All the USES of the GERUNDIO in Spanish

The gerund is a non-conjugated verb form that we seldom stop to ask what its use is and what functions it performs. How should I use it or how does it differ from the other forms of the verb, as well as conjugations and modes? Don't worry, the answer to these questions is actually much simpler than it may seem, and That is why in a Professor we have encouraged ourselves to develop a brief, but complete article on the use of the gerund in Spanish. Arreando, which is a gerund!

In the same way that it happens with the infinitive and participle, the gerund is an unconjugated form that verbs can adopt. This means that gerund verbs they do not conjugate, so they do not change depending on the mode, time, gender or number.

In summary, the gerund verb is always the same way (to eat: eating, to sing: singing, etc.) and when it fulfills its function as a verb, it usually does so within a verbal periphrase (remember that verbal periphrasis are the result of the fusion of two verbs that do the work of one only).

In this case, the gerund verb, not being conjugated, is not taken as the main verb, but this role would be adopted by the verb that accompanies it (I was running, for instance).

Examples of the use of the gerund in verbal periphrasis

Within the verbal periphrasis With gerund in Spanish we have a very wide range of possibilities with their own and added meanings, so here we can only see a few:

• Finish + gerund: It refers to a consequence that happens after a certain or indeterminate period: “We always discuss where to have dinner for hours and in the end we always we ended up going to the same place ”.
• Carry + gerund: An action that continues in the present from the past (follow + gerund has a somewhat similar meaning, but with some differentiating nuance): “I've been cleaning the house all week ”.
• Present progressive, durative or continuous: An action that is happening in the present and is not over yet: “Wait a bit, is ending their duties".
• Follow + gerund: In the same way that we saw with "carry", the verb "follow" can be used together with the gerund to emphasize the durability of an action in the present or at some specific moment in the past: “I called you in the afternoon for yet I kept working”.
• Stay + gerund: This form underlines the persistence of the action for a considerable time: “I wanted to see more works, but I i kept looking his painting for hours ”.

Let's not forget that adverbs They are the elements that complement certain members of the sentence, be it the verb, adjective or other parts. Thus, within this extensive group of words we have some such as: very, there, well, yes, neither, etc.

And far from being only used within verbal periphrasis, as we will see below, gerunds can also appear as adverbs of different types. With this, in what follows we will see 6 ways in which a gerund can appear fulfilling the function of an adverb:

Gerund of mode

Answering the question "how?" or "in what way?"

A: How do I introduce myself?

B: Saluting and smiling.

Address gerund

As its name suggests, this type of gerund refers to a location or address. As may be obvious, this adverbial characteristic is answered by the questions "where?" or "where?":

The store is going the theater and folding the corner.

Temporary gerund

In this case, the gerund could also be considered as a circumstantial complement of time, but we believe it is more appropriate to include this use of the gerund within the adverbial modality. Of course, in this case we answer the question "when?"

The wound was made in a hurry by the mount.

Causal gerund

In this use, the gerund appears as the cause or motive of a specific situation or effect. That is why, in this case, we try to answer the question "why?"

Being so high, he had to duck as he entered.

Conditional gerund

When expressing this gerund a condition, it could be easily replaced by a conditional subordinate clause. That is, a sentence that complements another by adding a specific value that develops a condition as a result of the main one. Normally this type of sentence is introduced by the word "If ...".

Walking so slow we won't get there on time. (If we walk so slow we will not arrive on time).

Concessive gerund

This gerund implies an opposition or negation. It can be replaced by "despite", "by more than" or "although"

Even estudying it is very difficult to pass the exam.

In addition to what we have just seen, the gerund in Spanish can also be used at different times. Here we leave you two of the most common uses.

Consecutive gerund

As a result of a specific action, a consequence or reward is reached. In this situation, the gerund can be used to express the consequence of the action. "So that?" would be the ideal question we should ask to recognize this type of gerund.

They sold the record everywhere getting reach the top.

Elliptical gerund

It is true that this type of action is completely outside the adverbial use of the gerund. But, this case is also widely used in the Spanish language. The elliptical gerund is used as a result of an ellipsis of content in a sentence. That is, with a deletion of words that could be understood:

A: How did you spend the summer?

B: Working. (I did not have vacations and I was working all summer).

A: And what do you do?

B: Well nothing. Cleaning. (I'm cleaning the house).