LEARN Gerund in BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE
The gerund in Portuguese is used to indicate an ongoing or continuous action. It’s similar to the -ing form in English, used with auxiliary verbs like “am,” “was,” or “will be.”
1. Present (Eu estou estudando)
In the present, the gerund describes an action that is happening right now.
Structure:
Portuguese: Subject + verb estar (present) + verb in gerund form.
English: Subject + verb to be (present) + verb in -ing form.
Example:
- Portuguese: Eu estou estudando.
- English: I am studying.
Other examples:
- Portuguese: Ele está lendo um livro.
English: He is reading a book. - Portuguese: Nós estamos aprendendo português.
English: We are learning Portuguese.
2. Past (Eu estava estudando)
In the past, the gerund describes an action that was happening at a specific time or during a period in the past.
Structure:
Portuguese: Subject + verb estar (past) + verb in gerund form.
English: Subject + verb to be (past) + verb in -ing form.
Example:
- Portuguese: Eu estava estudando.
- English: I was studying.
Other examples:
- Portuguese: Ela estava escrevendo um e-mail.
English: She was writing an email. - Portuguese: Eles estavam jogando futebol.
English: They were playing soccer.
3. Future (Eu vou estar estudando)
In the future, the gerund describes an action that will be happening at a specific time or during a period in the future.
Structure:
Portuguese: Subject + verb ir (future) + verb estar (infinitive) + verb in gerund form.
English: Subject + verb will + verb be + verb in -ing form.
Example:
- Portuguese: Eu vou estar estudando.
- English: I will be studying.
Other examples:
- Portuguese: Nós vamos estar viajando nessa hora amanhã.
English: We will be traveling at this time tomorrow. - Portuguese: Ele vai estar trabalhando durante o feriado.
English: He will be working during the holiday.