The Animated Book
of SpanishGrammar Reference

The Spanish Gerund

Adapted from The Animated Book of Spanish, an interactive Spanish grammar book.

The gerund (el gerundio) is the ‑ando or -iendo form of a verb: hablando, comiendo. It's roughly the English “‑ing” form (like talking and eating), but Spanish uses it in fewer places.
How to form the gerund: hablar becomes hablando, comer becomes comiendo, vivir becomes viviendo
Subject-AR verbs: hablar-ER verbs: comer-IR verbs: vivir
Verbhablarcomervivir
Ending‑ando‑iendo‑iendo
Gerundhablandocomiendoviviendo

Drop the ‑ar, ‑er, or ‑ir and add ‑ando (for ‑ar verbs) or ‑iendo (for ‑er and ‑ir verbs). The gerund isn't a conjugation like verb tenses - it never changes to match the subject.

On this page

Irregular gerunds

Most irregular gerunds follow one of three simple patterns. Only two verbs are true one-offs.

i to y

When the stem ends in a vowel, the i of ‑iendo becomes a y.

  • leyendoleer · to read
  • creyendocreer · to believe
  • oyendooír · to hear
  • trayendotraer · to bring
  • cayendocaer · to fall
  • construyendoconstruir · to build

  • ¿Qué estás leyendo?

    What are you reading?

  • Los niños están construyendo un castillo de arena.

    The kids are building a sandcastle.

e to i

Stem-changing ‑ir verbs with an e in the stem change it to i, the same way they do in the preterite (pidió).

  • pidiendopedir · to ask for
  • diciendodecir · to say, tell
  • viniendovenir · to come
  • sintiendosentir · to feel
  • siguiendoseguir · to follow, keep going
  • sirviendoservir · to serve

  • ¿Qué me estás diciendo?

    What are you telling me?

  • Estoy pidiendo una pizza.

    I’m ordering a pizza.

o to u

This one really only applies to two verbs: dormir and morir.

  • durmiendodormir · to sleep
  • muriendomorir · to die

  • El bebé está durmiendo.

    The baby is sleeping.

  • Me estoy muriendo de hambre.

    I’m starving.

Two one-offs

Ir and poder don’t follow either pattern.

  • yendoir · to go
  • pudiendopoder · to be able to

  • Yendo al trabajo, vi un accidente.

    On my way to work, I saw an accident.

  • Pudiendo elegir, prefiero la playa.

    Given the choice, I’d rather go to the beach.

Pronouns and accents

Object and reflexive pronouns attach to the end of the gerund. When they do, the gerund takes a written accent so the stress stays where it was: diciendo → diciéndolo.

  • Viéndolo así, tienes razón.

    Looking at it that way, you’re right.

  • Aprendí mucho escuchándote.

    I learned a lot listening to you.

When the gerund follows another verb, like estar or seguir, the pronoun can also go before that verb. Both are correct:

  • Lo estoy leyendo.

    orEstoy leyéndolo.

    I’m reading it.

  • Me sigue llamando.

    orSigue llamándome.

    He keeps calling me.

The gerund in the progressive

The most common use of the gerund is with estar, for an action in progress. It works with estar in any tense.

  • Estoy trabajando.

    I’m working.

  • Estaba durmiendo cuando llamaste.

    I was sleeping when you called.

  • ¿Qué estarás haciendo mañana a esta hora?

    What will you be doing this time tomorrow?

For how the progressive works, and when to use it instead of the simple present, see the progressive.

The gerund with other verbs

A handful of other verbs combine with the gerund, and each one adds its own meaning.

  1. Seguir / continuar: keep doing

    An action that continues, often for longer than you’d expect.

    • Sigo trabajando en el mismo sitio.

      I’m still working at the same place.

    • Continuó hablando durante una hora.

      He kept talking for an hour.

  2. Llevar + time: have been doing

    How long something has been going on, up to now.

    • Llevo dos años estudiando español.

      I’ve been studying Spanish for two years.

    • ¿Cuánto tiempo llevas esperando?

      How long have you been waiting?

  3. Ir: little by little

    Something happening gradually.

    • Voy entendiendo más cada día.

      I understand a little more every day.

    • Poco a poco, fue mejorando.

      Little by little, he got better.

  4. Andar: going around doing

    Something someone keeps doing here and there, often with a hint of disapproval.

    • Anda diciendo que se va a mudar.

      She’s going around saying she’s moving.

    • ¿Qué andas buscando?

      What are you looking for?

  5. Pasar + time: spend time doing

    What someone spent a stretch of time doing.

    • Pasé el día limpiando.

      I spent the day cleaning.

    • Nos pasamos la noche hablando.

      We spent the whole night talking.

  6. Terminar / acabar: end up doing

    How something ended up, often not as planned.

    • Terminé comprándolo.

      I ended up buying it.

    • Acabamos cenando en casa.

      We ended up having dinner at home.

The gerund on its own

Without another verb, the gerund says how or when something happens.

  1. How: by doing

    The way something is done.

    • Aprendí español viendo series.

      I learned Spanish by watching TV shows.

    • Se gana la vida enseñando inglés.

      She makes a living teaching English.

  2. When: while doing

    Something that was going on at the same time.

    • Caminando a casa, vi a Ana.

      While walking home, I saw Ana.

    • Me corté cocinando.

      I cut myself cooking.

When not to use the gerund

English uses “‑ing” in many places where Spanish doesn't use the gerund. These are the big ones.

  1. “‑ing” as a noun: use the infinitive

    When “‑ing” names an activity, as the subject or object of the sentence, Spanish uses the infinitive.

    • Nadar es divertido.

      Swimming is fun.

    • Me encanta cocinar.

      I love cooking.

  2. After a preposition: use the infinitive

    After words like antes de, después de, para, and sin.

    • Lávate las manos antes de comer.

      Wash your hands before eating.

    • Gracias por venir.

      Thanks for coming.

  3. Describing a noun: use an adjective

    Spanish rarely uses the gerund to describe a noun.

    • Hay un bebé dormido en el sofá.

      There’s a sleeping baby on the sofa.

    • Fue una película muy aburrida.

      It was a really boring movie.

Common mistakes English speakers make

  1. Using the gerund as a noun

    Incorrect:Nadando es divertido.
    Correct:Nadar es divertido.

    When ‑ing names an activity, Spanish uses the infinitive, not the gerund.

  2. Using the gerund after a preposition

    Incorrect:Antes de saliendo, apaga la luz.
    Correct:Antes de salir, apaga la luz.

    After a preposition like antes de, para, or sin, always use the infinitive.

  3. Using the gerund after gustar

    Incorrect:Me gusta cocinando.
    Correct:Me gusta cocinar.

    I like cooking uses the infinitive in Spanish. The same goes for encantar, odiar, and preferir.

  4. Forgetting the y

    Incorrect:Estoy leiendo un libro.
    Correct:Estoy leyendo un libro.

    When the stem ends in a vowel, ‑iendo becomes ‑yendo.

  5. Forgetting the stem change

    Incorrect:El bebé está dormiendo.
    Correct:El bebé está durmiendo.

    Stem-changing ‑ir verbs change in the gerund too: o → u in durmiendo, e → i in pidiendo.

  6. Forgetting the accent

    Incorrect:Viendolo así, tienes razón.
    Correct:Viéndolo así, tienes razón.

    When a pronoun attaches, the gerund takes a written accent to keep the stress in the same place.

Questions about the gerund

What is the gerund in Spanish?

The -ando / -iendo form of a verb: hablando, comiendo, viviendo. It's used for actions in progress (estoy hablando), with verbs like seguir and llevar, and on its own to say how or when something happens. Unlike English "-ing," it's never used as a noun.

Can the Spanish gerund be used as a noun?

No. Where English uses "-ing" as a noun, Spanish uses the infinitive: "Swimming is fun" is Nadar es divertido, and "I love cooking" is Me encanta cocinar.

How do you say "keep doing" in Spanish?

Use seguir + gerund: Sigo trabajando ("I keep working" or "I'm still working"). Continuar works the same way.

How do you say "have been doing" in Spanish?

Use llevar + a length of time + gerund: Llevo dos años estudiando español ("I've been studying Spanish for two years"). You can also say Estudio español desde hace dos años.

Next upThe progressiveEstar + gerund for what’s happening right now.

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