Which one should you use?
A significant difference between the two languages is how they handle -ing words used as nouns. While English uses -ing words for this purpose (such as 'Swimming is fun'), Spanish uses the infinitive (such as Nadar es divertido) to function as a noun. For example, while the infinitive hablar can informally mean 'speaking', it is the proper way to express the concept as a noun.
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the equivalent of the English -ing suffix for verbs ending in -ar, you replace the ending with -ando.
How do you pronounce it?
/xeɾundjos/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the Spanish gerundio as a noun. For example, do not say El comiendo es bueno to mean 'Eating is good'. Instead, use the infinitive to say Comer es bueno. In Spanish, the gerundio only describes ongoing actions and cannot function as a noun.
Did you know?
- The term gerundio is a linguistic 'false friend'. In English grammar, a gerund is a verb acting as a noun, but in Spanish, a gerundio is strictly a verb indicating a continuous action.
- Using a gerundio to describe a person's trait is a common mistake for English speakers. While you might call someone a 'crying shame' or a 'working mother', saying madre trabajando means she is literally working at this exact second.
- While English uses the same -ing form for both 'I am running' and 'Running is great', Spanish separates these into two distinct forms: the gerundio for the action and the infinitive for the concept.
Examples in context
- No entiendo los gerundios en este texto.I don't understand the -ing words in this text.
- Uso muchos gerundios al escribir.I use many -ing words when writing.
Example conversation
Alejandro and María are studying Spanish grammar together.
- Alejandro¿Sabes cuáles son los gerundios?Do you know what the -ing words are?
- MaríaSí, son las palabras que terminan en -ando o -iendo.Yes, they are the words that end in -ando or -iendo.
- AlejandroCreo que los gerundios son difíciles.I think the -ing words are difficult.
- MaríaNo te preocupes, yo te ayudo, Alejandro.Don't worry, I will help you, Alejandro.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
