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 |
El bebé está durmiendo en su cuna.
The baby is sleeping in his crib.
Estoy pidiendo un café con leche.
I am ordering a coffee with milk.
¿Qué está diciendo el profesor?
What is the teacher saying?
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.
Los niños están cayendo de risa.
The children are falling over laughing.
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.
Voy yendo al mercado poco a poco.
I am slowly heading to the market.
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.