Italian Gerund – 8 uses of the Italian Gerundio

/in /by

What is the Italian gerund?

Italian gerund is the Italian equivalent of English verbs that end in –ing. Some uses are similar to the English gerund, some are not. In this article we’ll learn how to conjugate it and everything you need to know to use the Italian gerund like a native speaker.

The Italian gerundio is a mood which is easy to recognize: it ends either with –ando or –endo.

Before learning how to conjugate both regular and irregular verbs, let’s see some examples. The Italian Gerund is mostly used to express the idea of contemporaneity between two actions, or to form the present progressive:

Andando a lavoro, ho avuto un incidente con la macchina
While I was going to work, I had a car accident

Rientrando a casa, ho sentito puzza di fumo
While I was entering home, I smelled smoke

Che stai facendo? Sto studiando per l’esame
What are you doing? I’m studying for my exam

The Italian gerundio is an indefinite mode, meaning that it does not provide any indications on the subject (io, tu, loro…) of the action.

Italian Gerund

How to make the Italian gerund

There are two forms of gerundio: simple gerund and compound gerund. Sometimes they are also called present and past gerund. However, these two definitions can be tricky, as sometimes the so-called present gerund is used to talk about past sentences. For instance:

Andando all’aeroporto, mi accorsi che non avevo il passaporto
While going to the airport, I realized I didn’t have my passport

Let’s now see how simple and compound gerundio are formed in Italian.

Italian Gerund – Gerundio Presente

Forming the simple gerundio of regular Italian verbs is really easy: you just add the suffix –ando to the stem of -are verbs and the suffix –endo to the stem of –ere and –ire verbs:

–ARE

  • andare (to go): andando
  • guardare (to look): guardando
  • cercare (to look for): cercando

-ERE

  • vedere (to see): vedendo
  • avere (to have): avendo
  • leggere (to read): leggendo

-IRE

  • dormire (to sleep): dormendo
  • partire (to leave): partendo
  • capire (to understand): capendo

For instance:

Ascoltando, forse capiresti i suoi bisogni
By listening, perhaps you’ll understand his needs

È dimagrita mangiando solo frutta e verdure
She lost weight by just eating fruit and vegetables

Crescendo, capirai cosa intendo
Growing up, you’ll understand what I mean

 

Italian Gerund – Irregular Verbs

Some irregular verbs do not follow this rule. You still have to add –ando or –endo, but the root of the verb will change.

Normally you add the conjugation suffix to the infinitive root of the verb, after removing –are, -ere or –ire, but with the verbs bere (to drink), fare (to do) and dire (to say) you will add the suffix to the first person singular in the Present indicative. For instance:

Verb (infinitive form) Present Indicative Simple Gerund
Bere Bevo Bevendo
Fare Faccio Facendo
Dire Dico Dicendo

Note that all the verbs related to fare, for instance disfare (to undo) and rifare (to do again) follow the same pattern as the source verb, so you’ll get rifacendo and disfacendo.

Rifacendo i conti, ho capito che avevo sbagliato
When doing the math again, I realized I did it wrong

Disfacendo la valigia, mi sono accorta di aver dimenticato lo spazzolino
While unpacking, I realized I forgot my toothbrush

Similarly, all the verbs related to dire will follow the same rule. For instance, disdire (to cancel) and contraddire (to contradict) will become disdicendo and contraddicendo.

Disdicendo all’ultimo minuto, non avrete indietro i soldi della prenotazione
By canceling at the last moment, you won’t have the reservation deposit returned

Cosa speri di ottenere, contraddicendo sempre l’insegnante?
What do you hope to obtain, by always contradicting the teacher?

Italian Gerund – Gerundio Passato

The compound tense is formed by the auxiliary verbs essere or avere conjugated in the Present Gerund + the past participle of the verb. For instance:

  • andare (to go): essendo andato
  • guardare (to look): avendo guardato
  • cercare (to look for): avendo cercato
  • vedere (to see): avendo visto
  • leggere (to read): avendo letto
  • dormire (to sleep): avendo dormito
  • partire (to leave): essendo partito
  • capire (to understand): avendo capito

Note that, with the auxiliary essere, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject of the verb, exactly like it happens for passato prossimo or any other compound verb.

Avendo visto quel film, conosceva già la trama
Having seen that movie, she already knew the plot

Essendo partiti all’improvviso, non hanno avuto tempo di salutare nessuno
Having left suddenly, they didn’t have the time to say goodbye to anyone

Avendo dormito fino a mezzogiorno, non ho sentito il telefono squillare
Having slept until noon, I didn’t hear the phone ringing

Italian Gerund - Gerundio

When to use the Italian gerund – 8 cases

Now that you know how to conjugate the gerundio, let’s see all the cases where it is used.

1. To indicate the way or method used to let something happened

È dimagrito facendo molto sport
He lost weight by doing a lot of sport

Lavorando sodo, ha ottenuto una promozione
Working hard (having worked hard), he got a promotion

2. To indicate the cause or reason why something happened

Non avendo contanti, ho pagato con la carta di credito
Not having cash (because I didn’t have cash), I paid by credit card

Essendo stata malata, non è andata a lavoro per una settimana
Being sick (since she was sick) she didn’t go to work for a week.

3. To express a condition

Studiando, si arriva lontano
By studying (If you study), you’ll go a long way

Ascoltando i miei consigli, otterrai quello che vuoi
By listening (If you listen) to my advices, you’ll get what you want

4. To express contemporaneity between two actions

Andando al supermercato, ho incontrato Marco
While going to the supermarket, I met Marco

Dicendo quelle parole, si rese conto che suonavano false
While saying those words, he realized they sounded fake

5. To express a concession

Pur non avendo fame, accettai di cenare con lei
Although I was not hungry, I accepted to have dinner with her

Pur avendo sbagliato, non vuole riconoscere l’errore
Despite having made a mistake, he doesn’t want to admit it

Pur essendo stanco, devo finire di studiare
Despite being tired, I need to finish studying

In this case, you need to add “pur” (despite, although) in front of the gerund.

As you may have noticed, in all the sentences above the subject in the main clause and in the subordinate clause is always the same person.  In fact, when there are different subjects, Italian speakers do not use gerundio. For instance:

Mentre andavo al supermercato, Luca mi ha chiamata sul cellulare
While I was going to the supermarket, Luca gave me a phone call

6. Italian Gerund – Present Progressive

Like the English Present Continuous, the Present Progressive is used to talk about an action happening at the same time we are speaking.

In combination with the verb stare (to stay), that works as an auxiliary, the simple gerund can express the progression of an action in the same moment it is happening.

Here’s how to form the present progressive with stare:

Subject STARE
 (to stay)
Indicative Present		 GERUND SIMPLE
Io sto andando (to go) -ARE

leggendo (to read) -ERE

dormendo (to sleep) -IRE
Tu stai
Lui/lei sta
Noi stiamo
Voi state
Loro stanno

Che stai facendo? Sto cenando
What are you doing? I’m having dinner

Maria sta dormendo
Maria is sleeping

Il treno sta partendo, se non corriamo lo perderemo
The train is leaving, if we don’t run, we’ll miss it

Che stai leggendo ultimamente?
What are you reading, lately?

Non sento cosa stai dicendo, la musica è troppo alta
I can’t hear what you’re saying, the music is too loud

https://youtu.be/-Z5_uBETx-U

7. Italian Gerund – Past Progressive

You can use the verb stare in the Indicative present tense, to express that something is happening in the moment when you are speaking.

However, you can also use stare in the Indicative Imperfect tense, to form the Past Progressive and talk about an action that was going on in the past.

STARE
(to stay)
Indicative Imperfect
GERUND SIMPLE
Io stavo andando (to go) -AREleggendo (to read) -ERE

dormendo (to sleep) -IRE
Tu stavi
Lui/lei stava
Noi stavamo
Voi stavate
Loro stavano

Che stavi facendo ieri pomeriggio? Ti ho chiamato ma non mi hai risposto
What were you doing yesterday afternoon? I called you but you didn’t answer

Stavo dormendo, quando ha squillato il telefono
I was sleeping when the phone rang

Il cane stava passeggiando nel parco
The dog was strolling around the park

Stavate vedendo un film?
Were you watching a movie?

Quando sono tornata a casa ieri, i bambini stavano litigando di nuovo
When I came back home yesterday, the children were fighting again

The Past Progressive is used to express an action in progress in the past. In this case, you can use both the Imperfect Indicative or the construction stare + Gerund:

Mentre stavo studiando, Luca stava dormendo
Mentre studiavo, Luca dormiva
While I was studying, Luca was sleeping

Note that when you use stare + Simple Gerund (both in the present or imperfect progressive) the subjects in the main and subordinate clause can be different. For instance:

Io stavo uscendo e tu stavi entrando
I was going out and you were coming in

Stavo andando a lavoro quando Francesca mi ha telefonato
I was going to work when Francesca called me

Mio fratello sta studiando e io sto guardando la tv
My brother is studying and I am watching TV

8. The verb Andare + Gerund

There is another use of the gerund: together with the verb andare(to go), it is used to express a progressive action, which develops during a period of time. Let’s make some examples to clarify it:

Il rumore andava crescendo mentre mi avvicinavo all’appartamento dei vicini
The noise became louder and louder as I was approaching my neighbors’ apartment

Luca va raccontando a tutti storie inventate
Luca is (going around) telling invented stories to everybody

Andare + gerundio is used to express an action happening in an indefinite time: it started sometime in the past, it’s still going on and will probably continue in the future.

What is the difference between andare + gerund and stare + gerund?

With andare, the action is incremental during time. Also, stare can be used as an auxiliary for all action verbs, while andare can only accompany few of them, for instance: dire (to say), raccontare (to tell), crescere (to grow), diffondere (to spread).

  • Durante l’incendio, il fumo si andava diffondendo ovunque
    During the fire, the smoke was spreading everywhere 
  • Ma che vai dicendo!
    What the heck are you saying (going around and saying)!
STARE
(to stay)
Indicative present		 GERUND SIMPLE
Io vado raccontando (to read) -ARE

crescendo (to grow) -ERE

dicendo (to say) -IRE
Tu vai
Lui/lei va
Noi andiamo
Voi andate
Loro vanno
STARE
(to stay)
Indicative present		 GERUND SIMPLE
Io andavo raccontando (to read) -ARE

crescendo (to grow) -ERE

dicendo (to say) -IRE
Tu andavi
Lui/lei andava
Noi andavamo
Voi andavate
Loro andavano

When not to use the Italian gerund: differences with English

In Italian, gerundio is used differently from English. For instance, in English the -ing form can follow other verbs other than stare or andare as we saw; however, the Italian gerundio has no such use.

  • He started shouting – Ha iniziato a gridare
  • She quit smoking – Ha smesso di fumare
  • I love eating pizza – Amo mangiare la pizza

When English uses the -ing form, Italian replaces it with a construction made with the verb + preposition (if needed) + the infinitive verb.

Future Actions

Do not use the Italian gerund to express a future planned action like in English. For instance:

Andrò in Italia l’anno prossimo!
I’m going to Italy next year

Faccio una passeggiata questo pomeriggio
I’m taking a walk this afternoon

As you can see in Italian you will have to use the future tense or the present tense if it’s made clear that the action is referring to the future.


To be + verb in the -ing form

Another example is the English construction to be + verb in the -ing form. For instance: to be sitting, to be lying. In these cases, The Italian uses the infinitive of the auxiliary + the past participle of the verb:

  • To be sitting – Essere seduto
  • To be lying – Essere disteso

Habitual actions in the past

Please note that the Imperfect Progressive cannot be used to express habitual actions in the past, like you would do with the Imperfect Indicative. If you want to talk about something that happened in the past on a regular basis or talk about a habit, you must use the Indicative Imperfect tense.

Da piccolo andavo a scuola in bicicletta
When I was young, I used to go to school by bike

Quando vivevo a Parigi, vedevo la Tour Eiffel ogni giorno
When I was living in Paris, I used to see the Tour Eiffel every day

Italian gerund and pronouns: where to put them

When there is a pronoun, for instance in case of reflexive or pronominal verbs, or if there are direct objects or indirect objects pronouns, you simply put them at the end of the gerund verb, like this:

Pettinandomi i capelli, ne ho trovato uno grigio
While combing my hair, I found a grey one

Avendoli visti cantare, posso dire che sono davvero bravi
Having seen them singing, I can say they’re really good.

Portandogli il caffè, sono caduta
While bringing him coffee, I fell down

When stare is used as an auxiliary, the pronouns precede the auxiliary. For instance:

  • Gli sto portando il caffè  – I’m bringing him coffee
  • Li sto vedendo cantare – I’m watching them singing
  • Mi sto pettinando i capelli – I’m combing my hair

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve come at the end of this long guide and so far you have everything you need to start using the Italian gerundio confidently.

Happy studying!

Italian indefinite articles – Everything you need to know

/in /by

Italian Indefinite articles – When to use them

Italian indefinite articles are un, uno, una, un’ and they translate the English indefinite articles a/an. They find their position before the noun to specify an uncountable noun.

Generally, they are used before names of professions, common names or surnames referring to a work of art.

See the examples below:

L’anno scorso ho comprato una macchina nuova.
Last year I bought a new car.

Il Signor Martini è un insegnante di tedesco.
Mr Martini is a German teacher.

Riconoscerei un Van Gogh ad un miglio di distanza!
I would be able to recognise a Van Gogh (painting) from a mile away!

Italian Indefinite articles: Un, uno, una or un’?

The use of Italian indefinite articles  depends on the gender of the noun that follows. The only difference is that Italian indefinite articles does not present a plural form, although you could make it in different ways. One of the possible options is using partitive articles we are going to see later in this page.

Unlike the English forms a and an, in Italian there are 4 indefinite articles: un, uno (for masculine nouns), una, un’ (for feminine nouns).

Do you have problems understanding which noun is masculine or feminine?

Here is a little trick for you. If a word ends with –o, very probably it is a masculine noun. On the contrary, if a word ends with –a, you will be quite sure it is a feminine noun.

However, there are some words ending with the vowel -e that could be masculine or feminine. For example the word fiore (flower) is a masculine noun in Italian, while decisione (decision) is feminine.

If you want to be extremely sure, you could check out any Italian dictionary (for example the Italian online dictionary, Treccani) where the gender is always indicated next to the noun in the form of “s.f.” for feminine singular nouns and “s.m.” for masculine singular nouns.

Un

It is used with masculine singular nouns starting with a vowel or a consonant.

Ho sentito alla radio che stamattina è precipitato un aereo sulle Ande.
I heard on the radio that this morning a plane crashed in the Andes.

L’altro giorno ho dato da mangiare ad uno scoiattolo che gironzolava a Central Park.
The other day I fed a squirrel wandering around Central Park.

Uno

It is used with masculine singular nouns beginning with s + another consonant, gn, z, ps, pn, y and x.
See the examples below:

Se credi davvero di essere uno studente modello, allora sei completamente fuori strada!
If you really think you are a straight-A student, then you are sorely mislead!

Non pensi che dovremmo regalarle per il suo compleanno uno gnomo da giardino?
Don’t you think we should give her a garden gnome for her birthday?

Dicono di aver trovato questa mattina uno zaino in aula magna.
They say they found a bag in the auditorium.

Nel caso ti sentissi depresso, ti consiglio di prendere un appuntamento con uno psicologo.
In case you are feeling depressed, I suggest you to make an appointment with a psychologist.

Se non riesci a respirare bene, faresti meglio a vedere uno pneumologo.
If you can’t breathe properly, you had better see a pulmonologist.

Ho sentito che il padre di Justin ha comprato uno yacht dal valore di 700 mila euro!
I heard that Justin’s father spent 700 thousand dollars to buy a luxury yacht!

Non ho mai suonato uno xilofono in vita mia!
I have never played a xylophone in my entire life!

Una

It is used with feminine singular nouns starting with a consonant.

Per il compito di inglese hai bisogno soltanto di una penna e di un foglio.
For the English test all you need is a pen and a sheet of paper.

Janet è una ragazza davvero intelligente. Non le si può nascondere nulla!
Janet is a really smart girl. You can’t hide anything from her!

Un’

It is used with feminine singular nouns starting with a vowel.

Ti aspetto da più di un’ora. Ma dove sei finito?
I have been waiting for you over an hour. Where did you go?

Cosa vuoi per pranzo? Un’insalata o una zuppa di cipolle?
What do you want for lunch? A salad or a onion soup?

Italian indefinite articles with adjectives

Remember that a noun can change its indefinite article if preceded by an adjective:

Un lavoro – Uno splendido lavoro
A job – A great job

Una fidanzata – Un’adorabile fidanzata
A girlfriend – A lovely girlfriend

Uno scoiattolo – un buffo scoiattolo
A squirrel – A funny squirrel

In the Italian language, adjectives are mostly placed after noun. In literature you might bump into this uncommon linguistic choice:

Un’idea – una geniale idea
An idea – a brilliant idea

When not to use Italian indefinite articles – 5 cases

There are some cases where the use of indefinite articles is required in English but not in Italian. Let’s see together when not to use Italian indefinite articles.

1. With the words cento and mille

Ti ho detto cento volte di non sbattere la porta quando esci.
I told you a hundred times not to slam the door when you leave.

Il mese scorso gli ho prestato mille euro ma ancora non me li ha restituiti.
Last month I lent him a thousand euros but he didn’t give them back to me yet.

2. With the indefinite adjectives qualche and molti

Probabilmente la sorella di Jake è andata via qualche ora fa.
Probably Jake’s sister went way a few hours ago.

Si sono conosciuti molti anni fa all’università.
They met a lot of years ago at the university.

3. With exclamations starting with che

Che gioia rivederti dopo tanto tempo!
What a joy to see you after a long time!

Che peccato non poter venire al concerto stasera con voi!
What a pity I can’t come to the concert with you tonight!

Signora Wiggins, che piacere rivederla dopo tutti questi anni!
Mrs Wiggins, what a pleasure to see you again after all these years!

4. When you talk about your job or someone else’s

Credo che il padre di Gaia sia idraulico.
I think Gaia’s father is a plumber.

Il nostro migliore amico è dottore all’ospedale psichiatrico.
Our best friend is a doctor at the mental institution.

E’ diventato ingegnere l’anno scorso quando si è laureato.
He became an engineer last year when he graduated.

5. When you talk about your job or someone else’s using the Italian verb fare

In this case you need to use the Italian definite article.

Faccio il cameriere per aiutare economicamente i miei genitori.
I’m a waiter in order to support my parents financially.

Fa lo scrittore perché il suo sogno è quello di pubblicare un giorno un libro.
He’s a writer because he dreams of publishing a book someday.

Vorrebbe fare la cantante perché dice di cantare come Madonna.
She would like to be a singer because she says she sings like Madonna.

As you can see, in this case the Italian verb fare is translated in English with the verb to be! 

Differences between uno as indefinite article and uno as number

A very common mistake that a foreign learner could make is confusing the Italian indefinite article uno with the number uno.

To be clear, uno as indefinite article refers to a generic and uncountable noun, while uno as number indicates the quantity of a noun in a given context. With the following examples you will be able to understand where the difference is:

Di quanti carciofi hai bisogno per la minestra? Uno o due?
How many artichokes do you need for the soup? One or two?

Ho comprato tanti meloni oggi al mercato. Ne vuoi uno?
I bought a lot of watermelons at the market today. Do you want one?

Ho dimenticato di comprare i pompelmi. Ne è rimasto solo uno, giusto?
I forgot to buy grapefruits. There is only one left, right?

Non ho mai capito cosa faccia esattamente uno speleologo.
I never understood what a speleologist exactly does.

Ma davvero sei riuscito a catturare uno scorfano? È quasi impossibile!
Have you really caught a scorpionfish? It is almost impossible!

Che ne dici di uno sformato di zucchine per pranzo? Ti piace?
What about a zucchini pie for lunch? Do you like it?

 

Plural forms of Italian indefinite articles 

There are different ways to make the plural form of Italian indefinite articles in order to say some or any.

The first one is the deletion of the indefinite article itself in the following situations:

In negative sentences and questions where the English quantifier any is used

Dice di non aver fatto errori nella sua vita. Naturalmente non gli crede nessuno!
He says he didn’t make any mistakes in his entire life. Obviously nobody believes him!

Non ho guanti per pulire la cucina. Come posso fare?
I haven’t got any kitchen cleaning gloves. What can I do?

Non ci sono biscotti nella credenza perché li hai mangiati tutti ieri.
There aren’t any biscuits in the cupboard because you ate them all yesterday.

Hai mai avuto problemi con la legge? Spero davvero di no!
Have you ever had any brushes with the law? I really hope not!

Ma perché ci sono elicotteri nel cielo stamattina? È successo qualcosa?
Why are there any helicopters in the sky this morning? Did anything happen?

Vendete anche vinili in questo negozio?
Do you sell any records in this shop, too?

In lists

Per la festa di Lucy devi comprare patatine, noccioline e olive.
For Lucy’s party you have to buy chips, peanuts and olives.

In questo centro commerciale puoi trovare camicie, gonne e felpe a metà prezzo.
In this shopping centre you can find shirts, skirts and sweaters at half price.

Qui si vendono giornali, riviste e fumetti.
Here we sell newspapers, magazines and comics.

When specific details are not given

In un paesino come questo ci saranno cose da vedere, non credi?
Will there be things to see in a small town like this, won’t there?

Hanno avuto davvero problemi a trovare parcheggio? Strano!
Did they really have problems to park? Weird!

A causa dell’emergenza sanitaria, è severamente vietato frequentare luoghi di cultura e aggregazione sociale.
Due to the health emergency, it is strictly forbidden to visit places of culture and social gathering.

Use of the Italian indefinite adjectives alcuni/e and certi/e

In order to say ”some” in Italian you can use the Italian indefinite adjectives:

  • alcuni  or certi for masculine nouns
  • alcune or certe for feminine nouns

Alcune persone dovrebbero tacere anziché parlare a vanvera.
Some people should be quiet instead of talking nonsense.

Purtroppo alcuni miei parenti non verranno alla festa di laurea di mia sorella.
Unfortunately some relatives of mine won’t come to my sister’s graduation party.

Si ricordi che l’offerta è disponibile sono in certi giorni!
Remember that this offer is only available on certain days!

In certe situazioni le donne sanno essere più furbe degli uomini.
In certain situations women can be smarter than men.

Use of Italian partitive articles

In order to make partitive articles, you need to combine the Italian preposition di with Italian definite articles.Followed by an indefinite noun, they are mostly translated as some and any in English.

The following table shows the combination of the preposition di with definite articles:

  Masculine Feminine
Singular Del (Di + il)

Dello (Di + Lo)

Dell’ (Di + L’)

 Della (Di + La)

Dell’ (Di + L’)
Plural Dei (Di + i)

Degli (Di + Gli)

 Delle (Di + Le)

Devo farti assaggiare dei buoni cioccolatini che mi hanno regalato a Pasqua.
I have to let you taste some delicious chocolates they gave me on Easter.

Degli uccelli sono riusciti ad entrare in casa mia.
Some birds managed to enter my home.

Compreresti delle pizze per tutti noi, per cortesia?
Would you buy any pizzas for all of us, please?

Remember that it is easy to mistake a partitive article with an articulated preposition!

See the difference:

Ho incontrato delle ragazze davvero simpatiche.
I met some really nice girls.

In passato la vita delle ragazze sicuramente era più difficile rispetto ad oggi.
In the past girls’ life was definitely harder than nowadays.

Conclusion

As we have seen until now, using Italian indefinite articles is quite simple, don’t you think? Maybe you could run into problems like recognizing if a noun is feminine or masculine, remembering the main ways of making the plural form or combining a preposition with a definite article… Not easy, nor impossible! What you might do is starting from the given examples and then getting to the grammar. This could be really useful!

A secret to learn them quickly? Listen to some Italian songs and notice how the Italian indefinite articles are used!

And if you want to learn more about Italian Grammar, here there are useful books I suggest you to read: