Topics
IntermediateGerunds & Non-Finite Verbs
How Spanish, English and Chinese express actions without finite verb inflection.
Compare languages
English has a rich system of -ing forms (gerunds and participles). Spanish uses the infinitive and the -ndo form. Chinese uses verb serialization and aspect markers instead of non-finite forms.
Overview
Non-finite verbs are verb forms that do not show tense, person, or number.
- Spanish: Uses the infinitive (-ar/-er/-ir) for most non-finite functions. The gerund (-ando/-iendo) is used for progressive aspect and some adjuncts. No separate form like English -ing.
- English: Uses -ing forms extensively — as gerunds (nouns), present participles (progressive), and adjectives. Also uses the infinitive (to + verb).
- Chinese: Has no infinitive or gerund morphology. Verbs are used directly. Aspect markers (在, 了, 过) and result complements add temporal meaning.
Spanish
Infinitive
The infinitive is the default non-finite form in Spanish:
As subject:
- Nadar es saludable. (Swimming is healthy.)
- Fumar es malo. (Smoking is bad.)
- Estudiar requiere paciencia. (Studying requires patience.)
As object of verb:
- Quiero ir. (I want to go.)
- Debes estudiar. (You must study.)
- Prefiero cantar. (I prefer to sing.)
- Me gusta bailar. (I like dancing.)
After preposition:
- antes de comer (before eating)
- después de llegar (after arriving)
- sin decir nada (without saying anything)
- para ayudarte (to help you)
- al entrar (upon entering)
Gerund (-ando / -iendo)
The Spanish gerund is used for:
Progressive aspect (with estar):
- Estoy comiendo. (I am eating.)
- Estaba leyendo. (I was reading.)
- Están durmiendo. (They are sleeping.)
Simultaneous action:
- Se fue cantando. (He left singing.)
- Llegó corriendo. (He arrived running.)
Manner:
- Habla gritando. (He speaks shouting.)
Cause:
- Estando enfermo, no pudo venir. (Being sick, he couldn’t come.)
Not a noun
Unlike English, the Spanish gerund is never a noun:
- ❌ El fumando es malo. (WRONG)
- ✅ El fumar es malo. (The infinitive is used.)
Irregular gerunds
| Verb | Gerund |
|---|---|
| dormir | durmiendo |
| morir | muriendo |
| pedir | pidiendo |
| servir | sirviendo |
| vestir | vistiendo |
| sentir | sintiendo |
| reír | riendo |
| sonreír | sonriendo |
| ir | yendo |
| venir | viniendo |
| decir | diciendo |
| poder | pudiendo |
Infinitive vs gerund with perception verbs
| Structure | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Lo vi hacer algo. | I saw him do something. (completed) |
| Lo vi haciendo algo. | I saw him doing something. (in progress) |
English
Gerund (-ing as noun)
The gerund functions as a noun:
As subject:
- Swimming is healthy.
- Reading is fun.
- Learning languages takes time.
As object:
- I enjoy swimming.
- She hates waiting.
- He admitted stealing the money.
After preposition:
- interested in learning
- good at swimming
- tired of waiting
- afraid of flying
- instead of eating
- without saying anything
Present participle (-ing as adjective/progressive)
Progressive aspect:
- I am eating.
- She was reading.
- They are sleeping.
Adjectival:
- a swimming pool
- a sleeping child
- a running joke
- boring vs bored
Verbal noun vs common noun
| Gerund (verbal) | Common noun |
|---|---|
| No smoking is allowed. | There is no smoke. |
| I enjoy swimming. | I went for a swim. |
| Running is hard. | I went for a run. |
Infinitive (to + verb)
After certain verbs:
- I want to go.
- She decided to leave.
- He promised to help.
After adjectives:
- It’s important to study.
- I’m happy to see you.
Purpose:
- I came to help.
- This is to inform you.
Gerund vs infinitive after verbs
Some verbs change meaning:
| Verb + gerund | Verb + infinitive |
|---|---|
| I stopped smoking. (I quit.) | I stopped to smoke. (I paused in order to smoke.) |
| I remembered locking the door. (memory of action) | I remembered to lock the door. (I didn’t forget.) |
| I tried opening it. (experiment) | I tried to open it. (attempt) |
| I regret telling him. (past action) | I regret to inform you. (formal bad news) |
-ing after prepositions
English always uses -ing after prepositions:
- before leaving
- after arriving
- without asking
- instead of working
Chinese
No non-finite morphology
Chinese verbs have no special non-finite form:
- 游泳很健康。(Swimming is healthy. — verb used directly)
- 我喜欢游泳。(I like swimming. — verb used directly)
在 for progressive
在 marks progressive aspect:
- 他在吃饭。(He is eating.)
- 我在看书。(I am reading.)
正在 emphasizes in-progress:
- 他正在开会。(He is in a meeting right now.)
Verb + 着 for durative state
着 marks a continuous state:
- 穿着衣服 (wearing clothes — state)
- 坐着 (sitting — state)
- 开着门 (with the door open — state)
Compare:
- 穿衣服 (put on clothes — action)
- 穿着衣服 (wearing clothes — state)
Verb + 过 for experience
过 marks experienced action:
- 我去过北京。(I’ve been to Beijing.)
- 吃过饭 (have eaten)
来/去 as purpose markers
- 去买东西 (go to buy things)
- 来看你 (come to see you)
的时候 for temporal clauses
- 吃饭的时候 (when eating)
- 看书的时候 (while reading)
Coverbs instead of prepositions + gerunds
Chinese uses coverbs rather than preposition + gerund:
- 吃完饭以后 (after eating — 以后 = after)
- 在睡觉之前 (before sleeping — 之前 = before)
Comparison at a glance
| Function | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| As subject | Infinitive | Gerund (-ing) | Verb directly |
| As object | Infinitive | Gerund (-ing) / to-infinitive | Verb directly |
| After preposition | Infinitive | Gerund (-ing) | Verb directly / 的时候 |
| Progressive aspect | está + -ndo | is + -ing | 在 + verb |
| Durative state | — | — | verb + 着 |
| Experiential | — | have + -ed | verb + 过 |
| Purpose | para + infinitive | to + infinitive / for + -ing | 来/去 + verb |
| Manner adjunct | -ndo | -ing | verb serialization |
Examples in context
Swimming is healthy
- ES: Nadar es saludable.
- EN: Swimming is healthy.
- ZH: 游泳很健康。
I saw him swimming
- ES: Lo vi nadando.
- EN: I saw him swimming.
- ZH: 我看见他在游泳。
Without saying goodbye
- ES: Sin despedirse.
- EN: Without saying goodbye.
- ZH: 没说再见。
Common mistakes
-
English speakers learning Spanish: Nadando es bueno → Nadar es bueno (infinitive as subject)
-
Spanish speakers learning English: I enjoy to swim → I enjoy swimming (gerund after enjoy)
-
English speakers learning Chinese: 我喜欢在游泳 → 我喜欢游泳 (no 在 needed for general liking)
-
Chinese speakers learning English: I like swim → I like swimming / I like to swim
Related topics
- Verb Tenses: How finite verbs work
- Aspect: How progressive and durative aspect is marked
- Serial Verbs: How Chinese verbs chain without non-finite marking
- Infinitives: How to + verb functions
Examples
Swimming is healthy
Nadar es saludable (infinitive as subject)
I like swimming
Me gusta nadar (infinitive as object)
I saw him swimming
Lo vi nadando (-ndo as participle)
He left without saying goodbye
Se fue sin despedirse (infinitive after preposition)
Progressive aspect
está + -ndo (está nadando)
After eating, he left
Después de comer, se fue
Purpose (in order to)
para + infinitive
Infinitive as object of verb
quiero ir / debo estudiar
Examples
Swimming is healthy
Swimming is healthy (gerund as subject)
I like swimming
I like swimming (gerund as object)
I saw him swimming
I saw him swimming (-ing as participle)
He left without saying goodbye
He left without saying goodbye (gerund after preposition)
Progressive aspect
is + -ing (is swimming)
After eating, he left
After eating, he left
Purpose (in order to)
in order to + infinitive / for + -ing
Infinitive as object of verb
want to go / must study
Examples
Swimming is healthy
游泳很健康 (verb directly)
I like swimming
我喜欢游泳 (verb directly)
I saw him swimming
我看见他在游泳 (在 + verb)
He left without saying goodbye
他没说再见就走了
Progressive aspect
在 / 正在 + verb
After eating, he left
吃完饭以后，他走了
Purpose (in order to)
来 / 去 + verb (purpose verb)
Infinitive as object of verb
想去 / 必须学习
Comparison at a glance
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swimming is healthy | Nadar es saludable (infinitive as subject) | Swimming is healthy (gerund as subject) | 游泳很健康 (verb directly) |
| I like swimming | Me gusta nadar (infinitive as object) | I like swimming (gerund as object) | 我喜欢游泳 (verb directly) |
| I saw him swimming | Lo vi nadando (-ndo as participle) | I saw him swimming (-ing as participle) | 我看见他在游泳 (在 + verb) |
| He left without saying goodbye | Se fue sin despedirse (infinitive after preposition) | He left without saying goodbye (gerund after preposition) | 他没说再见就走了 |
| Progressive aspect | está + -ndo (está nadando) | is + -ing (is swimming) | 在 / 正在 + verb |
| After eating, he left | Después de comer, se fue | After eating, he left | 吃完饭以后，他走了 |
| Purpose (in order to) | para + infinitive | in order to + infinitive / for + -ing | 来 / 去 + verb (purpose verb) |
| Infinitive as object of verb | quiero ir / debo estudiar | want to go / must study | 想去 / 必须学习 |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Side-by-side comparison
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swimming is healthy | Nadar es saludable (infinitive as subject) | Swimming is healthy (gerund as subject) | 游泳很健康 (verb directly) |
| I like swimming | Me gusta nadar (infinitive as object) | I like swimming (gerund as object) | 我喜欢游泳 (verb directly) |
| I saw him swimming | Lo vi nadando (-ndo as participle) | I saw him swimming (-ing as participle) | 我看见他在游泳 (在 + verb) |
| He left without saying goodbye | Se fue sin despedirse (infinitive after preposition) | He left without saying goodbye (gerund after preposition) | 他没说再见就走了 |
| Progressive aspect | está + -ndo (está nadando) | is + -ing (is swimming) | 在 / 正在 + verb |
| After eating, he left | Después de comer, se fue | After eating, he left | 吃完饭以后，他走了 |
| Purpose (in order to) | para + infinitive | in order to + infinitive / for + -ing | 来 / 去 + verb (purpose verb) |
| Infinitive as object of verb | quiero ir / debo estudiar | want to go / must study | 想去 / 必须学习 |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Examples in context
Swimming is healthy
Spanish
Nadar es saludable (infinitive as subject)
English
Swimming is healthy (gerund as subject)
Chinese
游泳很健康 (verb directly)
I like swimming
Spanish
Me gusta nadar (infinitive as object)
English
I like swimming (gerund as object)
Chinese
我喜欢游泳 (verb directly)
I saw him swimming
Spanish
Lo vi nadando (-ndo as participle)
English
I saw him swimming (-ing as participle)
Chinese
我看见他在游泳 (在 + verb)
He left without saying goodbye
Spanish
Se fue sin despedirse (infinitive after preposition)
English
He left without saying goodbye (gerund after preposition)
Chinese
他没说再见就走了
Progressive aspect
Spanish
está + -ndo (está nadando)
English
is + -ing (is swimming)
Chinese
在 / 正在 + verb
After eating, he left
Spanish
Después de comer, se fue
English
After eating, he left
Chinese
吃完饭以后，他走了
Purpose (in order to)
Spanish
para + infinitive
English
in order to + infinitive / for + -ing
Chinese
来 / 去 + verb (purpose verb)
Infinitive as object of verb
Spanish
quiero ir / debo estudiar
English
want to go / must study
Chinese
想去 / 必须学习
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Key Takeaways
Spanish: Uses the infinitive (-ar/-er/-ir) for most non-finite functions. The gerund (-ando/-iendo) is used for progressive aspect and some adjuncts....
English: Uses -ing forms extensively — as gerunds (nouns), present participles (progressive), and adjectives. Also uses the infinitive (to + verb).
Chinese: Has no infinitive or gerund morphology. Verbs are used directly. Aspect markers (在zài, 了le, 过guò) and result complements add temporal meanin...
Key concepts compared: Swimming is healthy, I like swimming, I saw him swimming.
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Last updated: June 4, 2026