LEARNING ZONE LANGUAGES: Spanish Verbal Periphrasis With Gerund

Verbal periphrasis with the gerund is a fundamental aspect of the Spanish language. It involves the combination of a conjugated verb (such as estar, ir, or seguir) with a gerund form (-ando or -iendo) to express ongoing actions or continuous states. Let's dive into a lesson on this topic. Verbal periphrasis with the gerund is used to convey actions that are in progress or ongoing. It's important to understand the structure and usage of this construction.

Here's how it works:

Structure:

Conjugated verb (estar, ir, or seguir) + Gerund (-ando or -iendo)

Usage:

Estar + Gerund

This combination is used to express an action that is happening in the present moment.

For example:

Estoy estudiando (I am studying).

Ir + Gerund

This combination suggests that the action is gradually progressing or about to happen.

For example:

Voy caminando (I am walking).

Seguir + Gerund

This combination indicates that the action is continuing or persisting.

For example:

Sigue lloviendo (It keeps raining).

Verbal periphrasis with the gerund is often used to describe ongoing activities, habits, or temporary situations.The gerund form (-ando or -iendo) agrees in gender and number with the subject when estar is used.

Estoy estudiando (I am studying)

Estamos estudiando (We are studying).

The gerund form remains unchanged when ir or seguir are used:

Voy caminando (I am walking)

Vamos caminando (We are walking).

Examples:

Estoy comiendo (I am eating).

Vamos aprendiendo (We are learning).

Sigue luchando (He/She keeps fighting).