Irregular Gerunds and the Progressives
Practice the -yendo spelling change, -ir stem-changing gerunds, and progressive constructions with estar and other auxiliaries.
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Questions Covered in This Set
10 cards to master
Gerund of leer (and why)
leyendo — unaccented i between vowels becomes y (-iendo → -yendo)
Gerunds of oír, traer, caer, construir
oyendo, trayendo, cayendo, construyendo
What happens to the i after a stem ending in ñ or ll?
It is swallowed: gruñir → gruñendo, bullir → bullendo, reñir → riñendo
Which verbs stem-change in the gerund?
Only -ir verbs — exactly those that stem-change in the 3rd-person preterite (e→i, o→u). Poder → pudiendo is the lone -er outlier.
Gerunds of decir, pedir, servir, seguir, venir
diciendo, pidiendo, sirviendo, siguiendo, viniendo
Gerunds of dormir, morir, poder
durmiendo, muriendo, pudiendo (o→u)
Do -ar and -er stem-changers change in the gerund?
No: pensar → pensando, volver → volviendo, querer → queriendo, jugar → jugando
Meanings of seguir / ir / venir / llevar + gerundio
seguir = keep on doing; ir = gradual progress; venir = accumulating from the past; llevar + time = duration ('llevo dos horas esperando')
Why does 'diciéndoselo' carry an accent?
Attaching pronouns adds syllables, so a written accent marks the original stressed vowel (-cien-)
Two things Spanish never uses the gerund for
As a noun/after a preposition (antes de salir) and as an adjective (una caja que contiene libros) — agua hirviendo is a rare exception
