Most gerunds follow the regular pattern of -ando and -iendo. A handful of verbs, however, change their stem or spelling when building the gerund. These irregular forms fall into three tidy groups.
Group 1: Stem Changes in -ir Verbs
Only -ir verbs with a stem change in the present or preterite show a stem change in the gerund. The vowel e becomes i, and o becomes u. -ar and -er verbs never do this.
| Infinitive | Change | Gerund |
|---|---|---|
| dormir | o → u | durmiendo |
| morir | o → u | muriendo |
| pedir | e → i | pidiendo |
| servir | e → i | sirviendo |
| venir | e → i | viniendo |
| decir | e → i | diciendo |
| repetir | e → i | repitiendo |
| sentir | e → i | sintiendo |
| preferir | e → i | prefiriendo |
Estoy pidiendo un café con leche.
I am ordering a coffee with milk.
Group 2: Vowel + -iendo Becomes -yendo
When the stem of an -er or -ir verb ends in a vowel, the i of -iendo would be trapped between two vowels. Spanish avoids that cluster by turning the i into a y.
| Infinitive | Stem | Gerund |
|---|---|---|
| leer | le- | leyendo |
| creer | cre- | creyendo |
| oír | o- | oyendo |
| caer | ca- | cayendo |
| traer | tra- | trayendo |
| huir | hu- | huyendo |
| construir | constru- | construyendo |
| incluir | inclu- | incluyendo |
Estamos leyendo un libro muy interesante.
We are reading a very interesting book.
Están construyendo un puente nuevo.
They are building a new bridge.
Group 3: Two Special Cases
Two very common verbs have gerunds you simply memorize.
- ir → yendo — the verb ir has no usable stem to attach -iendo to, so Spanish uses yendo. It is rare in the progressive but appears in other constructions.
- poder → pudiendo — poder shows an o → u change even though it is an -er verb.
No pudiendo esperar más, se fue.
Unable to wait any longer, he left.
Putting It Together
Once you have the right gerund, the structure is the same as for regular verbs: estar + gerund. The gerund never changes for gender or number.
| Subject | dormir (o → u) | leer (vowel + y) |
|---|---|---|
| yo | estoy durmiendo | estoy leyendo |
| tú | estás durmiendo | estás leyendo |
| él / ella / usted | está durmiendo | está leyendo |
| nosotros / nosotras | estamos durmiendo | estamos leyendo |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | están durmiendo | están leyendo |
For when and when not to use these forms, continue with Usage and Restrictions.
Related Topics
- Formation (Estar + Gerund)A2 — Form the present progressive by conjugating estar in the present and adding the invariable gerund.
- Usage and RestrictionsA2 — The Spanish progressive is reserved for actions happening right now and avoids near-future meanings and stative verbs.
- Stem Change: E to IB1 — Stem-changing -ir verbs with e in the stem shift to i in the third-person preterite forms: pidió, pidieron.