Gerundios? modal participles

Question

Example: ‘Clean your room: sweeping it, dusting it.’ ‘Sweeping,’ ‘dusting,’ explain the mode or manner by which the room is to be made clean. They are modal participles which explain how the main verb is accomplished.

I am looking as to how to say this in Spanish using correct terms.

'Limpia tu cuarto, barriendole y sacudiendole.' (I'm not sure if I correctly translated the words.)

Another example could be: ‘Make the car look sharp: washing it, waxing it.’

My real question is how to say these are "modal participles" in Spanish? Do I say they are 'gerundios'? What would be the correct term for words ending in 'ing' (in Spanish: 'dole'), that represent the fact that the participle's actions are going on at the same time as the main verb?

Please help me on this one. I read other articles but nothing made sense in regards to my specific case.

Thank you in advance.

If you can be bothered to fill out your SD profile maybe I or other members might be bothered helping you. - ian-hill, Aug 5, 2015

They are gerunds usually when there is no "to be" verb used. Example I like reading. This reading is a noun = a gerund. - ian-hill, Aug 5, 2015

-ing endings are called the "present participle" I am not sure why you think they are "modal participles". - ian-hill, Aug 5, 2015

Modals are for example can - could / will - would / may - might and they never have an ing ending. - ian-hill, Aug 5, 2015

I was reading or I am reading - are both simple continous actions. - ian-hill, Aug 5, 2015

Answer 1

For this sentence I'll use the imperative form. Limpia tu cuarto, barrelo y sacudelo.

Gracias por tu respuesta. Would the other form be wrong or less correct than the imperative form? - findingchrist, Aug 5, 2015

Grammatically is correct barriendo y sacudiendolo , but we don't usually express it this way. - 000a35ff, Aug 6, 2015

We would use it at this way: -(mother) Limpia tu cuarto.-(kid)how?.-(mother) barriendo (lo) y sacudiendolo. - 000a35ff, Aug 6, 2015

take note you can omite the first lo - 000a35ff, Aug 6, 2015

Answer 2

You can refer to the -ing form of a verb (gerund in your case) just by using the infinitive of the verb. It would be incorrect to say barriendole because you dont have a form of estar there. Just use the infinitive. And the it at the end should be lo or la not le.

I seemed to have made my second comment at the same time you wrote the above. Are you saying it is incorrect in Spanish to say: 'Limpia tu cuarto, barriendolo y sacudiendolo.' ? - findingchrist, Aug 5, 2015

yes - qzp987, Aug 7, 2015

Answer 3

Thank you for your input so far. I have updated my profile. Allow me to restate my question (sorry for my misunderstanding of modals/participles).

I have a public preaching assignment in which I have to clearly state (in Spanish) using correct grammar the following...

'Limpia tu cuarto, barriendolo y sacudiendolo.'

What parts of speech are the words: 'barriendolo' y 'sacudiendolo' (en Español)? Would it not be proper to say this as I have done? If not, how else would you say it?

In English, I can say: ‘Make the car look sharp: washing it, waxing it.’ Washing and waxing explain how to make the car look sharp. I wish to translate either one of these examples into Spanish in a way that I can say the same (using Spanish grammar).

In English, we talk about 'parts of speech.' En Español, ¿la igual se llama 'partes de la oracion'?

Gracias de nuevo.

Answer 4

'Limpia tu cuarto, barriéndolo y sacudiéndolo.'

In this sentence, barriendo and sacudiendo are gerundios acting as adverbs modifying the verb limpiar, with the attached direct object pronoun lo that refers back to cuarto.

I won't however claim that my nomenclature for grammar is perfect, but I think those are the terms.

See section II c. 1 here- it explains this use.

http://users.ipfw.edu/jehle/COURSES/GERUND.HTM

To express “by (do)-ing (something)” when it comes after a verb, normally the gerund is used :

Gracias, lo voy a leer para estudiar si sera correcta. :) A ver si alguien mas lo puede confirmar. - findingchrist, Aug 5, 2015