German Gerund: When & How to Use

12/22/2025 Learning & Grammar created by Sprachcaffe Team

Gerund or infinitive? Everything you need to know about the German gerund | We've already established that the German language isn't the easiest for us foreigners to learn: being an inflected language, it has completely different rules!

But after tackling difficult topics like irregular verbs, learning the German gerund will be a walk in the park.

Or maybe not, but almost: the truth is that the Gerund does not exist in German, but there are different ways to translate what, in English, is the meaning that the gerund is intended to express.

Maybe you're getting scared by saying it like that, imagining who knows what constructs you'll have to learn, but you'll see that it's actually simpler than you think.

To help you understand better, this Sprachcaffe guide is enriched with German phrases with gerunds, because one of the best ways to learn a concept in a foreign language is to see it in context.

And what's another very effective way? Naturally, going on one of our study holidays in Germany—whether in Munich or Frankfurt am Main—you'll have the opportunity to fully immerse yourself in the language and grasp every nuance.

German Gerund: How is it Formed?

German has no single gerund like the English "-ing" form, but it has clear ways to express the same ideas. Which one you use depends on what the English "-ing" is doing: acting as a noun, marking an action in progress, or describing manner. This guide from SPRACHCAFFE sorts out the three cases so you always know which German construction to reach for.

Three jobs of "-ing", three German solutions

English uses "-ing" for several different jobs. German handles each one differently:

English "-ing" use	Example	German equivalent
As a noun (the gerund proper)	Reading is fun.	Nominalised infinitive: Das Lesen macht Spaß.
Action in progress (present continuous)	I am reading.	Present tense, often with gerade or am: Ich lese (gerade). / Ich bin am Lesen.
Describing manner (present participle)	He said, smiling…	Partizip I (-end): Er sagte lächelnd…

When is the Gerund used in German?

1. The gerund as a noun: the nominalised infinitive

When English uses "-ing" as a noun, German turns the infinitive into a noun. You capitalise the infinitive and treat it as neuter (das). This is the closest thing German has to the English gerund.

Das Lesen macht Spaß. → Reading is fun.
Schwimmen ist gesund. → Swimming is healthy.
Beim Kochen höre ich Musik. → While cooking, I listen to music.

2. Action in progress: the German "present continuous"

German has no separate continuous tense. To say something is happening now, you normally just use the present tense:

Ich lese ein Buch. → I read / I am reading a book.

To stress that it is happening right now, add the adverb gerade ("right now, just"):

Sprichst du gerade mit Vera? → Are you talking to Vera (right now)?

In everyday, especially western German, you will also hear the am + infinitive construction:

Ich bin am Lesen. → I'm (in the middle of) reading.
Wir sind am Arbeiten. → We're working.

Note that gerade with a past tense can mean "just": Ich habe gerade ferngesehen can mean "I just watched TV." To avoid ambiguity when you mean an interrupted action, use dabei sein:

Ich war gerade dabei fernzusehen, als das Telefon klingelte. → I was in the middle of watching TV when the phone rang.

3. Describing manner: Partizip I

When English "-ing" describes how something is done, German uses the present participle, Partizip I, formed by adding -d to the infinitive (lächeln → lächelnd). It works like an adverb or adjective.

Er sagte mir lächelnd, dass… → Smiling, he told me that…
Das weinende Kind → the crying child

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Translating “-ing” clauses: use a subordinate clause

Where English joins two actions with "-ing", German usually uses a linking word and a full clause. Choose the connector by meaning:

Manner or means (by doing): Du öffnest mir die Tür, indem du sagst, dass… → You open the door for me by saying that…
Time (while / when): Wenn man auf Reisen geht, muss man vorsichtig sein. → When going on a journey, one must be careful.
Condition (if): Wenn Sie sich beeilen, können Sie die Arbeit beenden. → By hurrying, you can still finish the work.
Cause (since / because): Weil es regnete, blieben wir zu Hause. → It raining, we stayed home.

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