Gerund Formation

The gerund (gerundio) is the Spanish verb form that corresponds, in broad terms, to the English -ing form. It is used for actions in progress, as an adverb, and as the second piece of the present progressive. Unlike English, the Spanish gerund is invariable: it never changes for gender, number, or person.

The Basic Rule

To build a regular gerund, drop the infinitive ending and attach the matching suffix.

  • -ar verbs take -ando
  • -er verbs take -iendo
  • -ir verbs take -iendo

Estoy hablando con mi abuela.

I am talking with my grandmother.

Los niños están comiendo en el patio.

The kids are eating in the yard.

Ella está viviendo en Monterrey este año.

She is living in Monterrey this year.

Regular -ar Verbs

For -ar verbs, drop -ar from the infinitive and add -ando. The stress always falls on the first a of the suffix.

InfinitiveMeaningStemGerund
hablarto speakhabl-hablando
trabajarto worktrabaj-trabajando
estudiarto studyestudi-estudiando
cantarto singcant-cantando
tomarto take / drinktom-tomando
caminarto walkcamin-caminando

Estamos estudiando para el examen de mañana.

We are studying for tomorrow's exam.

Regular -er and -ir Verbs

Both -er and -ir verbs share the same suffix: drop the infinitive ending and add -iendo.

InfinitiveMeaningStemGerund
comerto eatcom-comiendo
beberto drinkbeb-bebiendo
aprenderto learnaprend-aprendiendo
vivirto liveviv-viviendo
escribirto writeescrib-escribiendo
abrirto openabr-abriendo

Estoy aprendiendo español con mis amigos.

I am learning Spanish with my friends.

Él está escribiendo un correo muy largo.

He is writing a very long email.

The Gerund Is Invariable

Unlike adjectives or past participles, the gerund has one single form that works for every subject. It does not agree with anything.

SubjectSentence
yoestoy trabajando
túestás trabajando
ellaestá trabajando
nosotrosestamos trabajando
ustedesestán trabajando

Notice that trabajando never changes. It does not become trabajanda for a feminine subject or trabajandos for a plural one. This is a critical difference from the past participle used as an adjective, which must agree with its noun.

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If you hear yourself adding an -a or -s to a gerund, stop. The gerund is frozen. Only the verb it attaches to (estar, seguir, ir, etc.) carries subject information.

Where You Will See It

The gerund shows up in three main places:

  1. With estar to form the progressive: estoy leyendo.
  2. With other verbs like seguir, ir, andar, llevar: sigo leyendo.
  3. On its own as an adverbial phrase: Leyendo el periódico, se durmió (Reading the paper, he fell asleep).

Sigo esperando una respuesta del profesor.

I am still waiting for a reply from the teacher.

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Many common verbs have irregular gerunds (like dormir to durmiendo or leer to leyendo). Once you have the regular pattern down, move on to Irregular Gerunds to cover the exceptions.

What Comes Next

Now that you can build the regular form, see Irregular Gerunds for the exceptions, and Gerund Usage and Restrictions to learn when Spanish actually uses this form (and when English speakers tend to overuse it).

Related Topics

  • Irregular GerundsA2 — Stem-changing -ir verbs and vowel-stem verbs produce irregular gerunds like durmiendo, pidiendo, and leyendo.
  • Gerund Usage and RestrictionsB1 — The Spanish gerund describes actions in progress or adverbial manner but cannot be used as an adjective, a noun, or after prepositions.
  • Formation (Estar + Gerund)A2 — Form the present progressive by conjugating estar in the present and adding the invariable gerund.