European Portuguese does not use the gerund to form the progressive — that work is done by estar a + infinitive. But the gerund is still a living, productive form in EP, and it does a significant amount of other work. Once you have freed the gerund from progressive duty, you can see what it actually does: it is EP's adverbial non-finite form, marking manner, simultaneity, cause, means, and absolute circumstance. It is also the form required by two surviving aspectual periphrases — ir + gerund and vir + gerund — that encode gradual and accumulated change.
This page surveys every non-progressive use of the gerund in EP, with natural examples and clear notes on register (some uses are literary, some are conversational). If you have already read the overview and know how to form the gerund, this page shows you what to actually do with it.
The seven jobs of the EP gerund
| Function | What it expresses | Register |
|---|---|---|
| manner | how the main action is performed | everyday |
| simultaneity | two actions happening at once | neutral to literary |
| cause | because of X, Y follows | neutral |
| means / instrument | by doing X, Y is achieved | neutral |
| absolute clause | a temporal/conditional frame | literary / careful prose |
| reflective framing | "come to think of it, being honest" | everyday |
| ir/vir + gerund | gradual or accumulated change | everyday |
We will walk through each one with examples.
1. Manner — how an action is performed
The most common everyday use of the EP gerund is adverbial: it modifies the main verb by describing the manner in which the action is carried out. This parallels English "-ing" forms used manner-adverbially ("he entered laughing," "she answered smiling").
Entrou rindo na festa, como se nada tivesse acontecido.
He entered the party laughing, as if nothing had happened.
Saiu da reunião batendo a porta.
She left the meeting slamming the door.
Os miúdos chegaram a casa correndo, todos excitados.
The kids came home running, all excited.
In these uses, the gerund names a simultaneous, secondary action that characterizes how the main verb is performed. It is not a progressive ("he was laughing") — it is an adverbial modifier ("entered-laughingly"). The gerund cannot be replaced by a + infinitive in this role; you cannot say entrou a rir to mean "entered laughing" (though entrou a rir does exist, it reads as the EP progressive-framed form and sounds awkward as a pure manner modifier).
2. Simultaneity — two actions at once
Very close to manner, but often a little looser: the gerund names a second action happening alongside the main one, without necessarily characterizing how the main action is done.
Saiu cantando uma melodia antiga.
He left singing an old melody.
Ela caminhava pela rua olhando as montras.
She walked down the street looking at the shop windows.
Jantávamos conversando sobre o dia.
We were having dinner talking about the day.
Passeavam de mãos dadas rindo das piadas um do outro.
They walked hand in hand laughing at each other's jokes.
In everyday EP, many speakers would rewrite some of these with a + infinitive as a secondary progressive ("saiu a cantar", "caminhava a olhar as montras"). Both options exist; the gerund version sounds slightly more literary or deliberate, the a + infinitive version more conversational. Either is correct EP.
3. Cause — because-style gerund
The gerund can open a clause that carries the cause of what the main clause asserts. English uses the same pattern: "Studying so hard, she was bound to pass." Portuguese preserves this use productively.
Estudando tanto, ela vai certamente passar no exame.
Studying so much, she's certain to pass the exam.
Tendo tantas responsabilidades, é normal que se sinta cansado.
Having so many responsibilities, it's normal that he feels tired.
Morando tão longe, é difícil visitar-nos com frequência.
Living so far away, it's hard for him to visit us often.
Sendo ele o diretor, tem de tomar a decisão final.
Being the director, he has to make the final decision.
This usage lives comfortably in both speech and writing. The gerund clause establishes the premise; the main clause draws the consequence. Note how the subject of the gerund may differ from the subject of the main clause when explicitly marked (as in sendo ele o diretor, "being he the director" — where ele is added to clarify whose state is being described).
4. Means / instrument — by doing X
The gerund can express the means by which an outcome is achieved — "by doing X." English often uses "by V-ing" for exactly this function.
Aprende-se muito viajando.
One learns a lot by traveling.
Conseguiu o emprego estudando muito e tendo sorte.
She got the job by studying a lot and being lucky.
Resolvi o problema ligando diretamente ao suporte técnico.
I solved the problem by calling technical support directly.
Melhora-se o português lendo todos os dias.
You improve your Portuguese by reading every day.
Notice the structural parallel: English by V-ing translates directly to a bare EP gerund, with no preposition. Portuguese does not need a preposition because the gerund carries the means-meaning on its own.
5. Absolute clauses — temporal and conditional frames
This is where the EP gerund gets most literary. An "absolute" gerund clause stands at the start of a sentence, with its own subject, and establishes a temporal or conditional frame for the main clause — "when X happens" or "if X happens."
Temporal absolute ("when X")
Chegando ele, começamos a reunião.
When he arrives, we'll start the meeting. (literary)
Estando tudo pronto, podemos partir.
With everything ready, we can leave.
Conditional absolute ("if X")
Tendo tempo, passo por aí amanhã.
If I have time, I'll drop by tomorrow. (literary — careful speech)
Havendo problemas, avisa-me imediatamente.
If there are problems, let me know immediately.
Não havendo objeções, a proposta é aprovada.
Being there no objections, the proposal is approved. (formal, meeting register)
The competing option: ao + personal infinitive
In everyday EP speech, the absolute gerund is often replaced by the personal infinitive with ao:
Chegando ele, começamos.
When he arrives, we'll start. (absolute gerund — slightly literary)
Ao chegar, começamos.
On arriving, we'll start. (ao + infinitive — more everyday)
Ao chegarmos, começamos.
When we arrive, we'll start. (ao + personal infinitive, 1pl)
The three options are close in meaning. The absolute gerund tends to feel written or careful; ao + infinitive is more casual; ao + personal infinitive specifies person-marking in the same slot. Learners should recognize all three but produce whichever fits the register they are aiming for.
6. Reflective framing — come to think of it
The gerund shines in a set of stock phrases that frame a statement as a reflection or afterthought: pensando bem ("come to think of it"), sendo sincero ("being honest"), considerando tudo ("all things considered"). These are high-frequency and very conversational.
Pensando bem, não vale mesmo a pena discutir isto agora.
Come to think of it, it really isn't worth discussing this now.
Sendo sincero, não gostei muito do filme.
Being honest, I didn't really like the movie.
Considerando tudo o que aconteceu, o resultado até foi bom.
Considering everything that happened, the outcome was actually good.
Resumindo, a resposta é 'sim, mas com condições.'
To sum up, the answer is 'yes, but with conditions.'
Falando francamente, ninguém concordou com a decisão.
Speaking frankly, nobody agreed with the decision.
These reflective frames are fixed expressions in EP. They are productive — you can coin new ones on the same template (olhando para trás, "looking back"; vendo bem, "seeing clearly") — but the repertoire is fairly stable.
7. Ir + gerund and vir + gerund — gradual and accumulated change
Here the gerund is not adverbial — it is the main lexical content of a two-verb aspectual periphrasis. These two constructions survive in EP because they carry meanings that a + infinitive cannot.
Ir + gerund — gradual, progressive unfolding
Ir + gerund expresses an action that unfolds slowly, step by step, over time. English "gradually does X," "is progressively doing X," or "keeps doing X bit by bit" all translate into ir + gerund in EP.
A cidade vai crescendo ano após ano.
The city keeps growing year after year.
Vamos aprendendo com os erros dos outros.
We gradually learn from others' mistakes.
A situação foi melhorando ao longo do mês.
The situation gradually improved over the month.
Ia caminhando devagar, apreciando a paisagem.
He walked slowly along, enjoying the landscape.
Compare with estar a + infinitive: estou a aprender is "I am learning right now"; vou aprendendo is "I learn progressively, bit by bit." The two constructions do not compete — they encode different aspectual values.
Vir + gerund — building up to now
Vir + gerund expresses an action that has been building up gradually over a past stretch of time, leading up to the present. It is roughly "have been gradually doing X" or "has been progressively V-ing" — but with a strong sense of accumulation.
Este problema vem-se agravando há anos.
This problem has been gradually worsening for years.
A moda vem mudando muito desde os anos oitenta.
Fashion has been changing a lot since the eighties.
As pessoas vêm protestando contra a medida há meses.
People have been protesting against the measure for months.
Os preços vêm subindo gradualmente.
Prices have been rising gradually.
The difference from ter + past participle (the present perfect): the present perfect says the action has happened repeatedly or ongoingly; vir + gerund emphasizes accumulation and gradual build-up. The two are sometimes interchangeable, but vir + gerund carries stronger "stacking up" semantics.
Negation and the gerund
The gerund takes não directly before it:
Não tendo tempo, não fui à reunião.
Not having time, I didn't go to the meeting.
Não sabendo a resposta, preferi ficar calado.
Not knowing the answer, I preferred to stay silent.
Não querendo insistir, mudei de assunto.
Not wanting to insist, I changed the subject.
This parallels English "not V-ing" ("not having time") and is fully productive.
Object pronouns with the gerund
The gerund takes object pronouns enclitically — the pronoun attaches to the gerund with a hyphen.
Vendo-o chegar, corri para o cumprimentar.
Seeing him arrive, I ran to greet him.
Dizendo-lhe a verdade, aliviou o peso da consciência.
By telling him the truth, she eased the weight on her conscience.
Ouvindo-os falar, percebi que eram estrangeiros.
Hearing them speak, I realized they were foreigners.
Reflexive pronouns attach the same way:
Levantando-se cedo, conseguiu apanhar o primeiro comboio.
Getting up early, he managed to catch the first train.
Preparando-nos com antecedência, tudo correu bem.
Preparing ourselves in advance, everything went well.
Note that unlike finite verbs, the gerund does not host proclisis — the pronoun always attaches enclitically to the gerund itself.
The personal-infinitive alternative
Many of the uses on this page have a near-equivalent built with the personal infinitive. This is worth noticing, because EP speakers often have a stylistic choice between the two forms:
| Gerund option | Personal infinitive option | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Chegando nós a casa, jantamos. | Ao chegarmos a casa, jantamos. | When we arrive home, we'll have dinner. |
| Tendo tu tempo, passa por cá. | Se tiveres tempo, passa por cá. | If you have time, drop by. |
| Sendo o João honesto, disse-me a verdade. | Como o João é honesto, disse-me a verdade. | João being honest, he told me the truth. |
| Estudando bem, passamos no exame. | Se estudarmos bem, passamos no exame. | If we study well, we'll pass the exam. |
Gerund options tend to feel more compact and more formal. Finite or personal-infinitive alternatives tend to feel more conversational. Both are correct; the register differs.
Common mistakes
❌ Estou a andar a correr todos os dias.
Incorrect — *a + infinitive* doesn't compound with another *a + infinitive*. Use the gerund for manner.
✅ Ando a correr todos os dias.
I've been running every day. (andar a + inf)
✅ Corro todos os dias.
I run every day. (simple present)
Do not try to "layer" a + infinitive for manner on top of another progressive. Use the gerund or rewrite the sentence.
❌ Sendo sincero estou a concordar contigo.
Missing comma and awkward — the reflective frame needs punctuation separation.
✅ Sendo sincero, estou a concordar contigo.
Being honest, I'm agreeing with you.
Reflective-frame gerund clauses are set off from the main clause by a comma in writing and a prosodic break in speech.
❌ Ao chegarmos nós a casa, começamos.
Redundant — *chegarmos* already marks 1pl. The pronoun *nós* is unnecessary here.
✅ Ao chegarmos a casa, começamos.
When we arrive home, we'll start.
✅ Chegando nós a casa, começamos.
When we arrive home, we'll start. (absolute gerund)
With ao + personal infinitive, the subject pronoun is usually omitted because the verb ending already marks the person. With the absolute gerund, the pronoun is needed (gerund has no person-marking).
❌ Vindo protestando há meses, ninguém lhes dá ouvidos.
Starting a sentence with *vir + gerund* as a gerund clause is ungrammatical — *vir + gerund* must have a finite *vir*.
✅ As pessoas vêm protestando há meses, mas ninguém lhes dá ouvidos.
People have been protesting for months, but nobody is listening to them.
Vir + gerund only works when vir is a conjugated finite form (vem, vinha, veio, vêm). You cannot use it as a bare gerund clause introducer — that role belongs to the simple adverbial gerund.
❌ Aprende-se viajar muito.
Incorrect — means/instrument takes the gerund, not the infinitive.
✅ Aprende-se muito viajando.
One learns a lot by traveling.
For "by V-ing," use the gerund. For "to V" as a purpose, use a + infinitive or para + infinitive.
Register summary
| Use | Register | Alternative in everyday speech |
|---|---|---|
| Manner (entrou rindo) | everyday | a + infinitive (entrou a rir) or rephrase |
| Simultaneity (caminhava lendo) | neutral → literary | a + infinitive |
| Cause (estudando tanto) | neutral | como + clause |
| Means (aprende-se lendo) | neutral | no good alternative — use gerund |
| Absolute clause (chegando ele) | literary | ao + personal infinitive, or quando / se |
| Reflective frame (pensando bem) | everyday | no alternative — fixed phrases |
| Ir/vir + gerund | everyday | no alternative — the gerund is required |
Key takeaways
- The EP gerund has seven real functions beyond the progressive: manner, simultaneity, cause, means, absolute clauses, reflective framing, and ir/vir + gerund periphrases.
- Manner (entrou rindo), means (aprende-se lendo), and reflective framing (pensando bem) are everyday uses, fully conversational.
- Absolute clauses (chegando ele, começamos) are literary; everyday speech prefers ao + personal infinitive.
- Ir + gerund (gradual forward unfolding) and vir + gerund (accumulation up to now) are everyday aspectual periphrases that survive intact in EP.
- The gerund hosts enclitic pronouns (vendo-o, dizendo-lhe, levantando-se) — never proclisis.
- Several uses have stylistic alternatives with the personal infinitive or finite clauses; the choice is about register, not correctness.
For the EP progressive (the job the gerund does not do), see estar a + infinitive. For how the absolute-gerund competes with the personal infinitive, see personal infinitive in complex sentences. For the mechanics of forming the gerund, see forming the gerúndio.
Related Topics
- Gerúndio OverviewA2 — The Portuguese gerund (-ando, -endo, -indo) and why European Portuguese uses it far less than Brazilian — what the gerund is for in EP, and what replaces it for continuous aspect.
- Forming the GerúndioA2 — How to build the Portuguese gerund — replace the infinitive ending with -ando, -endo, or -indo. Regular and irregular forms, why the gerund is invariable, and a survey of the 15 most frequent gerunds in European Portuguese.
- Estar a + Infinitive: the European Portuguese ProgressiveA2 — How European Portuguese expresses ongoing actions: not with estar + gerund, but with estar a + infinitive (estou a ler, estás a falar). Full paradigm across tenses, the sister periphrases andar a / continuar a / passar a, and why this construction is the single most important marker of EP speech.
- European vs Brazilian Progressive: estar a + infinitive vs estar + gerundB1 — The clearest spoken difference between European and Brazilian Portuguese: EP says 'estou a falar', BR says 'estou falando'. A full side-by-side treatment of the progressive divergence, the sociolinguistic meaning of each form, and why learners should pick one variety and commit.
- Personal Infinitive in Complex SentencesC1 — Advanced uses of the personal infinitive: absolute clauses, causative and permissive constructions, topicalization, clitic placement, and disambiguation from the future subjunctive.
- The Past Participle in European PortugueseA2 — Formation and three main uses of the past participle (particípio passado) in EP: compound tenses with ter (invariable), passive voice with ser (agrees), and resultative/adjectival use with estar or as a modifier (agrees). Regular endings -ado/-ido, the key irregulars, and why Portuguese uses ter — not haver — as the compound auxiliary.