Regular -AR verbs form the largest and most common group of verbs in Spanish. Understanding how to form their gerunds is crucial for expressing ongoing actions and creating progressive tenses.
Formation Rule
To form the gerund of a regular -AR verb:
- Remove the -ar ending from the infinitive
- Add -ando to the resulting stem
The formula can be expressed as: [verb stem] + ando = gerund
Examples
Here are some common regular -AR verbs and their gerund forms:
- hablar (to speak) → hablando (speaking)
- caminar (to walk) → caminando (walking)
- trabajar (to work) → trabajando (working)
- estudiar (to study) → estudiando (studying)
- cantar (to sing) → cantando (singing)
- bailar (to dance) → bailando (dancing)
- mirar (to look/watch) → mirando (looking/watching)
- escuchar (to listen) → escuchando (listening)
- cocinar (to cook) → cocinando (cooking)
- comprar (to buy) → comprando (buying)
Usage in Context
Regular -AR verb gerunds are used in various contexts:
- In progressive tenses:
- Estoy hablando por teléfono. (I am speaking on the phone.)
- Estaba caminando cuando empezó a llover. (I was walking when it started to rain.)
- To express simultaneous actions:
- Salió de la casa cantando. (He left the house singing.)
- To describe how an action is performed:
- Aprendió inglés estudiando todos los días. (He learned English by studying every day.)
- As adverbial phrases:
- Llegó a la fiesta bailando. (He arrived at the party dancing.)
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Don’t confuse gerunds with infinitives:
- Incorrect: Estoy hablar con mi amigo.
- Correct: Estoy hablando con mi amigo. (I am speaking with my friend.)
- Remember that unlike in English, Spanish doesn’t use gerunds after prepositions:
- Incorrect: Estoy interesado en comprando un coche.
- Correct: Estoy interesado en comprar un coche. (I am interested in buying a car.)
By mastering the formation and use of regular -AR verb gerunds, you’ll be able to express ongoing actions more fluently and accurately in Spanish.