how do you write a verb as a noun?

Question

This has always puzzled me, in english we have many verbs that double as nouns and I'm trying to figure how to translate them. Por ejemplo: I went for a run yesterday. One way I thought to do this is to just use the infinitive ... fui a correr ayer. but is this correct?

that's right...fui a correr - lkpuede, Aug 23, 2009

Answer 1

This has always puzzled me, in english we have many verbs that double as nouns and I'm trying to figure how to translate them.

Yes, but you cannot do it with all verbs. As a matter of fact, there are many different ways of deriving nouns from verbs in English (and many are identical in Spanish too):

It is a think (should be thought)

I went to a meet (should be meeting)

That is a pretend (should be pretension)

I am waiting for his arrive (should be arrival)

Some of these mechanisms:

• -ada: llegar - llegada, fregar - fregada, bajar - bajada,...
• -miento: sufrir - sufrimiento, encontrar - encuentro,...
• -ción:cantar - canción, grabar - grabación,...
• -ón: tropezar - tropezón, rayar - rayón,...

Answer 2

Spanish does form nouns from infinitives. But you cannot always simply translate the way a noun is formed from one language to the other. You have to translate the thought. So you have to know how one would say the same thing in the other language.

I found your example, though, if you are interested, in my Gran Diccionario Oxford: You can see that we use "run" several different ways in English, too.

run (2) noun 1. (on foot): She goes for a short run every day. Todos los días sale a correr un poco;

He does everything at a run. Todo lo hace (deprisa y) corriendo or a la(s) carrera(s);

To break into a run. Echar a correr;

on the run: The children keep her on the run all day. Los niños la tienen todo el día en danza;

After seven years on the run (from the law)... Después de estar siete años huyendo de la justicia;

to give somebody a (good) run for her/his money. Hacerle* sudar tinta a alguien;

to have the run of something = tener libre acceso a algo, tener algo a su (or mi etc) entera disposición;

to make a run for it = escaparse

Someone will answer tomorrow to show you examples of how infinitives = nouns in Spanish, too!! I think it may be where we use gerunds. Yikes, I think that what one speaks of are not gerunds but some kind of participle. Sorry to be of so little help... - Janice, Aug 23, 2009

Todo lo hace deprisa y corriendo (run is an adverb, not a noun) - 0074b507, Aug 23, 2009

In English: present participe - ing form of verb Gerund=present particle used as a noun - 0074b507, Aug 23, 2009

In Spanish gerund =present participle or ing form of verb infinitive=noun or English gerund - 0074b507, Aug 23, 2009

I may have been unclear: Yes, I understand that "corriendo" is not a noun in the Spanish, which is what I was hoping to point out. It does translate a use of "run" as a noun in English, you see. Thank you for making it clearer. - Janice, Aug 23, 2009

Thanks for "gerund". Then I was not so far off, or? We create nouns from verbs by forming a "gerund"? Do I have it right? - Janice, Aug 23, 2009

Answer 3

in everyday conversation, no one turns verbs into nouns, but nouns get turned to verbs all the time.

Maybe you can't, but people who speak normal Spanish do all the time. - lazarus1907, Aug 23, 2009

Me gusta fumar. Quiero escuchar a la musica. - samdie, Aug 23, 2009

Oh no, Samdie...don't smoke!! - Janice, Aug 23, 2009

Answer 4

my mother says this exact thing to you "he is bad man. if his mom see him talking like that, she would have shame for him."

Answer 5

@Laz...you wouldn't understand it because you don't speak it. you learned from a book. you'll never understand. That's like if you were a black man and some white man was telling you how to be black....which is perfectly absurd.