| I recently had a business coaching session with an American client, in Spanish. As we talked about the vision of his business and what’s his role there, I noticed a pattern: the gerund was showing up more often than expected. As in “(quiero) teniendo un equipo sólido” instead of “(quiero) tener un equipo sólido”. His Spanish skills are already very good (his comprehension is getting better and better and he’s using more authentic contents), and still there are specific patterns that need attention.
These not only comes up in life or business coaching conversations. It can happen when you’re talking about your hobbies, what you like, etc. So, even if you don’t have a business, keep reading because this might help you! “Me gusta haciendo senderismo” Sounds very reasonable, right? “I love hiking” uses the -ing form. You might feel tempted to apply the same logic and produce a Spanish sentence with a gerund. Totally understandable… and completely wrong. The rule In Spanish, hobbies and activities that follow a verb of preference always use the infinitive, not the gerund. ❌ Me gusta nadando → ✅ Me gusta nadar ❌ Me encanta cantando → ✅ Me encanta cantar ❌ Odio esperando → ✅ Odio esperar The pattern: gustar / encantar / odiar / preferir + infinitive. Only always 😉 The infinitive is the base form of the verb: nadar, cantar, correr, leer, cocinar, esquiar, bailar. Nothing added or change. That simple! This trips up English speakers constantly because English does the opposite:
The -ing form is everywhere in English. It feels natural. When you start speaking Spanish, the brain reaches for the same pattern. It’s not a mistake that means you don’t understand Spanish. It’s a mistake that means you learned English very well 🙂 How it looks in the Spanish Novels This pattern appears across the series, at every level:
Why noticing this while you read matters Reading is not just about understanding the story. It’s also about absorbing how Spanish works, in the background. When you come across me encanta bailar in a story you’re enjoying, it lands differently than when you see it in a grammar table. You remember Rodolfo. You remember San Telmo. The example has a home in your memory. A few habits that help:
One full sentence is worth more than a grammar rule in isolation. How to access the ebooks and audiobooks? I often get emails asking what you get when you acquire the ebook and audiobook bundle packages. I could tell you in writing, but I thought it would be even better to just show you. Here’s a video (screencast) so you can see what you get and how to access it from different devices: |
me gusta haciendo senderismo
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About the Author: Walter Freiberg
Author of the Spanish Novels Series (aka. Paco Ardit). I help Spanish learners increase their reading and listening skills through graded readers, audiobooks, and digital products. My personal website: www.walterfreiberg.com.