Comparison of Italian and Spanish

The Gerund

The use and formation of the gerund is similar in both languages. In both Italian and Spanish, one uses -ando for first conjugation verbs, as in parlando, hablando. Italian uses -endo for second and third conjugation verbs, whereas Spanish uses -iendo (compare vendendo and partendo with vendiendo and partiendo).

The gerund is normally preceded by the appropriate form of stare/estar. E.g., Sto parlando, Estoy hablando.

There is an important difference, however, between the two languages. In Italian, the gerund always applies to the subject and never to the object. Therefore, a sentence like l'ho visto fumando means that I saw him while I (the subject) was smoking. In Spanish, however, the gerund can apply to the object in certain contexts. The sentence lo vi fumando would normally be interpreted to mean that he (the subject) was smoking.

Created October 2006.

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