{"id":3153,"date":"2021-08-31T15:39:23","date_gmt":"2021-08-31T19:39:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/contextos\/?p=3153"},"modified":"2023-08-13T14:02:59","modified_gmt":"2023-08-13T18:02:59","slug":"el-gerundio-y-el-infinitivo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/contextos\/el-gerundio-y-el-infinitivo\/","title":{"rendered":"El gerundio y el infinitivo"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Gerund or Infinitive?<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

El gerundio de los verbos se forma construyendo las terminaciones del infinitivo \u2013ar<\/span><\/strong> por \u2013ando<\/span><\/strong> y \u2013er<\/span><\/strong> \/ -ir<\/span><\/strong> por \u2013iendo<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"unidad-9-ando-iendo\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Los verbos irregulares en \u2013ir<\/span><\/strong> (dormir, servir, venir, decir\u2026)<\/em> y poder<\/em> tienen la misma vocal en el gerundio (en la ra\u00edz del verbo) que en la tercera persona del pret\u00e9rito.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0\"unidad-9-infinitive-preterito-gerund\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Important to remember!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

El gerundio no se usa nunca:<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u25ca<\/span> <\/b>Despu\u00e9s\u00a0de una preposici\u00f3n<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nos castigaron por ser<\/span> maleducados.<\/strong><\/p>\n

They punished us for being impolite<\/span><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u25ca<\/span> <\/strong>Ni como sujeto o complemento (atributo) de una oraci\u00f3n.<\/p>\n

\u00a0(2)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Perdonar<\/span> es divino \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

To forgive is divine<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ver<\/span> es creer\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Seeing is believing.<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u25ca<\/span> <\/strong>Ni como adjetivo<\/p>\n

\u00a0(4)<\/strong><\/p>\n

El ni\u00f1o que llora<\/span>, la vaca que r\u00ede<\/span>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The crying baby, the laughing cow<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Gerunds or infinitives?<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

In Spanish, we do not use GERUNDS as NOUNS, as in English, so they cannot be the subject of a sentence. Take a look at the following English expressions:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(5) <\/strong><\/p>\n

Smoking is harmful for your health<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

El fumar<\/span> es perjudicial para la salud.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

(6)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Smoking is forbidden<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Se prohibe fumar.<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Note:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The following sentences are incorrect:<\/span><\/p>\n

(7)<\/strong><\/p>\n

* Fumando<\/del> es perjudicial para la salud<\/em><\/p>\n

(8)<\/strong><\/p>\n

* Fumando<\/del> est\u00e1 prohibido<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yet, you may have come across the ending \u2013endo<\/em><\/strong> y \u2013ando<\/em> at the beginning of a sentence<\/strong>. This does not mean the word ending in \u2013ando<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0 or \u2013endo<\/em><\/strong> is the NOUN, but rather they are participial phrases (they act as verbs).\u00a0 Let us consider, for example:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(9)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Going to<\/span><\/em><\/strong> the game, they had an accident.<\/p>\n

(Participial phrase meaning \u201cWhile they were going to the game\u2026\u201d= Ellipsis of a Temporal Expression).<\/p>\n

\u00a0Translation:<\/p>\n

(10)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yendo al\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/strong>partido, tuvieron un accidente.<\/p>\n

(<\/strong>Meaning: Mientras que iban\/ estaban yendo al partido\u2026<\/em>)<\/p>\n

(11)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Being<\/span><\/strong> able to win<\/em>, <\/strong>they went to the finals.<\/p>\n

(<\/strong>Meaning: <\/strong>As they were able to win\u2026=<\/em> REASON)<\/p>\n

Translation:<\/p>\n

(12)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Habiendo podido<\/em><\/span><\/strong> ganar, fueron a las finales.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

al + infinitive & using the gerund as an adverb<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

BY+ ING= In English<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n

The structure “by + gerund”<\/em> in English indicates METHOD. <\/strong>It\u00a0answers the questions HOW\u2026? <\/strong>and it is equivalent in Spanish to the construction “al + infinitive”.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0(13)<\/strong><\/p>\n

By listening in class, you learn a lot.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Al escuchar<\/strong><\/span> en clases, aprendes mucho.<\/em><\/p>\n

However, Spanish also allows for a gerund to occur in this construction\u00a0as in:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(16)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Escuch<\/span>ando<\/strong><\/span> en clases, aprendes mucho.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Verbs followed by\u00a0\u2013ando or\u00a0\u2013iendo (gerunds)<\/span><\/h4>\n

\"unidad-9-verbs-ando\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(17)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Los turistas ruidosos se lo pasan hablando<\/strong><\/span> y no escuchan al gu\u00eda.<\/p>\n

The noisy tourists keep talking and do not listen to the guide.<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

(18)<\/strong><\/p>\n

El viajero pasa bastante tiempo planeando<\/span><\/strong> su itinerario.<\/p>\n

The traveler spends considerable time planning his itinerary.<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

(19)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Continuemos caminando<\/span><\/strong> para que no nos sorprenda la noche.<\/p>\n

Let’s continue walking so that we avoid traveling at night<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

(20)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sigue leyendo<\/span><\/strong> las direcciones de c\u00f3mo llegar m\u00e1s r\u00e1pido a destino.<\/p>\n

Go on reading the directions about how to get faster to our destination<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0More verbs followed by -ando\/ -iendo<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"unidad-9-verbs-ando-2\"<\/em><\/p>\n

(21)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Al o\u00edr la noticia, Alicia sali\u00f3 gritando<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

When she heard the news, Alicia left the room shouting<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

(22)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nadie sab\u00eda qu\u00e9 le pasaba. Entr\u00f3 llorando<\/span><\/strong> a la sala.<\/p>\n

Nobody knew what was going on. She entered the room \u00a0crying<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0(23)<\/strong><\/p>\n

De a poco el ni\u00f1o, ir\u00e1 aprendiendo<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Little by little the boy will be learning new things.<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

(24)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Las costumbres van cambiando<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Customs go changing<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

(25)<\/strong><\/p>\n

En los viajes me divierto bailando<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

On the trips I have fun dancing<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Me divierto <\/span>viendo<\/span> a la gente<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have fun watching people<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Se divierte haciendo<\/strong><\/span> re\u00edr a la gente<\/p>\n

She has fun making people laugh.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

andar + -ando\/-iendo<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

\u00a0(26)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ellos andan quej\u00e1ndose<\/strong><\/span> por all\u00ed.<\/em><\/p>\n

They go complaining\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Rodrigo anda buscando<\/strong><\/span> la llave y no la encuentra<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Rodrigo goes looking for the key and does not find it.<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

PR\u00c1CTICA<\/p>\n

Escoge la forma verbal m\u00e1s apropiada:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Considero que