Outside of the progressive, the most common job the Brazilian gerund does is to glue a second, simultaneous action onto the main verb. Ela saiu cantando — "She left singing." The main verb tells you what happened (saiu, she left); the gerund tells you what was going on at the same time (cantando, singing). This is called the adverbial gerund because the gerund clause behaves like an adverb, describing the circumstances of the main action.
This use is everywhere in everyday Brazilian speech, and it is one of the easiest to learn because English does almost exactly the same thing. The key insight is that the gerund lets you compress two actions into one tight clause, where English might spread them across "while," "as," or "and."
The basic pattern: main verb + gerund
The structure could not be simpler: conjugate your main verb normally, then drop a gerund right after it. The subject of both verbs is the same person.
Ela entrou na sala cantando.
She came into the room singing.
As crianças saíram correndo pelo quintal.
The kids ran out into the yard.
Ele me respondeu sorrindo.
He answered me with a smile.
In each case the two actions overlap in time: she was entering and singing; the kids were leaving and running; he was answering and smiling. The gerund paints the simultaneous picture.
Why Brazilians prefer the gerund to a "while" clause
English speakers often default to translating "She left while she was singing" as Ela saiu enquanto cantava. That sentence is grammatical, but it sounds heavy and overexplained to a Brazilian ear — like you are spelling out something obvious. The gerund version, Ela saiu cantando, is shorter, more vivid, and far more natural.
The reason is economy. Enquanto cantava requires a subordinating conjunction (enquanto) and a fully conjugated verb in the imperfect (cantava). The gerund accomplishes the same thing with a single invariable word. Brazilians reflexively reach for the lighter option.
| Heavy (grammatical but unnatural) | Natural BR (gerund) | English |
|---|---|---|
| Saí enquanto eu corria. | Saí correndo. | I rushed out. |
| Ela entrou enquanto cantava. | Ela entrou cantando. | She came in singing. |
| Ele falava enquanto gesticulava. | Ele falava gesticulando. | He talked, gesturing. |
Manner vs. accompaniment
Within the adverbial use there is a subtle spectrum. Sometimes the gerund describes the manner of the main action — how it was done — and sometimes it just describes an accompanying activity. Both use the identical structure.
When the gerund expresses manner, you could often paraphrase it with "by" in English:
Ele conseguiu o emprego mentindo no currículo.
He got the job by lying on his résumé.
A gente economiza comprando no atacado.
We save money by buying wholesale.
When the gerund is pure accompaniment, "by" does not fit — the two actions simply co-occur:
O cachorro veio até mim abanando o rabo.
The dog came up to me wagging its tail.
Ela saiu do cinema chorando.
She left the movie theater crying.
You do not have to consciously distinguish these — the grammar is the same. What matters is recognizing that the gerund can express either the means or the accompanying circumstance, and that English may translate it with "-ing," "by -ing," or "with."
Sequencing: one action right after another
Brazilian Portuguese also stretches the adverbial gerund to cover actions in quick succession, where one flows immediately into the next. Strictly speaking these are not perfectly simultaneous, but the gerund treats them as a single fluid event.
Ele se levantou da mesa pedindo desculpas e foi embora.
He got up from the table apologizing and left.
A professora entrou cumprimentando todo mundo.
The teacher came in greeting everyone.
Prescriptive grammarians sometimes object to a gerund describing a strictly later action (e.g., Caiu, quebrando o braço — "He fell, breaking his arm," where the breaking follows the falling). In careful writing some editors would rewrite this. In real Brazilian speech, however, the sequential gerund is completely ordinary, and you will hear it constantly. Recognize the debate, but do not let it stop you from understanding everyday speech.
Negating the adverbial gerund
To negate the gerund clause, simply place sem (without) + infinitive, or não before the gerund. The first is far more common and more natural.
Ela saiu sem dizer nada.
She left without saying anything.
Ele ficou ali parado, não sabendo o que fazer.
He just stood there, not knowing what to do.
Note that sem + infinitive is the idiomatic Brazilian way to say "without doing X." Do not try to build sem fazendo — the gerund does not follow sem.
Common Mistakes
❌ Saí enquanto eu corria porque estava atrasado.
Unnatural — same subject, simultaneous action; use the gerund instead.
✅ Saí correndo porque estava atrasado.
I rushed out because I was late.
❌ Ela saiu sem dizendo nada.
Incorrect — after sem, use the infinitive, never the gerund.
✅ Ela saiu sem dizer nada.
She left without saying anything.
❌ Ele me respondeu sorrir.
Incorrect — a simultaneous action takes the gerund, not the infinitive.
✅ Ele me respondeu sorrindo.
He answered me smiling.
❌ Aprendi a dirigir praticar todo dia.
Incorrect — to express manner ('by practicing') use the gerund.
✅ Aprendi a dirigir praticando todo dia.
I learned to drive by practicing every day.
❌ As crianças saiu correndo.
Incorrect — the main verb still must agree with its plural subject.
✅ As crianças saíram correndo.
The kids ran out.
Key Takeaways
- The adverbial gerund attaches a simultaneous (or immediately sequential) action to the main verb: Ela saiu cantando.
- Both verbs share the same subject; only the main verb is conjugated, the gerund stays frozen.
- Prefer the gerund over enquanto + verb when the subject is the same and the actions overlap — it is shorter and far more natural.
- The gerund can express manner ("by -ing") or pure accompaniment ("with"); the structure is identical.
- To negate, use sem + infinitive (sem dizer nada), never sem + gerund.
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Start learning Portuguese→Related Topics
- The Gerund (Gerúndio) in BR PortugueseA2 — An overview of the Brazilian gerund — its five core uses, how to form it, and why it is one of the most audible markers of spoken BR Portuguese.
- Gerund as Reduced Relative ClauseB1 — Using the Brazilian gerund to modify a noun — vi uma menina chorando — as a compact stand-in for a full relative clause, and how it contrasts with the past participle.
- Gerund with Estar (Progressive)A1 — A focused drill on the gerund half of the Brazilian progressive — which gerund form pairs with estar, and how the construction works across every tense.
- Absolute Gerund ConstructionsB2 — The Brazilian gerund clause with its own subject — sendo assim, tendo terminado a tarefa — used to frame a sentence with time, cause, or condition in writing and elevated speech.
- Temporal ClausesB1 — Time clauses with quando, enquanto, assim que, depois que, antes que, até que and desde que — and the future subjunctive that English speakers never expect.
- Adverbs of MannerA2 — How Brazilian Portuguese says 'how' an action is done — the irregular bem/mal, dedicated adverbs like devagar and depressa, and the very common bare adjective used as an invariable adverb (fala baixo, corre rápido).