Gerunds and Infinitives in Spanish: A Guide to Knowing When to Use Each One
Understanding gerunds and infinitives in Spanish is one of the most important steps toward building correct, natural sentences. These are two of the most frequently used verb forms in the language, and while they can sometimes seem interchangeable, each follows its own rules.
What Are Gerunds and Infinitives in Spanish
Before looking at when to use each one, it helps to be clear on what each form is and how it is built.
What Is the Gerund in Spanish and How Is It Formed
The gerund is formed by adding -ando to the stem of -ar verbs, and -iendo to the stem of -er and -ir verbs: hablar → hablando, comer → comiendo, vivir → viviendo. It functions similarly to the English present participle and is used to describe ongoing actions.
Unlike English, where the gerund acts as a noun (Swimming is fun), in Spanish the gerund almost never functions as a subject. That role belongs to the infinitive: “Nadar es divertido.”
What Is the Infinitive in Spanish and What Types Exist
The infinitive is the base form of the verb — the form you find in a dictionary. In Spanish, all infinitives end in one of three endings:
-ar verbs: hablar, caminar, trabajar
-er verbs: comer, beber, correr
-ir verbs: vivir, escribir, salir
Unlike English, Spanish has only one type of infinitive. There is no equivalent of the bare infinitive vs. to-infinitive distinction. However, the infinitive plays a much broader role in Spanish than in English, including acting as the subject of a sentence.
When to Use the Gerund in Spanish
After the Verb Estar to Express Ongoing Actions
The most common use of the gerund in Spanish is in the progressive tenses, formed with estar + gerund. This construction expresses what is happening at a specific moment.
- Estoy estudiando español. → I am studying Spanish.
- Ella está leyendo un libro. → She is reading a book.
- Estaban comiendo cuando llegué. → They were eating when I arrived.
Other verbs like seguir, continuar, llevar, and andar also combine with the gerund to express ongoing or repeated actions.
- Sigo intentando entenderlo. → I keep trying to understand it.
- Llevo dos horas esperando. → I’ve been waiting for two hours.
To Express How an Action Is Done
The gerund can describe the manner in which another action takes place. It answers the question ¿cómo? and functions similarly to an adverb.
- Aprendí español viajando por América Latina. → I learned Spanish by traveling through Latin America.
- Salió corriendo de la habitación. → He left the room running.
- Mejoró su pronunciación practicando cada día. → She improved her pronunciation by practicing every day.
After Verbs of Perception
When a verb of perception (ver, escuchar, sentir, notar) is followed by another verb describing what is being perceived, the second verb goes in the gerund.
- La vi bailando en la fiesta. → I saw her dancing at the party.
- Escuché a alguien llamando a la puerta. → I heard someone knocking at the door.
When to Use the Infinitive in Spanish
As the Subject of a Sentence
In Spanish, when a verb acts as the subject of a sentence, it goes in the infinitive — not the gerund. This is one of the most important differences from English.
- Hablar español abre muchas puertas. → Speaking Spanish opens many doors.
- Aprender una nueva lengua requiere tiempo. → Learning a new language takes time.
- Practicar todos los días marca la diferencia. → Practicing every day makes a difference.
After Modal and Auxiliary Verbs
When two verbs appear together and the second is not conjugated, it goes in the infinitive. This applies after verbs like querer, poder, deber, necesitar, saber, and tener que.
- Quiero aprender más vocabulario. → I want to learn more vocabulary.
- Puedes practicar con hablantes nativos. → You can practice with native speakers.
- Debes repasar los verbos irregulares. → You should review irregular verbs in Spanish.
After Prepositions — With One Key Exception
In English, a verb following a preposition must be in the gerund (before leaving, after eating). In Spanish, the opposite is true: a verb following a preposition goes in the infinitive.
- Antes de hablar, piensa. → Before speaking, think.
- Después de comer, salimos. → After eating, we left.
- Sin practicar, no mejorarás. → Without practicing, you won’t improve.
The one major exception is the preposition en in certain fixed expressions, where the gerund is used: en llegando, en terminando. These are mostly found in formal or literary registers.
To Express Purpose
The construction para + infinitive expresses the purpose of an action, equivalent to “in order to” in English.
- Estudio español para comunicarme mejor. → I study Spanish in order to communicate better.
- Usa Edvanna para practicar con nativos. → Use Edvanna to practice with native speakers.
Verbs That Change Meaning Depending on the Form
This is where most learners make mistakes, and where most learning resources fall short. A small set of Spanish verbs behave differently depending on whether they are followed by a gerund or an infinitive.
Recordar and Olvidar: Past vs. Future
- Recuerdo haber estudiado esto antes. → I remember having studied this before. (Past memory.)
- Recuerda estudiar antes del examen. → Remember to study before the exam. (Future reminder.)
- Olvidé llamarle. → I forgot to call him. (Failed to do something.)
- No olvido haberle conocido. → I haven’t forgotten meeting him. (Past experience.)
Dejar and Parar: Stopping vs. Stopping To
- Dejó de fumar. → He stopped smoking. (The habit ended.)
- Se paró a fumar. → He stopped to smoke. (He paused in order to smoke.)
The structure dejar de + infinitive is the standard way to express stopping an activity completely. Parar combined with a + infinitive expresses a momentary pause with a purpose.
Verbs That Accept Both Forms Without Changing Meaning
Some Spanish verbs can be followed by either an infinitive or a gerund with little or no difference in meaning. The most common ones include seguir, continuar, and llevar:
- Siguió hablando / Siguió hablar.* → He kept talking. (In practice, gerund is strongly preferred here.)
In reality, Spanish is less flexible than English on this point. Most verbs have a clear preference for one form or the other. The apparent interchangeability is more the exception than the rule, which is why building good instincts through real conversation matters more than memorizing lists. Conversational Spanish classes with native speakers help you develop that instinct naturally.
Common List of Verbs With Gerund and Infinitive in Spanish
| Gerund only | Infinitive only | Context-dependent |
| estar (progressive) | querer | recordar |
| seguir | poder | olvidar |
| continuar | deber | dejar |
| llevar | necesitar | parar |
| andar | saber | intentar |
| ir (progressive) | tener que | |
| acabar de | para + verb |
Common Mistakes When Using Gerunds and Infinitives in Spanish
Using the gerund as the subject of a sentence. This is the most common error among English speakers. Translating “Swimming is fun” as “Nadando es divertido” is incorrect. The right form is “Nadar es divertido.” When a verb acts as the subject, it must be in the infinitive. This is one of the foundational points covered in any solid approach to learning Spanish grammar.
Using the infinitive after estar for ongoing actions. Saying “Estoy estudiar” instead of “Estoy estudiando” is a frequent mistake in early stages. The progressive in Spanish always requires the gerund.
Assuming Spanish follows the same preposition rule as English. English uses gerund after prepositions; Spanish uses infinitive. “Antes de salir” — not “antes de saliendo.” Once this rule is internalized, a whole category of errors disappears.
Can the Infinitive Act as a Noun in Spanish?
Yes — and this is one of the most useful features of Spanish for English speakers to learn. The infinitive regularly functions as a noun, as the subject or object of a sentence, and even after articles:
- El saber no ocupa lugar. → Knowledge takes up no space. (Proverb.)
- Me gusta leer. → I like reading / I like to read.
- El caminar diario mejora la salud. → Daily walking improves health.
This is the mirror image of what English does with gerunds. If you are curious about how these structures connect to your overall progress, reviewing where you stand across the Spanish levels from A1 to C2 can help you set more realistic goals.
Frequently Asked Questions About Gerunds and Infinitives in Spanish
What is the main difference between the gerund and the infinitive in Spanish?
The infinitive is the base form of the verb and functions as a noun — as subject, object, or complement of a sentence. The gerund expresses ongoing or continuous actions and describes how something is done. In Spanish, the infinitive covers much of the territory that the gerund covers in English.
Can I use the gerund as the subject of a sentence in Spanish?
No. Unlike English, Spanish uses the infinitive — not the gerund — as the subject of a sentence. “Nadar es bueno” is correct; “Nadando es bueno” is not. This is one of the most important structural differences between the two languages.
What verbs in Spanish are always followed by the infinitive?
The most common ones are querer, poder, deber, necesitar, saber, tener que, intentar, esperar, and decidir. These verbs combine with another verb in the infinitive to form compound structures.
What verbs in Spanish are always followed by the gerund?
The clearest examples are estar, seguir, continuar, llevar, and andar when used to express ongoing or progressive actions. The gerund after these verbs is obligatory; using an infinitive instead would be grammatically incorrect.
When does the meaning change depending on whether you use gerund or infinitive?
The clearest cases involve recordar, olvidar, dejar, and parar. With recordar and olvidar, the infinitive points to a future action while the past infinitive (haber + participle) refers to a memory. With dejar and parar, the distinction is between ending something completely versus pausing momentarily to do something else.
Does Spanish have a bare infinitive like English does?
Not in the same way. English uses the bare infinitive after modal verbs and certain constructions (I can swim, I saw him leave). In Spanish, the infinitive always looks the same regardless of context — there is no separate “bare” form. However, Spanish does use the infinitive after modal equivalents (puedo nadar, lo vi salir), which produces a similar structure.
How is the gerund used differently in Spanish and English?
In English, the gerund functions as a noun and often appears as the subject of a sentence. In Spanish, that role belongs to the infinitive. The Spanish gerund is closer to the English present participle — it describes actions in progress or the manner in which something happens. Recognizing this distinction early on saves a significant amount of confusion as your Spanish improves.
At Edvanna, putting these structures into practice through real conversation with native speakers is what makes them stick. Grammar rules are a map, but speaking Spanish with natives is what turns that map into instinct. Gerunds and infinitives stop feeling like obstacles the moment you start using them in real exchanges — and that is exactly what Edvanna is built for.
