-ando / -iendo
In Spanish, the suffix used to express the English "-ing" for continuing actions is -ando / -iendo.
This suffix is used to form the continuous aspect, indicating that an action is currently in progress.
How does it change in a sentence?
The specific suffix you use depends on the type of verb you are conjugating. To form the gerund for verbs ending in -ar, add the suffix -ando to the stem. For verbs ending in -er or -ir, add the suffix -iendo to the stem. Additionally, unlike English, the Spanish continuous form using -ando or -iendo is almost always paired with a conjugated form of the verb estar to express an action in progress.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly try to use the Spanish -ando or -iendo suffix to translate the English "-ing" when it functions as a gerund acting as a noun, such as in the phrase "Swimming is fun". In these cases, Spanish uses the infinitive instead of the continuous form.
Did you know?
- In some dialects, the -iendo suffix is shortened to -indo in casual speech, particularly in certain Caribbean regions.
- The suffix -ando is a direct descendant of the Latin suffix '-andus', which is also the root for the similar suffixes in Italian, Portuguese and Romanian.
- Certain verbs undergo a 'stem change' before adding the suffix. For example, the verb dormir becomes durmiendo rather than dormiendo to maintain a specific sound.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries -ando, -iendo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
