El Gerundio
Learn the formation of the gerund (-ando, -iendo) in Spanish, including common spelling changes, stem changes, and how to express actions in progress.
El Gerundio (The Gerund)
The gerund in Spanish (equivalent to the "-ing" form in English) is mainly used to form the progressive aspect (to describe an action that is happening right now, using estar + gerundio).
1. Regular Gerunds
⚙️ Formation
To form the gerund of a regular verb, drop the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, -ir) and add the corresponding suffix:
- -AR verbs add -ando (hablar → hablando).
- -ER / -IR verbs add -iendo (comer → comiendo, escribir → escribiendo).
"Yo estoy estudiando español." (I am studying Spanish).
2. Irregular Gerunds
⚠️ 1. Spelling Changes (i → y)
If the stem of an -er or -ir verb ends in a vowel, the -iendo changes to -yendo to avoid three vowels in a row.
- Leer → leyendo (reading)
- Oír → oyendo (hearing)
- Traer → trayendo (bringing)
⚡ 2. Stem-Changing -IR Verbs
Verbs that are -ir stem-changers in the present tense also change their vowel in the gerund (o → u or e → i).
- Dormir → durmiendo (sleeping)
- Morir → muriendo (dying)
- Pedir → pidiendo (asking/ordering)
- Sentir → sintiendo (feeling)
- Venir → viniendo (coming)
3. Actions in Progress
⏳ Estar + Gerundio
Pair the present tense of estar with the gerund to describe what is currently happening.
"¿Qué estás haciendo?" (What are you doing?).
"Mi padre está durmiendo." (My father is sleeping).
Ponte a Prueba
Reto 1: Completa con el Gerundio
Puntuación: 0/10Choose the correct gerund form for each sentence.
Reto 2: Análisis de Situación
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Unlock this situational analysis to master the tricky spelling changes and irregular stems in the gerund.
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