Infinitives, gerunds and participles have no subject and no tense of their own. That makes them compact: a whole subordinate clause collapses into two or three words. Using them well is the difference between correct Spanish and economical Spanish.
Replaces a cuando clause. Two actions, same moment, far tighter.
Replaces a si clause. Formal, elegant, and common in writing.
Any Spanish infinitive can act as a noun, often with el. English needs an -ing form here.
A participle with its own subject, set off by a comma, meaning "once X was done". Formal, and typical of reports and narration.
This is where even native speakers slip. The Spanish gerund expresses an action simultaneous with or prior to the main verb — never one that follows it, and never a quality of a noun.
| ✗ Wrong | ✓ Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Se cayó, rompiéndose la pierna. | Se cayó y se rompió la pierna. | consequence, not simultaneous |
| Una caja conteniendo libros. | Una caja que contiene libros. | gerund can't modify a noun |
| Llegó tarde, perdiendo el tren. | Llegó tarde y perdió el tren. | the result came after |
| Una ley regulando el tráfico. | Una ley que regula el tráfico. | noun modifier again |
The test: if the gerund describes what happened as a result of the main verb, it's wrong — use y plus a conjugated verb. If it describes a noun, it's wrong — use que plus a verb. Spanish is much stricter here than English.
One legitimate exception: the gerund can describe a manner or a cause. Salió corriendo (he ran out) and Siendo así, me voy (that being so, I'm off) are both perfectly correct — the action is simultaneous, not consequent.
1.___ llegar a casa, me di cuenta del error.
2.___ haberlo sabido, no habría venido.
3.Which sentence is INCORRECT?
4.___ la reunión, todos se fueron a casa.
5.Correct this: "Una caja conteniendo libros."
6.___ es malo para la salud. [smoking]
7.___ esto, pasemos al siguiente punto.
8.Which gerund use IS correct?
9.___ no recibir respuesta, volví a escribir.
10.Después de ___ (comer), dormimos la siesta.
11.___ seguir así, no terminaremos nunca.
12.The Spanish gerund can express an action that is:
Book a class with Ángel and work on written style — these constructions are what tighten a text.