A perífrasis verbal is two verbs acting as a single unit: an auxiliary that carries the conjugation, sometimes a linking word, and a main verb in the infinitive, gerund or participle. The auxiliary loses its literal meaning and contributes aspect instead.
| Structure | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ir a + inf. | near future | Voy a salir. |
| acabar de + inf. | to have just | Acabo de llegar. |
| empezar a + inf. | to start | Empecé a estudiar a las ocho. |
| volver a + inf. | to do again | Volví a leerlo. |
| dejar de + inf. | to stop | Dejé de fumar. |
| ponerse a + inf. | to set about, suddenly start | Se puso a llorar. |
| tener que + inf. | obligation | Tengo que irme. |
| estar a punto de + inf. | to be about to | Está a punto de salir. |
Acabar de is the one to master first. English needs a whole construction — "I have just arrived" — where Spanish has one tidy structure: acabo de llegar. Note it stays in the present: acabé de llegar means something different (I finished arriving).
| Structure | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| estar + ger. | in progress now | Estoy comiendo. |
| seguir / continuar + ger. | to keep on | Sigue lloviendo. |
| llevar + time + ger. | to have been doing for | Llevo dos horas esperando. |
| ir + ger. | gradual progress | Voy entendiendo poco a poco. |
| andar + ger. | to go around doing | Anda buscando trabajo. |
Llevar + gerundio replaces a structure English does differently. "I've been waiting for two hours" is llevo dos horas esperando — present tense, not perfect. Saying he esperado dos horas suggests the waiting is over.
| Structure | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| llevar + part. | cumulative total | Llevo leídos tres libros. |
| tener + part. | accumulated result | Tengo hechos los deberes. |
| dejar + part. | to leave in a state | Dejé preparada la cena. |
With participle periphrases the participle agrees with the object: Tengo escritas tres cartas.
Volver a is not "to return". Volví a leer el libro means I read it again, not that I went back and read it. Spanish has no direct equivalent of the English prefix "re-", so this periphrasis does that job.
1.___ (acabar, yo) de hablar con ella hace un minuto.
2.What does "Volví a leer el libro" mean?
3.Llevo dos horas ___ (esperar) el tren.
4.Sigue ___ (llover) desde ayer.
5.Which structure means "to have just done something"?
6.Se ___ (poner) a llorar de repente.
7.___ (dejar, yo) de fumar hace cinco años.
8.How would you say "I've been waiting for two hours" most naturally?
9.Tengo ___ (hacer) los deberes.
10.Está a punto de ___ (salir) el tren.
11.Voy ___ (entender) la gramática poco a poco.
12.Dejé ___ (preparar) la cena antes de salir.
Book a class with Ángel and retell your week using these — they're the fastest way to stop sounding like a textbook.