B1 · Verbs
El gerundio: perífrasis y la trampa del -ing
Estar is only one of the verbs that take a gerund, and the others carry meanings you cannot express any other way: seguir for something that has not stopped, llevar for how long it has been going on, ir for a change happening bit by bit. The other half of the lesson is subtraction: English uses -ing for things Spanish handles with an infinitive or a relative clause, and translating it directly is one of the most persistent mistakes an English speaker makes.
The other auxiliaries
| Perífrasis | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| seguir / continuar + gerundio | still, has not stopped | Sigue lloviendo. |
| llevar + time + gerundio | has been doing it for | Llevo dos horas esperando. |
| ir + gerundio | little by little | La ciudad va cambiando. |
| venir + gerundio | building up over time until now | Viene diciendo lo mismo desde marzo. |
| andar + gerundio | going around doing it, often critical | Anda buscando trabajo. |
| acabar + gerundio | ends up doing it | Acabó aceptando el puesto. |
Llevo dos horas esperando
English uses a perfect here and Spanish does not. Llevar plus a length of time plus the gerund is the normal way to say how long something has been going on, and there is no haber anywhere in it.
- Llevo dos horas esperando.I have been waiting for two hours.
- Llevamos tres años viviendo aquí.We have been living here for three years.
- ¿Cuánto tiempo llevas estudiando español?How long have you been studying Spanish?
The gerund as manner
On its own, with no auxiliary, the gerund answers how.
- Salió corriendo.He ran out. · how he left
- Aprendo leyendo.I learn by reading.
- Entró sonriendo.She came in smiling.
Where English -ing is a trap
These four are the ones that matter. In each, English has -ing and Spanish does not.
| English | Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| I like reading | Me gusta leyendo | Me gusta **leer** | After another verb Spanish uses the infinitive |
| Reading is useful | Leyendo es útil | **Leer** es útil | As a subject, always the infinitive |
| a man reading a book | un hombre leyendo un libro | un hombre **que lee** un libro | To describe a noun, use a relative clause |
| before leaving | antes de saliendo | antes de **salir** | After a preposition, the infinitive |
Not for the future
English happily says I am going tomorrow. Spanish does not use the gerund for plans.
- Mañana voy a Lima.I am going to Lima tomorrow. · correct
- Mañana estoy yendo a Lima. · wrong
Mistakes to avoid
Me gusta cocinando.
Me gusta cocinar.
After another verb, the infinitive.
He estado esperando dos horas.
Llevo dos horas esperando.
Spanish prefers llevar plus the gerund.
Una chica leyendo un libro.
Una chica que lee un libro.
To describe a noun, a relative clause.
Después de comiendo, salimos.
Después de comer, salimos.
After a preposition, the infinitive.
Sigo a estudiar.
Sigo estudiando.
Seguir takes the gerund with no preposition.
Watch out
Pronouns have two homes with a gerund: se está lavando or está lavándose, both correct. When the pronoun attaches, an accent appears to keep the stress: lavándose, diciéndomelo.
Try it
___ lloviendo desde ayer.
___ dos horas esperando el autobús.
Me gusta ___ los domingos.
Vi a un hombre ___ el periódico.
Antes de ___, apaga la luz.