"My" + gerund in English/Spanish

Question

In English it's common to say things like "I'm improving my listening", or "My speaking is getting better", where "my" + gerund is the subject or object of a sentence. I don't recall seeing this construction in Spanish. Would it be correct to "Estoy mejorando mi escuchando"? Or is there a better way to express similar ideas. I think "writing" would be "escritura", but is there a rule for other verbs? Thanks.

Answer 1

Hi! In English the gerund can function as a noun, that's why you can say things like "My speaking is getting better" where speaking functions as a noun. However, in Spanish gerunds don't work as nouns.
So, you either use an infinitive verb or a noun (an actual noun, not a verb that has been nominalized)
For instance, you could say:
Estoy mejorando mi escucha. - I'm improving my listening
Su habla/dicción ha mejorado. - Your speaking has improved
Habla, dicción, escucha are nouns.
Here is an example with the infinitive:
Smoking is bad - Fumar es malo
Listening to music relaxes me - Escuchar música me relaja

I appreciate this answer. "Habla, dicción, escucha are nouns." Do all verbs have noun forms, or just certain ones? - AndaBien, Apr 12, 2016

No, not all of them. So you can use the infinitive when you can't find a noun. - Gabo77, Apr 12, 2016

You are not a beginner in written English, amigo! Very good answer! - Jubilado, Apr 12, 2016

Thank you Jubilado! - Gabo77, Apr 12, 2016