What is a Gerund?

Question

I was watching lesson 1.11 (ser vs. estar) and it was saying a progressive action = estar + gerund (-ing).

Can someone please tell me what a gerund is?

Thanks! =)

The use of 'gerund' in that lesson is incorrect (it should be 'present participle'). - samdie, Sep 25, 2010

Answer 1

A gerund in English is a verb ending in -ing which behaves like a noun, eg. I like watching TV.

Spanish does not have anything like the English gerund. There is something called "gerundio", but it is like the present participle in English (ie. the -ing for in "I am singing.")

Answer 2

Here's one:

Oh, wait... that's a gerbil. Nevermind.

Listen to Lazarus.

muy chistoso - margaretbl, Sep 25, 2010

I love it !! - Yeser007, Sep 25, 2010

Answer 3

The words "gerund" and "gerundio" are false cognates. As was explained, a gerund in English is a verb ending in -ing that's used as a noun - I like running. When a verb ending in -ing is used as part of a compound verb tense like the present progressive it is a present participle - The bulls were running down the street.

Spanish doesn't have that. A gerundio is just a verb ending in -ando or -iendo, and it is almost always used as part of a progressive verb tense - Los toros estaban corriendo por la calle. It cannot be used as a noun. To use a verb as a noun, you use the infinitive - Me gusta correr. Me gusta corriendo is just wrong.

thanks! - lauraalbury2010, Sep 27, 2010

Answer 4

A gerundio is just a verb ending in -ando or -iendo, and it is always used as part of a progressive verb tense

"always"? The gerundio has other (perhaps, less frequent) uses, as well. It can also be used as an adverb (and, according to Lazarus [whom I am not inclined to doubt] as an adjective). However (more to the point) it cannot be used as a noun (as it is in English).

Of course. I over-generalized. - KevinB, Sep 27, 2010

Answer 5

Lazarus explains it very well. I will add a little tidbit from my "501 spanish verbs" book that helped me. The English gerund noun ends in _ing and is used as "Reading is good" which is the subject of the verb is. As a present participle it is used as "While reading, the boy fell asleep". In Spanish the present participle form as a noun to serve as a subject you would use the infinitive as "Leer es bueno", Reading is good. Using the true Spanish present participle you would use the endings _ando & _iendo to form the verb and use it with the progressive present tense forms which is a whole different chapter altogether.