Spanish: An Essential Grammar

This use of the gerund is only available in the case of action verbs. With

other verbs, a relative clause must be used:

un libro que describe su viaje a través de la selva(not ×un

libro describiendo su viaje a través de la selva×)

a book describing his journey through the jungle

Notes:

1 This usage is common in official language: Publicaron un comunicado pidiendo

la paz ‘They published a communiqué asking for peace’.

2 It is also found in captions to images in the press: el primer ministro besando a

un bebé ‘the Prime Minister kissing a baby’.

Gerund with certain verbs

With a small number of verbs the gerund construction has an unpredictable

meaning. These cases are best learned separately.

Ir and andar + gerund

In this construction both ir ‘to go’ andandar ‘to walk’ can have a literal

sense, in which case they convey the idea of ‘going about’ performing some

action. Andar + gerund may sound dismissive, disparaging or critical:

Iba cantando por las calles. He went singing through the

streets.

Ese chico anda diciendo That boy goes around

tonterías. talking nonsense.

However, ir in this construction frequently loses its usual meaning as a verb

of motion and instead stresses gradual and sometimes slow progression or

repetition:

Ve echando monedas. Keep putting coins in.

La población del pueblo fue The village’s population

reduciéndose. declined.

Venir + gerund

This combination commonly expresses what someone ‘has/had been doing’

or what ‘has/had been happening’:

18.4.2

18.4.1

18.4

1111

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

1011

1

12111

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

20111

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

30111

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

40

41111

Gerund with

certain verbs

199