How does one use the gerund?

Question

Is the gerund the equivalent of the "ing" in English?

Answer 1

As has been said yes in general but..........

-ing gerunds in English are also used as nouns.

I am singing. = present progressive.

The singing was fantastic. (-ing used as a noun)

So be careful.

There have been many threads regarding the difference between the English Gerund and the Spanish Gerundio.

here is one of them.

gerund" vs. "gerundio

-ing words in English can also be adjectives.

I am boring - adjective

I am boring you - present progressive.

Answer 2

The simple answer, yes. For example:

Comer = To eat

Comiendo = Eating

However, don't use the -ando/-iendo form with ir or venir, as they are motion verbs and the "-ing" action is implied.

If you want to say "I'm going to..." Simply use "voy a..."

Answer 3

How does one use the gerund?

Is the gerund the equivalent of the "ing" in English?

No. As your question was in regards to usage, the English present participle (verbs with "-ing" endings) is different in terms of usage when compared with the Spanish gerundio.

If your question were in terms of form, however, then yes, you could probably get away with saying that the gerundio is represented by the English "-ing" form.

Landrade said:

Comer = To eat

Comiendo = Eating

This answer is a bit oversimplified. In English, both the gerund and the infinitive can be used as verbal nouns; however, in Spanish, we do not use the gerundio as a verbal noun. Instead, this role is always performed by the infinitive form of the verb so that it would be accurate to say that the infinitive "comer" might translate to either "to eat" or "eating" depending on context For example,

El riesgo de comer ostras

?The risk of eating oysters.

No me gusta comer ostras

?I don't like to eat oysters

?I don't like eating oysters

Answer 4

The simple answer is, yes, it is the equivalent of the English "~ing." However, it is not used nearly as extensively as in English, so you'll need to learn about the differences in usage.

Check out the resources on this site, including a video specifically about the gerund

or the Reference page on the topic.