Gerund and main verb with different subjects
In the examples above, the subject of the gerund is also the subject of the
main verb. For example, Antonioin Antonio contestó sonriendo is the
subject of both contestarand sonreír.
However, the gerund and the main verb can have different subjects. This
is particularly common with perception verbs and verbs of depicting, visu-
alizing or encountering.
In this case, the subject of the gerund is also the direct object of the main
verb:
La vi bailando con Paco. I saw her dancing with Paco.
Lo recuerdo jugando al I remember him playing football.
fútbol.
Sorprendimos a Pilar We caught Pilar smoking.
fumando.
Similarly used are:
describir to describe imaginar to imagine
fotografiar to photograph mostrar to show
mirar to look at/watch pintar to paint
Notes:
1 If necessary the gerund’s subject can be explicitly mentioned. This pattern often
corresponds to an English phrase introduced by ‘with’: Es difícil quedar, viviendo
ellos tan lejos‘It’s difficult to meet up, with them living so far away’.
2 An infinitive is commonly used after the preterite of ver‘to see’ to indicate that
a past action is complete: compare Lo vi tirar unas piedras‘I saw him throw
some stones’ and Lo vi tirando piedras ‘I saw him throwing stones’.
3 Venir‘to come’ and ir‘to go’ are generally used in the infinitive rather than the
gerund: Lo miramos venir hacia nosotros ‘We watched him come towards us’.Gerund in place of a relative clause
The gerund is increasingly accepted in informal speech and writing to
modify or qualify a noun, in place of a relative clause. The latter, however,
remains the most widely accepted and the safer option for foreign learners:
Un coche circulando a la izquierda sería parado casi
inmediatamente.
A car being driven on the left-hand side would be stopped almost
immediately.18.3
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Uses of the
gerund