conjunctions with a gerund
Are there additional words, besides andar, ir, seguir, or venir, that may be used in conjunction with a gerund ?
What are the differences in meaning for conjunctions with andar, ir, seguir, or venir ? In other words, how do we know which ones are the correct choice for a particular sentence construction ?
2 Answers
Are there additional words, besides andar, ir, seguir, or venir, that may be used in conjunction with a gerund ?
"Gerundios" in Spanish are adverbs, and they can go along with any verb in Spanish (except "ser", which is very restricted in this sense).
If you are referring to the periphrases formed with those verbs plus the present participle ("gerundio" in Spanish), there are about a dozen of them. Bear in mind that in these periphrases, the auxiliary verb (eg. andar, ir,..) loses part of its normal meaning, since it forms an indivisible group with the other verb in present participle. It is like in English "I am going to think", where you are not going anywhere. The most common periphrasis with present participle is, of course, "estar + gerundio".
- estar + gerundio
- comenzar + gerundio
- continuar + gerundio
- empezar + gerundio
- llevar + gerundio
- quedar(se) + gerundio
- terminar + gerundio
There are more periphrasis with "gerundio", but require a preposition.
What are the differences in meaning for conjunctions with andar, ir, seguir, or venir ? In other words, how do we know which ones are the correct choice for a particular sentence construction ?
Conjunctions? They are all intransitive verbs, so they don't require any objects or conjunctions. However, in periphrases like "Ando estudiando", it is the verb in present participle the one that determines the structure and the conjunctions, and not the auxiliary verb (eg. ando). The most common conjunction, anyway, is "que".
Could some example sentences be provided for some of the most common periphrasis with present participle ? -
Empezó/comenzó haciendo frío, pero luego subió la temperatura.
Los precios siguen/continúan creciendo.
Llevo una hora esperando.
Anoche me quedé mirando la tele durante horas.
John terminó aprendiendo español.
