Regular -IR Verb Gerunds

Regular -IR verbs form the smallest of the three main verb groups 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 -IR verb:

1. Remove the -ir ending from the infinitive
2. Add -iendo to the resulting stem

The formula can be expressed as: [verb stem] + iendo = gerund

Examples

Here are some common regular -IR verbs and their gerund forms:

1. vivir (to live) → viviendo (living)
2. escribir (to write) → escribiendo (writing)
3. recibir (to receive) → recibiendo (receiving)
4. abrir (to open) → abriendo (opening)
5. decidir (to decide) → decidiendo (deciding)
6. sufrir (to suffer) → sufriendo (suffering)
7. permitir (to permit) → permitiendo (permitting)
8. discutir (to discuss) → discutiendo (discussing)
9. cumplir (to fulfill) → cumpliendo (fulfilling)
10. existir (to exist) → existiendo (existing)

Usage in Context

Regular -IR verb gerunds are used in various contexts:

1. In progressive tenses:
   • Estoy viviendo en Madrid. (I am living in Madrid.)
   • Estaba escribiendo una carta cuando me llamaste. (I was writing a letter when you called me.)
2. To express simultaneous actions:
   • Salió de la oficina sonriendo. (He left the office smiling.)
3. To describe how an action is performed:
   • Aprendió inglés escribiendo un diario todos los días. (She learned English by writing a diary every day.)
4. As adverbial phrases:
   • Entró en la sala discutiendo por teléfono. (He entered the room discussing on the phone.)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Don’t confuse -IR verb gerunds with -ER verb gerunds (they follow the same pattern):
   • Incorrect: Estoy vivendo en España.
   • Correct: Estoy viviendo en España. (I am living in Spain.)
2. Be aware that some -IR verbs have irregular gerunds or stem changes (not covered in this article):
   • For example: dormir → durmiendo (not “dormiendo”)
3. Remember that unlike in English, Spanish doesn’t use gerunds after prepositions:
   • Incorrect: Estoy pensando en abriendo una tienda.
   • Correct: Estoy pensando en abrir una tienda. (I am thinking about opening a store.)

By mastering the formation and use of regular -IR verb gerunds, you’ll be able to express ongoing actions more fluently and accurately in Spanish, complementing your knowledge of -AR and -ER verb gerunds.