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Spanish Gerund: Exercises, Rules, and Irregular Verbs

Learning & Grammer

Here's what the Gerund is and when to use it in Spanish. Among the simplest—but also most important—to learn is the Spanish Gerund.   Very similar to the Italian one, the Spanish Gerund is a commonly used indefinite form in the Spanish language, so it is a good idea to learn it as one of the first arguments, along with the Spanish verb "to be" and the verb "to have."

There's a lot to say, but don't worry: it's a simple concept that you'll learn in just one lesson here on Sprachcaffe. And to help you understand better, we'll accompany the explanation of the Spanish Gerund with exercises, usage examples, and Italian translations.

Spanish Gerund: What is it?

The Gerund in Spanish is an indefinite form that is used with the same function as we use it in Italian.

In fact, it is also very similar in form: you can recognize gerund verbs in Spanish by the ending -ando or -iendo .

The choice between the two endings depends on the conjugation of the verb to be transformed into a gerund:

  • The 1st conjugation (andar, cantar, amar…) forms the gerund in -ando → estoy amando
  • The 2nd conjugation (correr, comer, beber…) forms the gerund in -iendo → estoy comiendo
  • The 3rd conjugation (sentir, escribir, vivir…) forms the gerund in -iendo → estoy viviendo

As we will see shortly, there are also irregular verbs in the Spanish gerund, in which a vowel change occurs during conjugation in this way.

When is the Gerund used in Spanish?

The Spanish gerund is used to express the present continuous -what in English we would call the present continuous -which is used to talk about an action that is happening at the exact moment of speaking.

Not necessarily in the present, of course: it can also be an action that occurs at the exact moment it is being spoken, in the past or even in the future (e.g.: As soon as you have left, I will already be waiting for your return).

To form this construction, we use estar + gerund in Spanish, just as in Italian we use the verb "stare" to help us.

Examples :

  • Nosotros estamos mirando a él que toca el piano. → We are watching him play the piano .
  • No, I'm studying , we can talk. → I'm not studying , we can talk.
  • Estaba diciendo algo, pero no he oido. → He was saying something but I didn't hear him.

Besides estar gerund in Spanish, there are other uses that can be made of this verb mood.

  • Actions that happen simultaneously, which in Italian we tend to express with the verb "mentre":

    Example:
    Me encanta cocinar escuchando un podcast. = I like cooking while listening to a podcast.
  • To explain how an action occurs:

    Examples:
    ¡No te vayas corriendo! → Don't go running!

    Trabajando , puedes comprender muchas cosas sobre tus padres. → By working, you can understand many things about your parents.

Uses of the Gerund in Spanish: Periphrases

In addition to the uses of the gerund in Spanish that we have seen so far - and which are the most common of all -, there are also other uses that can be made of this verbal mood.

In particular, there are some periphrases that use the gerund in Spanish to express a particular concept.

The first is composed of seguir + gerund , and is used to translate our "continuare a + infinitive":

  • I'm still looking for a good fish restaurant. → I'm still looking for a good fish restaurant. / I'm still looking for a good fish restaurant.
  • Are you still looking for an apartment or have you found one?

The second periphrasis, however, is composed of the verb llevar + gerund, and there is no exact way to translate it into Italian because it expresses the concept of time that we sometimes translate with "da":

  • . Llevo 3 horas esperandote . = I've been waiting for you for three hours / I've been waiting for you for three hours.
  • Valeria spent 3 months living in Milan. → Valeria has been living in Milan for 3 months.

Using these periphrases can really make a difference in how native you sound when you speak: the gerund in Spanish is used a lot in these ways, so we recommend that you make an effort to get into the swing of things and imitate the way natives speak and use verbs.

A much easier way to achieve this? Go on a language study trip to Spain with Sprachcaffe and immerse yourself completely in the language and culture!

By surrounding yourself with Spanish speakers, you'll be able to absorb all the idioms, constructions, and periphrases that only native speakers use, reaching an incredible level of proficiency in the language in a very short time.

Don't believe it? Leave to believe.

Spanish Gerund: Irregular Verbs and How to Form Them

But first, you should also address another topic in this lesson on the Spanish gerund: irregular verbs .

Because yes, we've already told you, and now it's time to discover it in detail: even with the gerund, there are irregular verbs that behave differently from what the -simple- rule tells them to do.

Don't worry, though, because these are very intuitive irregularities and just as simple to memorize.

Let's divide irregular verbs into categories to analyze each particularity in detail:

  • Verbs of the 3rd conjugation that have a vowel change in the present (seguir → sigo), maintain the change also in the Spanish gerund:

    pedir → pidiendo
    seguir → siguiendo
    decir → diciendo
  • Verbs of the 3rd conjugation that assume a diphthong in the present indicative (sentir → siento), maintain the diphthong also in the gerund:

    sentir → sintiendo
    venir → viniendo
  • Some verbs with "o" transform it into "u" in the gerund:

    poder → pudiendo
    morir → muriendo
    dormir → durmiendo
  • In verbs with two vowels that meet, the "i" ending of the Spanish gerund changes to a "y":

    créer → creyendo
    leer → leyendo
    oir → oyendo
    ir → yendo

Spanish Gerund: Review Exercises

Ready to test your understanding of the Spanish gerund with these skills tests?

Let's play a couple to find out! You'll find the answers below, but don't consult them first to avoid distorting your results. You won't win anything, it's just to see if you've fully grasped this simple yet important part of the Spanish language.

Exercise 1: Complete the following sentences with estar + gerund in Spanish, using the verb in brackets:

  • The professor ________________ a very interesting book. (leer)
  • My mother wants to have these songs, but I _______________ with the video games. (have fun)
  • _____________ something that I don't like anything. (oir)
  • ____________ do what you want, what will happen?
  • No problems for people ___________. (signal)

Exercise 2: Translate the following sentences into Spanish using the periphrases seguir + gerund or llevar + gerund as appropriate:

  • I have been living in Bolivia for ten years.
  • I keep wondering why you did it.
  • I've only been waiting for you for five minutes.
  • The doubt kept nagging at me.
  • I had been living in that house for five years.
How did it go? If the topic is clear, you can continue studying with us in the next lesson, where we'll tackle another important pillar of the Spanish language: the verb IR in Spanish!
Exercise 1 Exercise 2
está leyendo I've been living in Bolivia for 10 years.
estoy divirtiendo I'm wondering why this is the case.
Estoy oyendo I only took 5 minutes waiting for you.
Pudiendo The question followed tormenting me.
Señalándolas He spent 5 years living in this house.

Infinitive, Participle and Gerund of the Spanish Verb "Avere."

To complete the conjugation, let's also look at the indefinite forms of the verb avere, namely the infinitive, past participle, and gerund:
  infinite past participle gerund
present have / have   having / having
composed haber habido / haber tenido I had / I had habiendo habido / habiendo tenido

Verb to have in Spanish: Native Expressions

With Sprachcaffe, you can embark on an extraordinary experience: our language vacations in Spain allow you to learn the language directly in Barcelona, Madrid, or Malaga, having fun and meeting tons of new friends. And even locals! And if you want to impress them and sound like a native, there are some Spanish expressions using the verb "avere" that you absolutely must know.

  • no tener abuela : this is used when someone praises themselves. (in Italian: they sing and play it)
  • don't keep a single hair of a fool: to be awake, attentive, said of a person who "don't give a damn"
  • haber gato encerrado: it is said when there is something suspicious, hidden
  • no haber color: there is no comparison
  • haber nacido en una rosa : said of people who were born into a comfortable or fortunate situation
  • tener pájaros en la cabeza : where we have "crickets", the Spanish have "birds".

Set off now to discover many more curious phrases: contact us and plan your next adventure with us.

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