Another Use for the Gerund

The Spanish verb form that ends in -ando or -iendo is known as the verbal present participle or gerund. Most of the time, it's combined with a form of estar to form what's known as a progressive verb form. For example, you may have seen a sentence such as "Está durmiendo" for "he is sleeping."

But Spanish gerunds don't have to used with estar. In fact, they can follow (and, rarely, precede) almost any verb describe its action, as our newest lesson explains.