Introduction to the Gerund or Present Participle, Uses of the Gerund and Formation of the Progressive

The gerund (gerundio) is a special, invariable form of the verb which always ends in -ndo in Spanish, for example: hablando, comiendo, viviendo. An alternate name for it is simply “the -ndo form”. In English it is translated as the “-ing” form of the verb (for example, “speaking”), which has lead to the frequent mistake of calling this form the “present participle”.

The gerund is a verb form which has an adverbial function, not an adjectival function like a participle, nor a noun function like an infinitive.

Forms:

To form the gerund, remove the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, or -ir) of a verb and add -ando for -ar verbs, and -iendo for -er and -ir verbs:

caminar > caminando
volver  > volviendo
abrir   > abriendo

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