I use the app SpanishDict to help me check myself on certain concepts, especially on conjugations. For this concept, the gerund, the app uses past and present participles. Frankly, I did not receive a whole hell of a lot of instruction when it came to the difference between a participle and a gerund when I was younger but hey, I turned out ok! I have gotten the gist but the two things don't do the same thing in Spanish as they do in English. I asked a Spanish professor friend of mine about this and he said one of them (I can't remember which) was the gerund and the other is the participle. Is he correct? I got a questions wrong because I typed one form but it was actually the other. Also, is SpanishDict throwing me off?
Stuck again!
- « Back to Q&A Forum
- « Previous questionNext question »
![](/files/shared/_avatar-mids/user/792766/IMG_5557_66148bc9763cf.jpeg)
Stuck again!
![](/files/shared/_avatar-mids/user/59078/20211201_172643_61a7b33952c58.jpg)
Hola Perry
In Spanish we call "gerundio" to what in English is a gerund or a present participle - that is the -ing endings in for example:
Estoy trabajando - I am working
Lo pasé muy bien bailando - I had a great time dancing
Siempre están bebiendo y comiendo - They are always drinking and eating
We call "participio" or participio de pasado" the past participle in English. This is when you're using a perfect tense (that has "haber" in it):
Hemos comido pollo y patatas - We have eaten chicken and fries
He trabajado mucho - I have worked a lot
Or when we use them as adjectives:
Los niños están dormidos - The children are asleep
The endings for the gerundio and the participio are different in Spanish.
Have a look here for some information on both and some linked lessons inside the articles.
Un saludo
Inma
Don't have an account yet? Join today
Find your Spanish level for FREE
Test your Spanish to the CEFR standard
Find your Spanish level