The progressive –ing: Italian grammar lesson 142

Key Takeaways

The gerundio in Italian conveys ongoing actions, similar to the English -ing form (e.g., eating, sleeping).
To form the gerundio semplice, add -ando for -are verbs and -endo for -ere and -ire verbs.
Irregular verbs have unique gerund forms; for example, dire becomes dicendo and fare becomes facendo.
The gerundio semplice is often used with the verb stare to indicate actions in progress or simultaneous actions.
When the subject is the same for two actions, the gerund can be used without stare, as in Correndo, mi rilasso (Running, I relax).

Stefano's Insights

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Ah, il gerundio italiano, un vero strumento magico per chi vuole esprimere azioni in corso! In italiano, il gerundio si forma aggiungendo -ando per i verbi in -are e -endo per quelli in -ere e -ire. Ma attenzione, ci sono sempre gli immancabili irregolari come dire, fare, bere e tradurre che hanno le loro eccezioni. Ricordo una volta a Roma quando stavo mangiando un gelato e una signora mi chiese: 'Cosa stai facendo?' e io, con la bocca piena, risposi: 'Sto godendo!' (Non proprio corretto, ma rende l'idea!). Il gerundio si usa spesso con 'stare' per descrivere azioni simultanee o in corso. È un po' come il nostro jolly linguistico, sempre pronto a rendere le frasi più dinamiche!

Ah, the Italian gerund, a true magical tool for expressing ongoing actions! In Italian, the gerund is formed by adding -ando for -are verbs and -endo for -ere and -ire verbs. But beware, there are always the inevitable irregulars like dire, fare, bere, and tradurre with their exceptions. I remember once in Rome when I was eating gelato and a lady asked me: 'What are you doing?' and I, with a mouthful, replied: 'I'm enjoying!' (Not quite correct, but you get the idea!). The gerund is often used with 'stare' to describe simultaneous or ongoing actions. It's like our linguistic wildcard, always ready to make sentences more dynamic!

Quick facts

How do you form the Italian gerundio semplice for -are verbs?

Add -ando to the stem, e.g., mangiare becomes mangiando.

How do you create the gerundio semplice for -ere and -ire verbs?

Add -endo to the stem, e.g., vedere becomes vedendo, dormire becomes dormendo.

What is a common use of the Italian gerundio semplice?

It's often used with the verb stare to indicate ongoing actions.

How do irregular verbs like "dire" form the gerundio semplice?

They follow the root of their imperfetto tense, e.g., dire becomes dicendo.

Can you use gerundio semplice without the auxiliary verb stare?

Yes, when the subject of two concurrent actions is the same.

What does "Mario sta cenando" mean in English?

"Mario is having dinner," showing an ongoing action.

How is the future tense of stare used with gerundio semplice?

It indicates actions that will happen simultaneously, e.g., starò lavorando (I will be working).

What happens when you combine "stare" in the imperfect tense with gerundio semplice?

It describes past ongoing actions, e.g., stavamo parlando (we were talking).

How does "correndo mi rilasso" translate and what does it imply?

"Running, I can relax," implying simultaneous actions by the same subject.

What does "Luca è caduto scendendo le scale" convey about Luca's actions?

"Luca fell coming down the stairs," indicating concurrent actions without auxiliary verbs.

Audio images

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Maria sta leggendo un libro interessante.

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Italian grammar video lesson

Main Article

What is the gerund in Italian?

To convey a similar meaning to the English progressive tense with -ing (eating, sleeping, studying, etc.) in Italian we use the gerundio (gerund).

Lucia sta mangiando.

Lucia is eating.

Voi state imparando a nuotare.

You are learning to swim.

Sto studiando per l’esame di domani.

I am studying for tomorrow’s exam.

In this lesson, we will learn how and when to use the Italian gerundio semplice, which is mainly translated with the –ing form.

Careful though: there exists a gerund in English too, but its use is not at all the same as the Italian gerundio.

How to form gerundio semplice?

Forming and recognizing the gerundio semplice in Italian is very simple: just add -ando to the stem of -are verbs and -endo to the stem of -ere and -ire verbs:

-are: mangiare (to eat) becomes mangiando (eating)
-ere: vedere (to see) becomes vedendo (seeing)
-ire: dormire (to sleep) becomes dormendo (sleeping)

As always in Italian, there are irregular verbs that form the gerund differently starting from root of their imperfetto tense. For example, for the verbs

dire
fare
bere
tradurre

Have a look at the table below:

infinito	imperfetto	gerundio semplice
dire (to say)	dicevo	dicendo
fare (to do)	facevo	facendo
bere (to drink)	bevevo	bevendo
tradurre (to translate)	traducevo	traducendo

When to use gerundio semplice?

This tense in Italian is mainly used in combination with the verb stare, both in the present and imperfect tense to talk about the progression of action as it’s happening or to describe two actions that happen at the same time:

Mario sta cenando.

Mario is having dinner.

Stavamo parlando quando sono arrivati.

We were talking when they arrived.

Cosa state facendo?

What are you doing?

This construction can also be used with the future of stare to refer to actions that will happen at the same time.

Quando ti sveglierai, io starò già lavorando.

When you wake up, I will already be working.

Quando arriveremo, probabilmente starete dormendo.

When we get there, you will probably be sleeping.

If the subject of the two contemporaneous actions is the same, you can use it on its own without the auxiliary stare.

Have a look at the examples below:

Correndo mi rilasso.

Running, I can relax.

Luca è caduto scendendo le scale.

Luca fell coming down the stairs.

Ho preparato questa torta pensando ai miei genitori.

I made this cake thinking of my parents.

Key Terms and Concepts

Gerundio semplice

The Italian gerund formed by adding -ando to -are verbs and -endo to -ere and -ire verbs.

Use of stare with gerundio

Stare is used with the gerund to express ongoing or simultaneous actions, similar to the English progressive tense.

Irregular gerunds

Some Italian verbs form their gerund irregularly, based on their imperfetto tense stem, such as dire to dicendo and fare to facendo.

Stare in future tense

When combined with the future tense of stare, the gerund describes future actions happening simultaneously, e.g., starò lavorando (will be working).

Gerundio without stare

Can describe actions by the same subject happening together without auxiliary stare, e.g., correndo (running), mi rilasso (I relax).

Test your knowledge in 10 quick questions

Words

mangiareto eat

leggereto read

dormireto sleep

scrivereto write

stareto stay

direto say

fareto do/make

bereto drink

tradurreto translate

andareto go

Phrases

mangiandoeating

leggendoreading

dormendosleeping

scrivendowriting

parlandotalking

guardandowatching

facendodoing

bevendodrinking

traducendotranslating

stareto be (in progress)

Sentences

Sto mangiando la pizza.

I am eating the pizza.

Stiamo leggendo un libro interessante.

We are reading an interesting book.

Mentre camminavo, ho incontrato un vecchio amico.

While I was walking, I met an old friend.

Tu stai scrivendo una lettera importante.

You are writing an important letter.

Stanno guardando un film al cinema.

They are watching a movie at the cinema.

Match the Phrases

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Answers

FAQs

What is the gerund rule in Italian?

To form the gerund, one must take the infinitive of the verb and drop the suffixes -are, -ere, or -ire. Then, they need to add -ando or -endo to the remaining verb stem. For -are verbs, the suffix added is -ando, while for -ere and -ire verbs, the suffix added is -endo.

What are irregular gerund verbs in Italian?

In Italian, these five verbs avere, essere, dire, bere, and fare are considered irregular and exhibit a distinct form of the present gerund. Specifically, the present gerund form of these verbs are avendo, essendo, dicendo, bevendo, and facendo.