re: gerunds
I really appreciate this service and that it's free blows my mind. However, one thing keeps bugging me. Our profesora, Sra. Whitmeyer (spelling?), refers to verbs ending in "ing" as "gerunds" in phrases such as "I am buying a blouse" ("Estoy comprando una camiseta") and "She is selling some boots." (Está vendiendo unas botas.") I don't think she's right on this. The words "buying" and "selling" in those phrases are simply present participles. To be gerunds, they would have to be used as nouns, as in "Swimming is a healthy sport" or "Dancing brought my parents together." Maybe it's because I was brought up by a pair of English teachers (or maybe the definition has actually changed) but I am unable to let things like this go! Again, I hasten to say how grateful I am that this amazing Website exists and is available to anyone on the internet.
3 Answers
The gerundio is called in many grammar articles written in English as the Spanish gerund or simply the gerund. (see the article below)
Introduction: The gerund (gerundio) is a special, invariable form of the verb....
Also, many grammar articles written in English describe the Spanish progressive tenses as Estar (and some other verbs of motion) + gerund.
Progressive tenses: estar + gerund.
Here they are speaking of the gerundio; not the English gerund. I think Paralee was similarly using the word gerund for the gerundio. (Expecting you to differentiate the Spanish gerund from the English gerund from context.)
It is sometimes very difficult to explain Spanish grammar in other languages than Spanish. To a Spanish native, the gerundio is probably seen as the correct use of the word gerund and English grammar has just perverted its usage (as a noun).
As Lazarus has suggested in the past, to avoid these translation problems use the word gerundio for the Spanish gerund and the word gerund only when referring to the English gerund. (And, of course, never read any Spanish grammar in English) 
In a similar vein, I would not use the word gerundio for the participio presente. As Lazarus hinted, they are not exactly the same and you're setting yourself up to create more confusion if you use them as synonyms.
You will occasionally also see the gerundio called the present participle when the article is written in English. If the gerundio and the participio presente were identical there would be no need to have two different words for them. Occasionally you will see an English author explain that they are not identical. (they are formed the same, but their usage is different just as the gerundio and the gerund are both "ing" words in English, they are used differently.)
We discussed this in a previous discussion explaining that participles are used as adjectives while the gerundio can be a adverb, if you care to do some research.
Our profesora, Sra. Whitmeyer (spelling?), refers to verbs ending in "ing" as "gerunds" in phrases such as "I am buying a blouse" ("Estoy comprando una camiseta") and "She is selling some boots." (Está vendiendo unas botas.") I don't think she's right on this.
Your teacher -no offence- should take a course in basic grammar, because "buying" in that sentence is a present participle, not a gerund.
However, in Spanish in "Estoy comprando" (I am buying), the form "comprando" is a gerundio (in Spanish grammars), which is similar -but far from identical- to a present participle in English. There is nearly nothing similar to an English gerund in Spanish.
So yes, you are right: it is not a gerund. Just check any recent grammar book -all of them will tell you it is a present participle.
HI nim, welcome to the forum
I guess she is trying to simplify, not a good idea, but anyway.
We say gerundio, so she uses the word gerund , not the same in English and Spanish
Her name is Paralee Whitmire , if you are interested, this is her facebook page.
