Gerunds: English vs. Spanish

The Great Gerund Divide — Discussion

Elena, a university student from Mexico City, is studying English with her American friend, Ben.

Elena (MX): Ben, I'm confused about the “-ing” form in English. Sometimes it means an action in progress, like “I am studying,” which is Estoy estudiando. But other times, it acts like a noun, like in “Reading is good for you.” In Spanish, we use the infinitive (leer) for the noun: Leer es bueno para ti. Why the difference?

Ben (US): That’s a brilliant observation, Elena! You’ve hit on the key difference. In English, the V-ing form—the gerund—is incredibly versatile. It functions as a noun. The rule is simple: if it's acting as a subject or an object, or if it follows a preposition, English uses the gerund (-ing).

Elena (MX): Okay, let's break that down. Can you give me an example where it’s the object of the sentence?

Ben (US): Sure. “I enjoy cooking.” Here, cooking is the thing I enjoy—the object. In Spanish, you would use the infinitive again: Yo disfruto cocinar. If I said Yo disfruto cocinando, that means “I enjoy while cooking,” which is a subtle shift.

Elena (MX): I see! So the Spanish gerund (-ando/-iendo) is almost always limited to actions that are currently happening, or actions that happen while another action is occurring, right? For example: Ella está hablando (She is talking), or Aprendo escuchando (I learn by listening).

Ben (US): Exactly. In English, you use the V-ing after a preposition for an activity. Try translating: “Thank you for helping me.”

Elena (MX): In Spanish, we use the infinitive after the preposition: Gracias por ayudarme. If I used the Spanish gerund, Gracias por ayudándome, it would be incorrect!

Ben (US): Precisely! Spanish reserves its gerund for ongoing actions. English treats the gerund as a word that used to be a verb but has changed jobs to become a noun. So, remember the three places English demands the gerund where Spanish uses the infinitive:

  1. As the Subject (e.g., “Writing is difficult.”)
  2. After a Preposition (e.g., “Good at drawing.”)
  3. As the Object after certain verbs (e.g., “I quit smoking.”)

Guided Practice Dialogue — Gerunds in Context

Read the dialogue below, focusing on the gerunds and infinitives used by each speaker.

Ben (US): I’m thinking about joining a new sports club.
Elena (MX): Oh, really? Which one? Exercising in a group is motivating.
Ben (US): I’m debating trying judo or maybe just going back to the gym.
Elena (MX): Judo sounds fun! I always recommend hacer (to do) something physical. I’m thinking of running a marathon next year. Right now, I estoy entrenando (am training) hard.
Ben (US): Wow, running a marathon is a big commitment! I am not good at correr (running) long distances.

In Spanish, hacer (to do) and correr (to run) are infinitives acting as nouns or after prepositions, while entrenando is the gerund used for a continuous action.

Knowledge Check (10 Questions)

1) In the English sentence “Swimming is my favorite sport,” the word “Swimming” functions as a(n):


2) How would the English sentence “I am thinking about traveling” be correctly translated into Spanish?


3) True or False: The Spanish gerund (-ando/-iendo) is typically used as a subject in a sentence. —
4) True or False: In English, the gerund (-ing) is necessary immediately following a preposition. —

5) Which verb form does Spanish use in the sentence: “Dormir es bueno para ti. ( Sleeping is good for you. )”?


6) (Fill in) Complete the English sentence with the correct Gerund form: “I stopped ________ (eat) junk food.”
7) (Fill in) Translate the verb in parentheses to Spanish Infinitive: “Learning English is important” → “ inglés es importante.”
8) (Fill in) What part of speech must be followed by a gerund in English, but an infinitive in Spanish? A ________.

9) Which example uses the gerund to express an ongoing action (the use shared by both English and Spanish)?


10) Which of these sentences is impossible to translate using the Spanish gerund (-ando/-iendo) as a noun?