Gerunds in Brazilian Portuguese are used like the “-ing” forms of English verbs. This verb form is created by removing the -r from the infinitive verb and adding -ndo, as in:
falar meaning to speak ⇒ falando meaning speaking
As with the “-ing” form in English, the Brazilian Portuguese gerund can be used to form progressive tenses, as in:
But gerunds in Brazilian Portuguese aren’t used exactly the same way as the “-ing” form in English. In this post we’ll talk about how to form the gerund, when to use the gerund, and when to not use the gerund. Ready to have a look? Let’s get going!
How to form the gerund in Brazilian Portuguese?
In Brazilian Portuguese, infinitive verbs always end with -r, and, in order to form the gerund, you need to remove this final -r from the verb and add the ending -ndo, as in:
falar meaning to speak ⇒ falando meaning speaking
comer meaning to eat ⇒ comendo meaning eating
abrir meaning to open ⇒ abrindo meaning opening
pôr meaning to put ⇒ pondo meaning putting
ser meaning to be ⇒ sendo meaning being
ir meaning to go ⇒ indo meaning going
Gerunds are often accompanied by the auxiliary verb estar meaning to be, which can be conjugated in the past, present, or future tense, as in:
- Ana está aprendendo português.Translation: Ana is learning Portuguese.present tense
- Carlos esteve viajando pelo Brasil.Translation: Carlos was traveling in Brazil.past tense
Other times, the verbs ter or haver meaning to have form the compound gerund. In this case, these verbs are used in their gerund forms tendo and havendo and followed by a main verb in the participle.
When to use the gerund in Brazilian Portuguese?
In Brazilian Portuguese, you can use a gerund as part of a progressive verb (as we’ve seen above), but you can also use gerunds as adverbs or to replace a relative clause. Let’s talk about each of these uses.
Using the gerund in progressive verb tenses
The gerund can be used with the auxiliary verb estar meaning to be to form progressive tenses (or “continuous tenses”) in the past, present, or future, depending on the tense of estar. These tenses are used to describe an ongoing or prolonged process. Take a look at the examples below.
various tenses
gerund
Several verbs other than estar meaning to be can also be combined with the gerund to form progressive tenses. By using one of these verbs as the auxiliary, you’ll add an extra layer of meaning.
When they’re used as auxiliaries, these verbs will have a slightly different meaning from when they’re used on their own. Take a look at the table below:
| Verb | Meaning when used alone | Meaning when used before the gerund |
|---|---|---|
andar | to walk | to be doing something |
vir | to come | to continue doing something |
ficar | to stay | to be doing something |
continuar / seguir | to continue | to go on doing something |
ir | to go | to keep doing |
acabar | to finish | to end up doing something |
viver | to live | to always be doing something |
Using the gerund as an adverb
A gerund can also be used to describe an action, like an adverb. Like other adverbs, the gerund can provide information about:
How the action happened
O pai recebeu, chorando, o abraço da filha.Translation: The father received, crying, the daughter’s hug.Chorando describes how the father received the hug.When the action happened
Saindo da entrevista de trabalho, Emanuel se sentiu menos estressado.Translation: Leaving the job interview, Emanuel felt less stressed.Saindo da entrevista de trabalho describes when he felt less stressed.Where the action happened
Atravessando a rua, você encontra a farmácia.Translation: Crossing the street, you find the pharmacy.Atravessando a rua describes where you will find the pharmacy.Why the action happened
Sendo a mais velha da família, ela tomou as rédeas da situação.Translation: Being the eldest in the family, she took matters into her own hands.Sendo a mais velha da família describes why she took matters into her own hands.The conditions under which the action will happen
Chovendo, a ida à praia vai ficar menos provável.Translation: If it rains, going to the beach will become less likely.In this use, gerund is essentially replacing an “if clause”.
The placement of the gerund when it functions as an adverb can vary:
When the gerund is used alone and describes the way in which an action is being performed by the subject of the phrase, it can be placed in many different positions:
- ✅Sorrindo, o pai recebeu o abraço da filha.Translation: Smiling, the father received the daughter’s hug.
- ✅O pai, sorrindo, recebeu o abraço da filha.Translation: The father, smiling, received the daughter’s hug.
- ✅O pai recebeu o abraço da filha, sorrindo.Translation: The father received the daughter’s hug, smiling.
When the gerund indicates the condition under which the verb happens, it must be placed at the beginning of the phrase for clarity.
When the gerund is used with a lot of modifying words (as in saindo da entrevista de trabalho or atravessando a rua), it is more common to place this clause at the beginning of the sentence.
The gerund to replace a relative clause
The gerund can also be used instead of a relative clause (a clause that describes a noun like an adjective).
| With a relative clause | With a gerund |
|---|---|
Há uma multidão que protesta contra o aumento no preço da comida. Translation: There was a crowd that was protesting against the increase in the price of food. | Há uma multidão protestando contra o aumento no preço da comida. Translation: There was a crowd protesting against the increase in the price of food. |
Na escola havia crianças que corriam e se divertiam. Translation: At school there were children that were running and having fun. | Na escola havia crianças correndo e se divertindo. Translation: At school there were children running and having fun. |
When not to use the gerund
Although the use of the gerund in Brazilian Portuguese has similarities to the “-ing” form in English, there are still some differences. In many cases where we would use an “-ing” form as a noun in English, we cannot use the gerund in Brazilian Portuguese. For example, we do not use the gerund…
…as a subject or object of a verb:
In this case, Brazilians use verbs in the infinitive form to express the nominal “-ing” form of the verb.
infinitiveVoar me deixa nervoso.Translation: Flying makes me nervous.Dormir a noite toda faz bem para a saúde.Translation: Sleeping all night is good for your health.Eu não pude evitar interferir no debate deles.Translation: I couldn’t avoid interfering in their debate.If you want to know more about infinitives in Brazilian Portuguese, including personal infinitives, read our posts on these topics!
…as the object of a preposition:
The gerund must not be used after expressions, particularly verbal expressions, that end in prepositions (think of English expressions like “in spite of…” or “there is no point in…”). Instead of the gerund, Brazilian Portuguese uses the infinitive in these cases.
infinitiveChegamos finalmente em casa depois de dirigir a noite toda.Translation: We finally arrived home after driving all night.Apesar de pesquisarmos muito, não achamos a resposta para esta pergunta.Translation: In spite of doing a lot of research, we did not find an answer to this question.Não adianta ligar para ele novamente. Seu telefone deve estar desligado.Translation: There is no point in calling him again. His phone might be off.…in compound nouns:
In compound nouns like “singing lessons” or “running shoes,” a different structure is used — not the gerund.
- Estou ocupada agora dando aulas de canto para a Sabrina.Translation: I'm busy right now giving Sabrina singing lessons.
- Tive que comprar um tênis novo de corrida para me exercitar.Translation: I had to buy new running shoes to exercise.
In this last case, instead of the gerund, Brazilian Portuguese uses the expressions de canto meaning singing and de corrida meaning running to describe the nouns aulas meaning lessons and tênis meaning shoes. In some other cases, such as for the word “swimming pool,” there is no need to add an adjective or expression with de meaning of to refer to this object, because it has its own word in Portuguese.
No verão, gosto de ir na piscina da cidade.Translation: During summer, I like to go to the swimming pool of the city.
‘Gerundismo’: The excessive use of the gerund
In everyday written and spoken Brazilian Portuguese, gerundismo meaning gerundism refers to the somewhat controversial grammatical phenomenon in which a progressive structure with the gerund (estar + gerund) is used as an alternative to the future indicative tense.
The gerundismo is used to discuss future actions in progress — a lasting action that will never be finished.
- Estarei te ligando mais tarde.Translation: I will be calling you later.
- Posso estar te ajudando?Translation: Can I be helping you?
The standard grammar rule here would be to use the simple future or the future with ir:
- simple futureTe ligarei mais tarde.Translation: I will call you later.
- future with 'ir'Vou te ligar mais tarde.Translation: I will call you later.
Many Brazilians consider the gerundismo to be an excessive and unnecessary use of the gerund that originated from bad translations between English and Brazilian Portuguese. However, some linguists consider the gerundismo to be a harmless anglicism, or a transference of an English grammar structure (“to be going to”) into Brazilian Portuguese grammar.
Summary
In this post, we talked about how to form the gerund, along with its functions and uses in Brazilian Portuguese.
To form the gerund... → Remove the -r from the verb in the infinitive form and add -ndo
We use the gerund…
…as a verb → used in progressive tenses to indicate an ongoing or prolonged process
Eu estava esperando por você.Translation: I was waiting for you.…as an adverb → to describe an action
Atravessando a rua, você vai encontrar a farmácia.Translation: Crossing the street, you will find the pharmacy.…to replace a relative clause → to provide information about a noun
Na escola havia crianças correndo e se divertindo.Translation: At school there were children running and having fun.
Now, why don’t you practice what you have learned about the gerund in Brazilian Portuguese with some activities!
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