Forming the Gerund (-ando, -endo, -indo) | Portuguese (Brazil) Grammar

The gerund (gerúndio) is the -ando / -endo / -indo form — the equivalent of English "-ing." It is one of the easiest forms in Portuguese to build and one of the most useful to know, because Brazilian Portuguese uses it everywhere: in the progressive, in describing how something is done, and in linking simultaneous actions. This page covers the formation rule, the three irregulars worth memorizing, and the four main jobs the gerund does.

The rule: drop -r, add -ndo

Take the infinitive, remove the final -r, and add -ndo. The vowel of the infinitive class is preserved, which is why the three endings come out as -ando, -endo, and -indo.

Class	Infinitive	Gerund	Meaning
-ar	falar	falando	speaking
-ar	trabalhar	trabalhando	working
-ar	cantar	cantando	singing
-er	comer	comendo	eating
-er	beber	bebendo	drinking
-er	correr	correndo	running
-ir	partir	partindo	leaving
-ir	abrir	abrindo	opening
-ir	dormir	dormindo	sleeping
-ir	sair	saindo	going out / leaving

That is the entire rule. There are no stem changes and no spelling traps — even verbs that are wildly irregular elsewhere form a perfectly regular gerund. Fazer is irregular in almost every tense, yet its gerund is the textbook-regular fazendo. Dizer → dizendo, querer → querendo, poder → podendo. This is a rare gift in Portuguese grammar.

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Because the gerund is built from the infinitive (not from any irregular stem), you can form it for any verb you can name in the dictionary. If you know the infinitive, you know the gerund.

The three irregular gerunds

Only three verbs do not follow the drop-r-add-ndo rule cleanly, and they are exactly the verbs whose infinitives are unusually short:

Infinitive	Gerund	Meaning
pôr	pondo	putting
ter	tendo	having
vir	vindo	coming

In fact even these follow a deeper logic: the older infinitive of pôr was poer, giving poendo → pondo; and ter and vir simply add -ndo to a short stem. Note that compounds inherit the same pattern: manter → mantendo, supor → supondo, intervir → intervindo.

A note on a famous look-alike: the gerund of vir (to come) is vindo, which is spelled identically to the past participle of vir. Context tells them apart — Estou vindo (I'm coming) vs. Ele tinha vindo (he had come).

Estou pondo a mesa, o jantar já está quase pronto.

I'm setting the table, dinner is almost ready.

Tendo tempo, eu te ajudo com a mudança.

If I have time, I'll help you with the move.

Ela está vindo de ônibus, deve chegar em meia hora.

She's coming by bus, she should arrive in half an hour.

The gerund never agrees

Unlike adjectives and participles, the gerund is invariable — it does not change for number, gender, or person. Whoever is doing the action, the gerund stays exactly the same.

Ela está comendo.

She is eating.

Eles estão comendo.

They are eating.

The form comendo is identical in both sentences; only the helper estar shows the difference between ela and eles. This is a relief for English speakers, since English "-ing" is also invariable.

What the gerund is used for

1. The progressive (with estar)

The most common use by far: estar + gerund for an action in progress. This is covered in depth on estar + gerúndio.

As crianças estão brincando no quintal.

The kids are playing in the yard.

2. Simultaneous action

A gerund can describe a second action happening at the same time as the main verb — like English "I left singing" / "she answered laughing."

Saí de casa correndo porque estava atrasado.

I ran out of the house because I was late. (lit. I left the house running)

3. Manner — how something is done

The gerund can express the means or manner of an action, answering "how?"

Aprendi português ouvindo música e assistindo a novelas.

I learned Portuguese by listening to music and watching soap operas.

4. Adverbial / framing clauses

A gerund at the head of a sentence can set up a condition, cause, or framing — close to English "being honest..." or "seeing that...".

Sendo honesto, eu não sei a resposta.

Being honest, I don't know the answer.

Não tendo dinheiro, ele resolveu ir a pé.

Not having money, he decided to walk.

These adverbial uses are explored further on the adverbial gerund page.

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Brazilian Portuguese uses the gerund far more than European Portuguese, and in places where Spanish or Italian would prefer a finite verb. Where a Spanish speaker might say Salí y canté, a Brazilian comfortably says Saí cantando. When in doubt, the gerund is rarely the wrong choice in Brazilian speech.

Common Mistakes

❌ Ela está comiendo.

Incorrect — comiendo is Spanish; Portuguese -er verbs take -endo.

✅ Ela está comendo.

Correct: comer → comendo.

❌ Eles estão comendos.

Incorrect — the gerund never agrees, so it never takes a plural -s.

✅ Eles estão comendo.

Correct: the gerund is invariable.

❌ Estou ponendo a mesa.

Incorrect — pôr is irregular; the gerund is pondo, not ponendo.

✅ Estou pondo a mesa.

Correct: pôr → pondo (also supor → supondo, compor → compondo).

❌ Ele está viniendo de ônibus.

Incorrect — viniendo borrows from Spanish; the Portuguese gerund of vir is vindo.

✅ Ele está vindo de ônibus.

Correct: vir → vindo.

❌ Aprendi português escutar música.

Incorrect — to express the manner ('by listening'), you need the gerund, not the infinitive.

✅ Aprendi português escutando música.

Correct: the gerund expresses 'by doing'.

Key Takeaways

Gerund = infinitive minus -r plus -ndo: falando, comendo, partindo.
The three irregulars are pôr → pondo, ter → tendo, vir → vindo (and their compounds).
The gerund is invariable — never changes for person, number, or gender.
Four jobs: the progressive (with estar), simultaneous action, manner ("by doing"), and adverbial framing.
Brazilian Portuguese reaches for the gerund freely — more than Portugal, Spanish, or Italian.

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