Gerundio

Question

Hi all,
I am still not familiar with the new site form and i have been busy lately so i guess i have missed alot in this forum.

I have a question about el gerundio without the verb ESTAR, i got some explainations but i didn`t get any of them.

When, how and where can i use the gerundio (without the verb estar)'

Answer 1

Me fui corriendo a la escuela

fui comes from ir=to go

Answer 2

Hi all,

I am still not familiar with the new site form and i have been busy lately so i guess i have missed alot in this forum.

I have a question about el gerundio without the verb ESTAR, i got some explainations but i didn`t get any of them.

When, how and where can i use the gerundio (without the verb estar)?

In English we commonly say such things as:

The girl sittng over there is my sister.
The boy shooting marbles, stopped, got up and left.

The more correct sentences would be:

The girl [that is] sitting over there is my sister.
The boy [that is] shooting marbles, stopped, got up and left.

I don't know if Spanish allows these elliptical uses or not for the gerundio without estar. (present progresive)

Also, as we have discussed lately, the gerundio is used with many other verbs besides estar such as ir, andar or seguir to form periphrases other than the continuous progressive estar+gerundio.

Answer 3

I have a question about el gerundio without the verb ESTAR, i got some explainations but i didn`t get any of them.

In a nutshell, when you want to describe HOW the verbal action is happening (See Toni's example above), not to say what nouns are doing. Something similar happens with "estar", but this verb loses its original meaning, and forms a periphrasis with the present participle.

Siempre estudia escuchando música (How does he study? Listening to music)
Se afeita cantando.

The girl sittng over there is my sister.

The boy shooting marbles, stopped, got up and left.

The more correct sentences would be:

The girl [that is] sitting over there is my sister.

The boy [that is] shooting marbles, stopped, got up and left.

I don't know if Spanish allows these elliptical uses or not for the gerundio without estar. (present progresive)

Spanish does not use "gerund" with this adjectival value, so forget about using one after a noun to describe it. Most of the time, you have no option, but using a full subordinate clause, where the linking word ("que" or else) is not optional. Also, "to sit" in English means both to get into a sitting position, and to remain in that position, whereas in Spanish "sentarse" only means the former. If you want to remain on a chair (or similar), it would be a state, not an action, and we express it with an past participle, which may go along with another verb, or not: "estar sentado". This past participle, being an adjective in Spanish, can be attached after the noun:

La chica (que está) sentada allí es mi hermana.

Generally, it is better not to omit that "que está".

Also, as we have discussed lately, the gerundio is used with many other verbs besides estar such as ir, andar or seguir to form periphrases other than the continuous progressive estar+gerundio.

They are periphrasis when those verbs function as auxiliary ones, and their original meaning is less important than that of the present participle. With any other verb, there is no periphrasis.

Answer 4

Thank you for the explaination.

Could the gerundio be at the beggining of a sentence? (without any verbs)

I think i have seen some sentences in paragraphs that start with gerundio.

Thats what i really want to understand.
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|-

One more thing i would like to add about el gerundio:

It was interesting when my teacher said that in an offical letter or (a news paper) you can never find ESTAR + GERUNDIO, i asked her what if the article was about (ex,torch realy for an olympic game, and the torch is on it way to a certain country where it will take one or two days to get there, so could the sentence be like--> La antorcha está + GERUNDIO)?
She said that the correct way is La antorcha sigue ... (without gerundio).

-What is your opinion about this'

Answer 5

Thank you for the explaination.

Could the gerundio be at the beggining of a sentence? (without any verbs)

I think i have seen some sentences in paragraphs that start with gerundio.

The Spanish "gerundio" is a verb, so it is hard to use it without any verbs. Since the "gerundio" can be an adverb, you can place it almost anywhere:

Alegremente se fue.
Se fue alegremente.

Y contemplando el valle, se levantó.
Y se levantó contemplando el valle.

It was interesting when my teacher said that in an offical letter or (a news paper) you can never find ESTAR + GERUNDIO, i asked her what if the article was about (ex,torch realy for an olympic game, and the torch is on it way to a certain country where it will take one or two days to get there, so could the sentence be like--> La antorcha está + GERUNDIO)?

She said that the correct way is La antorcha sigue ... (without gerundio).

Of course you can use the periphrasis estar + gerundio in an official letter! That's nonsense. However, "La antorcha está siguiendo..." is incorrect. You wouldn't even say "The torch is continuing..." in English either.

Answer 6

I have found the following sentence in the spanish level 5 book:

El personal de tierra es fijo, creando así un ambiente de amistosa familiaridad.

I didn`t understand the usage of creando in the sentence above.

Answer 7

I have found the following sentence in the spanish level 5 book:

El personal de tierra es fijo, creando así un ambiente de amistosa familiaridad.

I didn`t understand the usage of creando in the sentence above.

"Gerundios" respond to the question "How'", because they specify how things happen: ... creating this way a environment of friendly familiarity ".

Answer 8

It is more clear now, thanx alot.