Infinitive, gerund and past participle; verbal paraphrases (ir a, estar + gerund, acabar de, llevar + gerund)

Mastering Non-Finite Verb Forms and Verbal Periphrases

Welcome to your complete revision guide for non-finite verb forms (the infinitive, gerund, and past participle) and verbal periphrases for AQA A Level Spanish (7692). Whether you are writing a literary essay for Paper 2 (AO3), translating tricky sentences in Paper 1, or speaking spontaneously in Paper 3, mastering these structures will instantly elevate the quality, sophistication, and grammatical accuracy of your Spanish.

Don't worry if these terms sound overly academic at first. A "non-finite" verb simply means an "unconjugated" form (it doesn't change for yo, tú, él, etc.), and a "periphrasis" is just a team of verbs working together to express a specific nuance of time or mood. Let's break them down step by step!

Part 1: The Three Non-Finite Verb Forms (Formas No Personales)

1. The Infinitive (El Infinitivo)

The infinitive is the base form of the verb ending in -ar, -er, or -ir (for example: hablar, comer, vivir). The compound infinitive is formed with haber + past participle (for example: después de haber comido = "after having eaten").

Key Uses of the Infinitive:

• As a Verbal Noun or Subject: Where English uses an "-ing" noun (a gerund), Spanish uses the infinitive.
Example: Fumar es perjudicial para la salud. ("Smoking is harmful to health.")
Example: El viajar amplía horizontes. ("Travelling broadens horizons.")

• After Prepositions (The Golden Rule): In Spanish, any preposition (para, por, sin, antes de, después de, en vez de, al, etc.) must be followed by an infinitive, never a gerund.
Example: Al llegar a la estación, compré un billete. ("Upon arriving at the station, I bought a ticket.")
Example: Estudia para aprobar. ("She studies in order to pass.")

• Direct Complement after Modal Verbs: Used directly after verbs like deber, poder, querer, saber, and soler without any connecting preposition.
Example: Suele levantarse temprano. ("He usually gets up early.")

2. The Gerund (El Gerundio)

The Spanish gerund corresponds to the English "-ing" form when used in an adverbial sense (describing how, when, or why an action is happening).

How to Form the Gerund:

• Regular Verbs:
-ar verbs \(\rightarrow\) -ando (hablar \(\rightarrow\) hablando)
-er / -ir verbs \(\rightarrow\) -iendo (comer \(\rightarrow\) comiendo; vivir \(\rightarrow\) viviendo)

• Stem-Changing -ir Verbs:
\(e \rightarrow i\): pedir \(\rightarrow\) pidiendo, sentir \(\rightarrow\) sintiendo, decir \(\rightarrow\) diciendo
\(o \rightarrow u\): dormir \(\rightarrow\) durmiendo, morir \(\rightarrow\) muriendo

• Spelling Change (Intervocalic 'y'): When the stem ends in a vowel, the unaccented 'i' becomes a 'y':
leer \(\rightarrow\) leyendo, creer \(\rightarrow\) creyendo, oír \(\rightarrow\) oyendo, traer \(\rightarrow\) trayendo

Syntactic Rules and Limitations:

• Expressing Manner, Cause, or Condition: Shows how the main action happens.
Example: Salió corriendo del aula. ("He left the classroom running.")
Example: Estudiando mucho, sacarás buenas notas. ("By studying hard, you will get good grades.")

• Strict Simultaneity: The gerund expresses an action that occurs at the exact same time as the main verb.
Example: Escucha la radio cocinando. ("She listens to the radio while cooking.")

• CRITICAL RESTRICTION (No Adjectival Use): You cannot use the gerund to qualify a noun. For example, "a burning candle" is una vela encendida or una vela que arde, not *una vela ardiendo. (The only two fixed lexical exceptions accepted are agua hirviendo = "boiling water" and leña ardiendo = "burning firewood").

3. The Past Participle (El Participio)

How to Form the Past Participle:

• Regular Verbs:
-ar verbs \(\rightarrow\) -ado (hablar \(\rightarrow\) hablado)
-er / -ir verbs \(\rightarrow\) -ido (comer \(\rightarrow\) comido; vivir \(\rightarrow\) vivido)

• Irregular Participles Required by AQA:
abrir \(\rightarrow\) abierto
cubrir \(\rightarrow\) cubierto
decir \(\rightarrow\) dicho
escribir \(\rightarrow\) escrito
hacer \(\rightarrow\) hecho
morir \(\rightarrow\) muerto
poner \(\rightarrow\) puesto
romper \(\rightarrow\) roto
ver \(\rightarrow\) visto
volver \(\rightarrow\) vuelto

• Accented Forms: Verbs whose stem ends in a vowel take a written accent on the 'i':
caer \(\rightarrow\) caído, leer \(\rightarrow\) leído, oír \(\rightarrow\) oído, traer \(\rightarrow\) traído

Rules of Agreement:

1. With auxiliary haber (Compound Tenses): The participle is completely invariable. It always ends in -o.
Example: Ellas han llegado tarde. (Never: *han llegadas)
Example: Habíamos comprado las entradas.

2. With estar (State / Result) and as an Adjective: The participle must agree in gender and number with the noun.
Example: La puerta está cerrada. ("The door is closed.")
Example: Los problemas están resueltos. ("The problems are resolved.")

3. With ser (Passive Voice): The participle must agree with the grammatical subject.
Example: La ley fue aprobada por el parlamento. ("The law was approved by parliament.")

4. Absolute Clauses: Agrees with the noun it modifies.
Example: Terminada la reunión, todos salieron. ("The meeting finished, everyone left.")

Key Takeaway for Part 1: Remember that prepositions take the infinitive, English "-ing" subjects take the infinitive, and past participles only agree when acting as adjectives, with estar, or with ser (never with haber!).

Part 2: Verbal Periphrases (Perífrasis Verbales)

A verbal periphrasis combines a conjugated auxiliary verb with a non-finite form (infinitive, gerund, or participle), sometimes linked by a preposition like a or de. Together, they express a single, precise nuance of aspect, time, or intention.

Here are the essential periphrases specified in the AQA 7692 syllabus:

1. ir a + infinitive

Meaning: Expresses near future, intention, or certainty ("going to do something").
Present: Voy a estudiar para el examen. ("I am going to study for the exam.")
Imperfect nuance: Expresses an unfulfilled or interrupted past intention ("was going to").
Example: Iba a llamarte, pero se me olvidó. ("I was going to call you, but I forgot.")

2. estar + gerund

Meaning: Continuous aspect; indicates an action actively in progress at a specific moment.
Present: Está comiendo ahora mismo. ("He is eating right now.")
Imperfect: Estaba leyendo cuando sonó el teléfono. ("I was reading when the phone rang.")
Preterite nuance: Highlights that an action was ongoing continuously over a defined, completed period of time.
Example: Estuvo trabajando durante cinco horas seguidas. ("He was working for five continuous hours.")

3. acabar de + infinitive

Meaning: To have just done something (immediate past).
Important Tense Restriction: In modern Spanish, this structure is only used in the present or imperfect.
Present: Acabo de recibir los resultados. ("I have just received the results.")
Imperfect: Acababan de salir cuando llegué. ("They had just left when I arrived.")

4. estar para + infinitive

Meaning: Has two primary uses in the AQA specification:
1. Imminence: To be about to / on the verge of doing something.
Example: El tren está para salir. ("The train is about to depart.")
Example: Estaba para llover. ("It was on the verge of raining.")
2. Readiness / Mood (frequently used in negative): To be in the mood for / disposed to.
Example: Hoy no estoy para bromas. ("Today I'm in no mood for jokes.")

5. llevar + gerund

Meaning: To have been doing something for a specific period of time (an action that started in the past and continues right now into the present).
Formula: Llevar (in present or imperfect) + [time expression] + gerund.
Example: Llevo tres años estudiando español. ("I have been studying Spanish for three years.")
Negative alternative: When an action has not happened for a period of time, use llevar + sin + infinitive or a past participle.
Example: Llevo dos días sin dormir. ("I haven't slept for two days.")

6. ir + gerund (Receptive Knowledge - R)

Meaning: Expresses gradual, incremental, step-by-step progress ("little by little" / "gradually doing").
Example: Vamos avanzando poco a poco. ("We are gradually moving forward.")
Example: El alumno va mejorando su nivel. ("The student is progressively improving his level.")

7. venir + gerund (Receptive Knowledge - R)

Meaning: Expresses an action that has been developing persistently, repeatedly, or accumulating from the past up to the present moment.
Example: Vengo diciendo esto desde hace meses. ("I have been saying this repeatedly for months.")
Example: La crisis se viene gestando desde 2008. ("The crisis has been brewing since 2008.")

Key Takeaway for Part 2: Verbal periphrases show examiners that you can communicate precise temporal shades of meaning. Remember that llevar + gerund replaces the literal English "have been doing" structure!

Part 3: Object Pronoun Placement (Clitics)

Where do you place direct, indirect, and reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, lo, la, los, las, le, nos, os, les)?

1. With Standalone Infinitives and Gerunds

Pronouns must attach to the end (enclitic) to form a single word. When attached to a gerund or multi-syllable infinitive combination, you must add a written accent (tilde) to maintain the original stress!

Infinitive: hacerlo ("to do it"), al levantarse ("upon getting up"), explicármelo ("to explain it to me").
Gerund: haciéndolo ("doing it"), mirándote ("looking at you"), preparándose ("getting ready").

2. With Verbal Periphrases

You have two equally correct choices:

Option A: Place the pronoun(s) before the conjugated auxiliary verb.
Example: Se lo voy a decir. / Te estoy mirando. / Nos llevamos preparando un año.

Option B: Attach the pronoun(s) to the end of the infinitive or gerund (remember accents!).
Example: Voy a decírselo. / Estoy mirándote. / Llevamos preparándonos un año.

Strict Rule: You can never split the periphrasis by putting pronouns between the auxiliary verb and the non-finite form (e.g., *Voy se a decir or *Estoy te mirando are completely wrong!).

Part 4: Top Pitfalls and Examiner Traps to Avoid

AQA examiner reports regularly highlight these recurring errors. Watch out for them in your translations and analytical essays:

1. Translating English "-ing" Subject Nouns as Spanish Gerunds
❌ *Fumando es malo para la salud.
✔️ Fumar es malo para la salud. (Use the infinitive for verbal nouns!)

2. Preposition + Gerund
❌ *Después de comiendo, salí. / *Para aprobando el examen...
✔️ Después de comer, salí. / Para aprobar el examen... (Prepositions always take the infinitive!)

3. Using Gerunds as Adjectives
❌ *La gente viviendo en Madrid...
✔️ La gente que vive en Madrid...

4. Making the Participle Agree with Haber
❌ *Ellas han llegadas. / *He comprada una manzana.
✔️ Ellas han llegado. / He comprado una manzana. (Participles with haber never change!)

5. Forgetting Agreement with Ser and Estar
❌ *Las decisiones fueron tomado ayer.
✔️ Las decisiones fueron tomadas ayer. (Passive voice and state participles must agree in gender and number!)

6. Translating "Have Been Doing" Word-for-Word
❌ *He estado viviendo aquí durante tres años.
✔️ Llevo tres años viviendo aquí. (Use the idiomatic llevar + gerund structure!)

7. Forgetting Accents on Attached Pronouns
❌ *diciendolo, *haciendomelo
✔️ diciéndolo, haciéndomelo (Adding pronouns shifts the syllable count; always preserve original spoken stress with a tilde!)