The gerund / present participle (Edexcel GCSE Spanish): Revision Notes
The gerund / present participle
What is the gerund?
The gerund (also called the present participle) is the Spanish equivalent of English verb forms ending in '-ing'. It's a key grammatical structure that you'll need to master for your GCSE exam.
The gerund is used to describe ongoing or continuous actions, similar to how we use words like "walking", "eating", or "studying" in English.
Understanding the gerund is essential for GCSE Spanish as it appears frequently in both written and spoken Spanish, particularly when describing what someone is currently doing or was doing at a specific moment.
Forming the gerund
Regular verbs
To create the gerund from regular Spanish verbs, you simply replace the infinitive ending with the appropriate gerund ending:
| Infinitive ending | Gerund ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -ar verbs | -ando | hablar → hablando (speaking) |
| -er verbs | -iendo | comer → comiendo (eating) |
| -ir verbs | -iendo | vivir → viviendo (living) |
Irregular gerunds
Some common verbs have irregular gerund forms that you need to memorise:
| Infinitive | Gerund | English |
|---|---|---|
| caer | cayendo | falling |
| dormir | durmiendo | sleeping |
| leer | leyendo | reading |
| oír | oyendo | hearing |
| pedir | pidiendo | asking for |
| reír | riendo | laughing |
These irregular gerunds must be memorised as they don't follow the standard pattern. They are frequently tested in GCSE exams, so make sure you know them by heart!
Pronunciation tip: The stress in gerunds always falls on the penultimate syllable (second-to-last).
Uses of the gerund
The gerund has three main functions in Spanish:
1. Providing information about actions
You use the gerund to give more details about how something was or is being done.
- Voy andando al instituto. (I go to school on foot/walking.)
2. Forming continuous tenses
The gerund combines with estar to create present and imperfect continuous tenses (explained below).
3. After "seguir" meaning "to keep on"
When you want to express continuing an action, use seguir + gerund.
- Sigo estudiando dibujo porque me gusta. (I keep studying Art because I like it.)
Critical concept: You cannot always translate an English '-ing' verb directly with the Spanish gerund. For example:
- Aprender español es emocionante. (Learning Spanish is exciting.)
- Vamos a salir mañana. (We're leaving tomorrow.)
This is a common mistake that students make in exams!
Present continuous tense
The present continuous tense describes what is happening at this moment. You form it using the present tense of estar + gerund.
| Person | Estar (present) | + Gerund | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | estoy | viajando | I am travelling |
| you | estás | saliendo | you are going out |
| he/she/it | está | pidiendo | he/she is asking for |
| we | estamos | diciendo | we are saying |
| you (plural) | estáis | - | you are... |
| they | están | - | they are... |
Worked Example: Present Continuous
Let's form the present continuous for "I am watching TV":
Step 1: Take the present tense of estar for "I" = estoy
Step 2: Form the gerund of "ver" (to watch) = viendo
Step 3: Combine them = Estoy viendo la televisión
Translation: I'm watching TV.
Imperfect continuous tense
The imperfect continuous tense describes what was happening at a certain moment in the past. You form it using the imperfect tense of estar + gerund.
| Person | Estar (imperfect) | + Gerund | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | estaba | visitando | I was visiting |
| you | estabas | estudiando | you were studying |
| he/she/it | estaba | escribiendo | he/she was writing |
| we | estábamos | buscando | we were looking for |
| you (plural) | estabais | - | you were... |
| they | estaban | - | they were... |
Worked Example: Imperfect Continuous
Let's form the imperfect continuous for "She was reading":
Step 1: Take the imperfect tense of estar for "she" = estaba Step 2: Form the gerund of "leer" (to read) = leyendo (irregular!) Step 3: Combine them = Estaba leyendo
Translation: She was reading.
Practice exercises
Practice Translations
Translate these sentences into English:
- Juego al tenis. → I play tennis.
- Escribo un correo electrónico. → I write an email.
Translate these sentences into Spanish:
- I am eating tapas. → Estoy comiendo tapas.
- We were surfing the internet. → Estábamos navegando por Internet.
Key Points to Remember:
- The gerund is formed by adding -ando (for -ar verbs) or -iendo (for -er/-ir verbs) to the verb stem
- Several common verbs have irregular gerunds that must be memorised
- Use estar + gerund to form continuous tenses in Spanish
- The gerund has three main uses: describing how actions are done, forming continuous tenses, and following "seguir"
- You cannot always translate English '-ing' verbs directly with the Spanish gerund