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Concentrandosi, lo studente fa meno errori.

Concentrandosi, lo studente fa meno errori.
By concentrating, the student makes fewer mistakes.
From Lesson 199:Present gerund (-ando, -endo)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Concentrandosi, lo studente fa meno errori.

Why is the reflexive pronoun si attached to the end of concentrando?
When using a verb in the gerund form (like concentrando), any object or reflexive pronouns must be attached directly to the end of it to form a single word. Since the verb is concentrarsi (to concentrate oneself) and the subject is the student, we attach si to get concentrandosi.
How does concentrandosi express "by concentrating"? Where is the word for "by"?
In Italian, the present gerund (ending in -ndo) often expresses the means or method by which something is achieved, without needing an extra preposition like "by". Concentrandosi alone translates naturally to "by concentrating" in this context.
Is there a rule about who is doing the action in the gerund concentrandosi?
Yes! A strict rule for using the gerund this way is that its subject must be the exact same as the subject of the main clause. Here, lo studente is both the one concentrating and the one making fewer mistakes.
Why doesn't meno change to match the plural noun errori?
Unlike most adjectives in Italian, meno (meaning "less" or "fewer") is invariable. This means it never changes its ending to match the gender or number of the noun it modifies, so it stays meno even before a masculine plural word like errori.

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