Gerund: -ar → -ando, -er / -ir → -iendo; after a vowel → -yendo (leer → leyendo, oír → oyendo, ir → yendo). -ir verbs with a stem change take i / u: pedir → pidiendo, decir → diciendo, venir → viniendo, dormir → durmiendo. It never changes.
Unlike English “-ing”, the gerund is never a noun or an adjective: Fumar es malo (not “fumando”). — Smoking is bad.
| phrase | meaning | example |
|---|---|---|
| estar + gerund | be doing | Estoy leyendo. — I'm reading. |
| ir a + infinitive | be going to | Voy a llamar a Ana. — I'm going to call Ana. |
| acabar de + inf. | have just | Acabo de llegar. — I've just arrived. |
| volver a + inf. | again | Volvió a llamar. — He called again. |
| llevar + time + gerund | have been doing for | Llevo dos años viviendo aquí. — I've been living here for two years. |
| seguir + gerund | keep on, still | Sigue lloviendo. — It's still raining. |
| dejar de + inf. | stop | He dejado de fumar. — I've stopped smoking. |
| empezar a / ponerse a + inf. | start | Se puso a llorar. — He started crying. |
| tener que + inf. | have to | Tengo que irme. — I have to go. |
| hay que + inf. | one must (in general) | Hay que reservar. — You need to book. |
| deber + inf. / deber de + inf. | should / must (probability) | Debes descansar. Debe de ser caro. — You should rest. It must be expensive. |
| soler + inf. | usually | Suelo cenar a las nueve. — I usually have dinner at nine. |
hace + time = ago: Llegué hace tres días. — I arrived three days ago. “Have been … for” uses the present in Spanish, three ways: Vivo aquí desde hace dos años = Hace dos años que vivo aquí = Llevo dos años viviendo aquí. — I've been living here for two years. With a date: desde 2020 (since 2020).
Translate the words from your reading, review them as flashcards and practise with gap-fill sentences.
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