Spanish Gerund and the Present Progressive

The Spanish gerund (gerundio) is a form of the verb that ends in -ando (for the infinitives ending in ar) or -iendo (for the infinitives ending in er and ir). It is the equivalent of adding an "ing" to verbs in English. A fuller explanation follows.

El Gerundio en Español (The Gerund in Spanish)

Lets look at some examples...

Hablar (to speak)
First take away the ar ending of hablar and then add the new ending ando, so you'll have hablando (speaking). This is the gerund of hablar.

Comer (to eat)
First take away the er ending of comer and then add the new ending iendo, so you'll have comiendo (eating). This is the gerund of comer.

Vivir (to live)
First take away the ir ending of vivir and then add the new ending iendo, so you'll have viviendo (living). This is the gerund of vivir.

As you can see, the English counterpart of this form is translated as the “-ing” form of the verb.

Present Progressive

Now that we understand the Gerund we are going to put it in context using the verb Estar (to be). This combination of Estar + Gerund it is called :Present Progressive and allows us to describe an action that is taking place at the moment.

Note: Many books refered to the Gerund as Present Participle.

Vamos a ver: (Let's see)

Comprar ---- comprando
Yo estoy comprando libros. (I am buying books.)

Estudiar---- estudiando
Tú estás estudiando español. (You are studying Spanish.)

Bailar---- bailando
El está bailando salsa. (He is dancing salsa.)

Comer ---- comiendo
Ella está comiendo frijoles con arroz. (She is eating beans with rice.)

Escribir---- escribiendo
Nosotros estamos escribiendo una carta. (We are writing a letter.)

Jugar---- jugando
Ellos están jugando en el parque. (They are playing in the park.)

Some exceptions:

leer (to read)----leyendo
dormir (to sleep)----durmiendo
sentir (to feel)----sintiendo
pedir (to ask for)----pidiendo

Note: Notice the gerund changes the root in these exceptions.

Spanish Idioms Using the Spanish Gerund

Estoy mirando la tele. (I am watching tv.)
Estoy buscando esta dirección... (I am looking for this address...)
Estoy esperando el bus. (I am waiting for the bus.)
Estoy pensando en una solución. (I am thinking of a solution.)
Estoy escuchando la radio. (I am listening to the radio.)
Me estoy preguntando....(I am wondering....)

The Spanish gerund is fairly simple, so you should be able to use it correctly after a review or two of this lesson.