Present Participles in Spanish Known as Gerunds

Present Participles in Spanish Known as Gerunds The Spanish verb form equivalent to -ing verbs in English is known as the present participle or gerund. The gerund always ends in -ando,  iendo, or rarely -yendo. The Spanish gerunds are used much less than the -ing verbs of English, however. Conjugating Spanish Present Participles The Spanish present participle of regular verbs is formed by removing the -ar ending and replacing it with -ando, or by removing the -er or -ir ending and replacing it with -iendo. Here are examples of each of the verb types: hablar (to speak) - hablando (speaking)beber (to drink) - bebiendo (drinking)vivir (to live) - viviendo (living) The verbs that have irregular present participles almost always use the same -ando and -iendo endings, but they have changes in the stems. For example, the present participle of venir (to come) is viniendo (coming), and the present participle of decir (to say) is diciendo (saying). To prevent awkward spellings, a few verbs use a -yendo ending in the participle instead of -iendo. For example, the present participle of leer (to read) is leyendo (reading). Using Gerunds for the Progressive Tenses As a beginning Spanish student, the way you are most likely to use the present participle is with the verb estar (to be) to form what is known as the present progressive tense. Here are some examples of that usage: Estoy estudiando. (I am studying.) Est lavando la ropa. (He is washing the clothing.) Estamos comiendo el desayuno. (We are eating breakfast.)   Here is the present-tense indicative conjugation of estar combined with a sample present participle to form the present progressive tense: yo - Estoy escribiendo. - I am writing.tà º - Ests escribiendo. - You are writing.à ©l, ella, usted - Est escribiendo. - He/she/you is/is/are writing.nosotros, nosotras - Estamos escribiendo. - We are writing.vosotros, vosotras - Estis escribiendo. - You are writing.ellos, ellas, ustedes - Estn escribiendo. - They/you are writing. The same can be done with other tenses and moods. Although it isnt necessary to learn these yet if youre a beginner, here are some examples to demonstrate the concept: Estarà © escribiendo. - I will be writing.Espero que està © escribiendo. - I hope youre writing.Estaba escribiendo. - I/you/he/she was/were writing. The progressive tenses are used less in Spanish than they are in English. As a general rule, they place an emphasis on the continuing nature of the action. For example, the difference between leo and estoy leyendo is roughly the difference between I am reading and I am in the process of reading. (Leo can also mean simply I read, indicating a habitual action.) Present Participles Used Mostly With Other Verbs One of the major differences between the present participles in English and Spanish is that while the English present participle can frequently be used as an adjective or a noun, in Spanish the present participle is nearly always used in conjunction with other verbs. Here are some examples of the present participle in use: Estoy pensando en ti. (I am thinking about you.)Anda buscando el tenedor. (He is walking around looking for the fork.)Sigue estudiando los libros. (She keeps on studying the books.) Haces bien estudiando mucho. (Youre doing well by studying much.) At this stage, you do not need to analyze these sentences or understand the details of how the present participle is used. Note, however, that in all these examples the gerund is used to indicate some form of continuing action, and that it can be translated using an -ing verb (although it doesnt have to be). Cases where you wouldnt use the Spanish participle to translate an -ing verb include instances where the English present participle is used as a noun or adjective. Note these examples: Ver es creer. (Seeing is believing.)Tiene un tigre que come hombres. (She has a man-eating tiger.)Hablar espaà ±ol es divertido. (Speaking Spanish is fun.)Me gusta comer. (I like eating.)Comprà © los zapatos de correr. (I bought the running shoes.) Also note that while in English we can use the present progressive tense to refer to a future event (as in We are leaving tomorrow), that cant be done in Spanish. You must use either the simple present tense (salimos maà ±ana) or a future tense (saldremos maà ±ana or vamos a salir maà ±ana).

Are You Making This #1 Amateur Writing Mistake

Are You Making This #1 Amateur Writing Mistake Are You Making This #1 Amateur Writing Mistake? Are you looking for the secret sauce that will turn you into a bestselling author? After 21 New York Timesbestsellers, I can tell you there is no shortcut. But writers still often ask meforthat Yodaesque bit ofwisdom â€Å"you’d give me if you could tell me only one thing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  So here it is:Avoid on-the-nose writing. It’s no magic bean but if you geta handle on this amateurwriting pitfall, you willinstantly outpace 99% ofyourcompetition. Though it might sound like something positive, on-the-noseis a term coined by Hollywood scriptwriters forprose that mirrors real life without advancing your story.This is one ofthe most common mistakes I see in otherwise good writing. No one chooses to write this way, but even pros fall into it unaware. It hasnothing to do with one’s ability to put together a sentence, a paragraph, or even a scene.The amateur writer may even have a great idea, know how to build tension, and have an ear for dialogue. On-the-nosewriting reads like this: Paige’s phone chirped, telling her she had a call. She slid her bag off her shoulder, opened it, pulled out her cell, hit the Accept Call button, and put it to her ear. â€Å"This is Paige,† she said. â€Å"Hey, Paige.† She recognized her fiancà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s voice. â€Å"Jim, darling! Hello!† â€Å"Where are you, Babe?† â€Å"Just got to the parking garage.† â€Å"No more problems with the car then?† â€Å"Oh, the guy at the gas station said he thinks it needs a wheel alignment.† â€Å"Good. We still on for tonight?† â€Å"Looking forward to it, Sweetie.† â€Å"Did you hear about Alyson?† â€Å"No, what about her?† â€Å"Cancer.† â€Å"What?† Here’s how that scene should be rendered: Paige’s phone chirped. It was her fiancà ©, Jim, and he told her something about one of their best friends that made her forget where she was. â€Å"Cancer?† she whispered, barely able to speak. â€Å"I didn’t even know Alyson was sick. Did you?† Trust me, not one reader is going to wonder how she knew the caller was Jim. We don’t need to be told that the chirp told her she had a call (duh), that her phone is in her purse, that her purse is over her shoulder, that she has to open it to get her phone, push a button to take the call, put the phone to her ear to hear and to speak, identify herself to the caller, be informed who it is†¦you get the point. If you’ve fallen into on-the-nose writing (and we all have), don’t beat yourself up. It showsyou have the ability to mirror, real life. That’s nice. Now quit it. Leave that to the people who are fine with amateur writing. Separate yourself from the competition by noticing the important stuff. Dig deep. Go past the surface. Mine your emotions, your mind and heart and soul, and remember what it felt like when you got news like that about someone you deeply cared about. Don’t distract with minutia.Give the readers the adventure they signed up for when they chose to read your story.Take the readerwithPaige when she says: â€Å"I need to call her, Jim. I’ve got to cancel my meeting. And I don’t know about tonight†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Now that’s a story I’d keep reading. Wouldn’t you? How will you avoid this amateur writing mistake in your next story? Tell me in the comments section. Ill respond more quickly than you might think.