How to use 'Ing' in Spanish

Question

Could anybody provide translations for the following examples - it will give me an idea of how to work out the grammatical rules they adhere to, thanks:

• I am thinking of (about) selling my car (pienso / estoy pensado acerca de ? )
• I have been telling them about this for a long time
• They will be seeing him tomorrow ( is there a translation for 'will be ...ing' or is it just 'ellos le veran manana' ? )

I know we use 'ing' more in English, where the spanish probably don't (apart from present & past progressive) so i just need the examples translated to help me understand the correct spanish syntax & semantics for the situations above.

Any translations or pointers gratefully received.

Answer 1

I think if you are saying the expression "to be + verb + ing" it is "estar + gerund".
I am writing a letter - Estoy escribiendo una carta.

Answer 2

Thanks - i'm ok with the present / past progressive using 'ing' - for Estar + Gerund.

However, is it viable in Spanish to use the Gerund in sentences like 'thanks for doing that for me' or 'i have been drinking'

Can these be translated as 'gracias para haciendo eso para mi' and '(yo) he estado bebiendo' repsectively, or would that not mean the same in Spanish as it does in English'

Answer 3

I think in these two examples you would use the infinitive.

Answer 4

As in: 'gracias para hacer eso para mi' ? Even though hacer is the only verb in the sentence, does it not need to be conjugated in some way?

In the second example, wouldn't it have to be 'he estado' + gerund ?

As always, thanks to all for any feedback in advance.

Answer 5

Hmm, I'm not entirely sure in those cases, but I think that's right.

Answer 6

Me either !

It's easy enough to translate most of the English way of speaking word-for-word into spanish, using past participles & gerunds & auxilliary verbs, but i'm just trying to get clear in my head if the spanish use them in the same situations as we do.

Answer 7

Yes, I hear you. Do you have a teacher locally that you can speak to? I think this would be your best bet.

Answer 8

i'm afraid not...nobody i can find anyway. I'm learning from text books & tapes and now here !

Answer 9

Manudt has given you some good indications. Let me See if I can help you to see "the light"

Estoy pensando en vender mi coche.

I have been doing: llevo haciendo

so your sentence:

llevo estudiando inglés hace tiempo.
ing in future in Spanish is never used.

I am eating with him tomorrow/I will be eating with him: voy a comer con él/comeré con él

Voy a : going to eat

Answer 10

Thanks Heidita - just a quick follow up question then: what is the format behind 'llevo' for ' i have been' - i.e. is it the present tense of the verb 'llevar' , and if so would 'they have been doing' be 'llevan haciendo...''

Answer 11

Yes, well observed!

Answer 12

Thanks

Another quick stab at an observation then...as a literal translation, do the spanish therefore say 'i am carrying on doing' (lllevar...carry) where the English would be 'i have been doing' '

Answer 13

I have been studying= Llevo estudiando

I have been looking at you= Llevo mirándote...

Answer 14

As im sure you know, there are three types of verb endings. (-ar, -er, and -ir) For the verbs ending in -ar, use the stem + -ando. For -er and -ir verbs, use the stem + -iendo.

Answer 15

para (in order to) is followed by the infinitive

Una pluma es para escribir

Yo como para vivir.