive action)
• Me pasé toda la tarde caminando. (I spent the whole afternoon walking.) (action that was in development in the past)
• Siguieron hablando después de la reunión. (They kept talking after the meeting.) (continuous action)

How to form the gerund in Spanish

The gerund is formed by adding the endings -ando for verbs ending in -ar and -iendo for verbs ending in -er and -ir. Some verbs have irregular forms that you must memorize, but most follow this rule.

Examples with regular verbs

Now let’s look at some examples of how regular verbs are conjugated in the gerund.

Verbs in -ar

Hablar → hablando (speaking). 

Examples of verbs in gerund with -ar ending:

• Estoy hablando con el profesor. (I am speaking with the teacher.)
• Ella sigue hablando de su proyecto. (She keeps talking about her project.)
• Nosotros estamos hablando sobre el futuro. (We are talking about the future.)
• Ellos estaban hablando durante la reunión. (They were talking during the meeting.)
• ¿Quién está hablando ahora? (Who is talking now?)

Verbs in -er

Comer → comiendo (eating). 

Examples of verbs in gerund with -er ending:

• Estamos comiendo juntos en casa. (We are eating together at home.)
• Ellos siguen comiendo en su restaurante favorito. (They keep eating at their favorite restaurant.)
• Yo estaba comiendo cuando llamaste. (I was eating when you called.)
• Ella va comiendo una manzana mientras camina. (She is eating an apple while walking.)
• Nosotros hemos estado comiendo muy saludable. (We have been eating very healthy.)

Verbs in -ir

Vivir → viviendo (living). 

Examples of verbs in gerund with -ir ending:

• Estoy viviendo una experiencia increíble. (I am living an incredible experience.)
• Ella sigue viviendo en la misma ciudad. (She continues living in the same city.)
• Ellos estaban viviendo en Canadá el año pasado. (They were living in Canada last year.)
• Nosotros estamos viviendo en el extranjero. (We are living abroad.)
• ¿Estás viviendo con tus amigos? (Are you living with your friends?)

Irregular verbs with gerund

Some verbs have irregular forms in the gerund. There are also many common expressions that include the gerund. Examples of verbs with irregular gerunds:

Ir → yendo (going).

• Estoy yendo al trabajo en este momento. (I am going to work right now.)
• Estamos yendo al cine para ver la película nueva. (We are going to the movies to see the new movie.)
• Ellos siguen yendo al mismo parque de siempre. (They keep going to the same park as always.)
• Estás yendo por el camino equivocado. (You are going the wrong way.)
• Ella está yendo al gimnasio todas las mañanas. (She is going to the gym every morning.)

Poder → pudiendo (being able to).

• Parecía difícil, pero sí lo estoy pudiendo hacer. (It seemed difficult, but I am able to do it.)
• Ella sigue pudiendo correr bastante rápido. (She can still run quite fast.)
• No estoy pudiendo concentrarme. (I am not able to concentrate.)
• Ellos están pudiendo sacar adelante el proyecto. (They are managing to move the project forward.)
• ¿Qué estás pudiendo hacer para mejorar esta situación? (What are you able to do to improve this situation?)

Venir → viniendo (coming).

• Estoy viniendo a la conferencia en el hotel de enfrente. (I am coming to the conference at the hotel across the street.)
• Mi papá está viniendo del trabajo ahora y está muy cansado. (My dad is coming from work now and is very tired.)
• Ella está viniendo a la fiesta. (She is coming to the party.)
• ¿Qué hora es? ¡Creo que ya están viniendo hacia acá! (What time is it? I think they are already coming over here!)
• Mi novia está viniendo de un viaje largo. (My girlfriend is coming back from a long trip.)

Decir → diciendo (saying/telling).

• Estoy diciendo la verdad. (I am telling the truth.)
• Mi hermana le está diciendo lo que pasó a su amiga. (My sister is telling her friend what happened.)
• El profesor está diciendo cosas muy interesantes. (The teacher is saying very interesting things.)
• Estábamos diciendo lo mismo, pero no me prestaste atención. (We were saying the same thing, but you weren't paying attention to me.)
• Los expertos están diciendo que es necesario actuar con rapidez. (Experts are saying that it is necessary to act quickly.)

Dormir → durmiendo (sleeping).

• El perro está durmiendo abajo de la mesa. (The dog is sleeping under the table.)
• No he estado durmiendo bien porque el ruido de la construcción no me deja descansar. (I haven’t been sleeping well because the construction noise keeps me from resting.)
• Él está durmiendo en el sofá porque su hermano vino de visita y le cedió su cama. (He is sleeping on the sofa because his brother came to visit and gave him his bed.)
• ¿Por qué sigues durmiendo a esta hora, tan tarde? (Why are you still sleeping at this hour, so late?)
• Estábamos durmiendo cuando el bebé empezó a llorar. (We were sleeping when the baby started crying.)

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Common mistakes when using the gerund and how to avoid them

The gerund is a powerful tool in Spanish, but there are some common mistakes that you should avoid to use it correctly:

Confusing the gerund and the participle

The gerund and the participle are two non-personal forms of the verb that are used in different contexts and serve different functions in the sentence. The gerund functions as an adverb (modifies a verb), while the participle can function as an adjective. Example:

• Incorrect: He comido (I have eaten: Participle - compound verb).
• Correct: Estoy comiendo (I'm eating: Gerund - action in progress).

Using the gerund as an adjective

It is also important to remember that the gerund is not used to describe nouns. Example:

• Incorrect: El hombre trabajando está cansado. (The man working is tired.)
• Correct: El hombre que está trabajando, está cansado. (The man who is working is tired.)

Using it for future actions

The gerund is not used to refer to actions that have not yet occurred. If we want to talk about future actions, the correct thing is to use the simple future. Example:

• Incorrect: Estaré yendo a tu casa mañana. (I will be going to your house tomorrow.)
• Correct: Iré a tu casa mañana. (I will go to your house tomorrow.)

Repeating the gerund unnecessarily

Another common mistake to avoid is using too many gerunds in the same sentence, as this makes our sentence redundant and tedious.

• Incorrect: Estoy caminando, hablando y comiendo todo al mismo tiempo. (I am walking, talking, and eating all at the same time.)
• Correct: Estoy caminando, hablando y comiendo. (I am walking, talking, and eating.)

Forgetting irregular forms

As we have seen, some verbs have irregular gerunds that must be memorized to use them correctly.

• Incorrect: Yo estoy podiendo pagar mis deudas más rápido.
• Correct: Yo estoy pudiendo pagar mis deudas más rápido. (I am able to pay my debts faster.)

Summary

The gerund is a very practical verbal form that we will use frequently when speaking or writing in Spanish. By learning to use it correctly, you will be able to describe actions in progress or simultaneous actions and many other common expressions in the language.

Remember to practice with the Promova app daily to learn to avoid the most common mistakes in your conversations and thus improve your fluency.

Don’t give up!