The gerund, or present participle, is a special form of a Spanish verb which always ends in -ndo. 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.

The present participle (gerund) is formed from the infinitive of a verb by removing the (ar), (er), or (ir) ending and adding (ando) for (ar) verbs, and (iendo) for (er) and (ir) verbs.

For example:

hablar ---> hablando (speaking)
caminar ---> caminando (walking)
volver ---> volviendo (returning)
comer ---> comiendo (eating)
abrir ---> abriendo (opening)
vivir ---> viviendo (living)

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