{"id":2562,"date":"2026-06-10T11:36:07","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T09:36:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/?p=2562"},"modified":"2026-06-11T12:12:33","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T10:12:33","slug":"the-italian-gerund-formation-uses-and-examples","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/en\/the-italian-gerund-formation-uses-and-examples\/","title":{"rendered":"The Italian Gerund: formation, uses and examples"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>If you&#8217;re learning Italian, you&#8217;ve probably come across verb forms ending in <em>-ando<\/em> or <em>-endo<\/em> \u2014 and wondered exactly what they&#8217;re for. These are gerunds (<em>gerundi<\/em>), and they play a central role in the Italian language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>gerund <\/strong>is one of those structures that, once you understand it, genuinely changes the way you speak. It lets you express simultaneity, cause, and manner \u2014 all in a single verb form, without having to build complex multi-clause sentences. Concise, elegant, and extremely common in everyday speech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In English, you already use gerunds constantly (<em>running<\/em>, <em>eating<\/em>, <em>working<\/em>). But the <strong>Italian gerund<\/strong> works differently: it&#8217;s always used within a sentence alongside a main verb, more like the English <em>-ing<\/em> form in constructions such as <em>&#8220;by doing&#8221;<\/em>, <em>&#8220;while working&#8221;<\/em> or <em>&#8220;having finished&#8221;<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The contexts, the formation rules and the position of pronouns all follow their own logic \u2014 and that&#8217;s exactly what you&#8217;ll discover in this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Articolo-FR-IT-2-1024x538.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2555\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Articolo-FR-IT-2-1024x538.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Articolo-FR-IT-2-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Articolo-FR-IT-2-768x403.png 768w, https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Articolo-FR-IT-2.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. The present gerund: regular formation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Forming the present gerund in Italian is straightforward. It follows a regular pattern based on the verb&#8217;s ending:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Verbs ending in <strong>-are<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>-ando<\/strong>: <em>cercare<\/em> \u2192 <strong>cercando<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Verbs ending in <strong>-ere<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>-endo<\/strong>: <em>vedere<\/em> \u2192 <strong>vedendo<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Verbs ending in <strong>-ire<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>-endo<\/strong>: <em>dormire<\/em> \u2192 <strong>dormendo<\/strong> \/ <em>capire<\/em> \u2192 <strong>capendo<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The two auxiliary verbs form their gerunds like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>essere<\/em> \u2192 <strong>essendo<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>avere<\/em> \u2192 <strong>avendo<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>One handy detail: the gerund is invariable. It never changes to agree with gender or number \u2014 which makes it one of the simpler Italian forms to use once you&#8217;ve learned it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Irregular present gerunds<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Some common verbs have an irregular stem in the gerund. The good news is that these aren&#8217;t random: in most cases, the irregular stem matches the <em>noi<\/em> form (first person plural) of the present indicative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Infinitive<\/th><th>Gerund<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>bere<\/td><td>bevendo<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>dire<\/td><td>dicendo<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>fare<\/td><td>facendo<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>tradurre<\/td><td>traducendo<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>condurre<\/td><td>conducendo<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>porre<\/td><td>ponendo<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Facendo<\/em> and <em>dicendo<\/em> in particular come up all the time in real conversation. It&#8217;s well worth learning these early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. When to use the present gerund<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The present gerund is used when <strong>the secondary action is simultaneous with the main action<\/strong> \u2014 in other words, both things are happening at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#135b79\" class=\"has-inline-color\">&#8211; <strong>Correndo<\/strong>, sono caduta. \u2192 Running, I fell. \/ I fell while running.<br>&#8211; <strong>Facendo <\/strong>esercizio, miglioro molto. \u2192 By exercising, I improve a lot.<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Notice that in each case, both actions occur at the same time: the fall happens <em>while running<\/em>, the improvement happens <em>while exercising<\/em>. This is the key test for deciding whether the present gerund is the right form to use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. The past gerund (or compound gerund)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Italian also has a past gerund, known as the <em>gerundio composto<\/em>. It expresses an action that <strong>happened before<\/strong> the action of the main clause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The past gerund is formed with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Present gerund of <em>avere<\/em> or <em>essere<\/em> + past participle of the verb<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>avendo lavorato<\/em> (having worked)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>essendo arrivati<\/em> (having arrived)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The rule for choosing the auxiliary is the same as for the <em>passato prossimo<\/em> (Italian&#8217;s main past tense) \u2014 for a full refresher, check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/en\/essere-or-avere-how-to-choose-the-right-auxiliary-verb-in-the-italian-passato-prossimo\/\">dedicated article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some examples: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#135b79\" class=\"has-inline-color\">&#8211; <strong>Essendo arrivati<\/strong> in ritardo, abbiamo perso l&#8217;aereo. \u2192 Having arrived late, we missed the plane.<br>&#8211; <strong>Avendo cantato<\/strong> molto ieri, non ho pi\u00f9 voce ora. \u2192 Having sung a lot yesterday, I&#8217;ve lost my voice.<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In all of these cases, the action expressed by the past gerund clearly comes first \u2014 before whatever happens in the main clause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. An important rule: the subject of the gerund<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In Italian, when a sentence contains a gerund, <strong>the subject of the gerund is assumed to be the same as the subject of the main clause<\/strong>. You don&#8217;t need to state it separately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#135b79\" class=\"has-inline-color\">&#8211; <em><strong>Dormendo <\/strong>poco, \u00e8 sempre stanco.<\/em> \u2192 <em>Sleeping little, he&#8217;s always tired. \/ Because he sleeps little, he&#8217;s always tired.<\/em><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>(The subject &#8220;he&#8221; applies to both verbs.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But if the two subjects are different, the gerund&#8217;s subject <strong>must be stated explicitly<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#135b79\" class=\"has-inline-color\">&#8211; <em><strong>Essendo <\/strong>il treno pienissimo, il viaggio non \u00e8 stato molto confortevole.<\/em> \u2192 <em>The train being packed, the journey wasn&#8217;t very comfortable.<\/em><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here, the gerund has its own subject (<em>il treno<\/em>), which is different from the subject of the main clause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is one well-known exception:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#135b79\" class=\"has-inline-color\">&#8211; <em><strong>Piovendo<\/strong>, resto a casa.<\/em> \u2192 <em>Since it&#8217;s raining, I&#8217;m staying home.<\/em><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since <em>piovere<\/em> is an impersonal verb (like &#8220;to rain&#8221;), there&#8217;s no subject to express \u2014 this is a perfectly standard and common construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. What the gerund is used for<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The gerund can serve different functions depending on context. Here are the two most important ones:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6.1 Causal function (answering &#8220;why?&#8221;)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The gerund expresses a cause or reason:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#135b79\" class=\"has-inline-color\">&#8211; <em><strong>Lavorando <\/strong>molto, non ha tempo di fare molte cose.<\/em> \u2192 <em>Because he works so much, he doesn&#8217;t have time for many things.<\/em><br>&#8211; <em><strong>Avendo avuto<\/strong> un incidente, \u00e8 molto pi\u00f9 attento ora.<\/em> \u2192 <em>Having had an accident, he&#8217;s much more careful now.<\/em><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6.2 Temporal function (answering &#8220;when?&#8221;)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The gerund expresses a moment or circumstance:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#135b79\" class=\"has-inline-color\">&#8211; <em><strong>Andando <\/strong>a fare la spesa, ho incontrato Simona.<\/em> \u2192 <em>While going grocery shopping, I ran into Simona.<\/em><br>&#8211; <em>Si \u00e8 rotta la gamba <strong>pattinando<\/strong>.<\/em> \u2192 <em>She broke her leg while skating.<\/em><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The same verb form can carry a slightly different meaning depending on context \u2014 that flexibility is precisely what makes the gerund so useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. Pronoun placement with the gerund<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a detail that trips up many learners, and it works differently depending on whether you&#8217;re using the present or past gerund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7.1 With the present gerund<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The pronoun always comes <strong>after the gerund<\/strong>, attached directly to it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#135b79\" class=\"has-inline-color\">&#8211; <strong>Vestendo<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">si<\/span><\/strong> in fretta, abbina sempre male i colori. \u2192 Getting dressed in a hurry, he always mismatches his colours.<br>&#8211; <strong>Alzando<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">si<\/span><\/strong> presto la mattina, va a dormire presto la sera. \u2192 By getting up early, he goes to bed early too.<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7.2 With the past gerund<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The pronoun comes <strong>after the auxiliary<\/strong> (<em>avendo<\/em> or <em>essendo<\/em>), not after the past participle:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#135b79\" class=\"has-inline-color\">&#8211; <strong>Essendo<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">ci<\/span> andata <\/strong>ieri, oggi non ne ho voglia. \u2192 Having gone there yesterday, I don&#8217;t feel like it today.<br>&#8211; <strong>Avendo<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">mi<\/span><\/strong> <strong>sorpreso <\/strong>con un altro ragazzo, ha deciso di lasciarmi. \u2192 Having caught me with another guy, he decided to break up with me.<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The key difference: with the present gerund, the pronoun attaches to the gerund itself; with the past gerund, it attaches to the auxiliary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8. Want to go deeper?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The gerund is one of those structures that genuinely elevates your Italian. Used at the right moment, with the right form and pronouns in the right place, it allows you to build smoother, more natural sentences \u2014 the kind that sound like a real speaker, not a textbook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check out the full <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/app\/en\/resources\/it\/b1\">grammar sheet on the &#8220;Gerundio presente e passato&#8221;<\/a> in the Sillabi resources to find all the rules, formation tables and additional examples organised by use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">9. Ready to take your Italian to the next level?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Understanding a rule is the first step. Making it automatic in your speech is a different challenge entirely \u2014 and that&#8217;s exactly what the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/app\/en\/course\/it\">Allegramente!<\/a> course is designed for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Built for English speakers who want to progress in Italian in a structured, motivating way, our course guides you step by step with clear explanations, varied activities, and a progression that turns grammar rules into natural instincts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not sure where to start? Take the online <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/app\/en\/assessment\/it\">level test<\/a> right now: in just a few minutes, you&#8217;ll know exactly which point in the course is the right fit for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you&#8217;re learning Italian, you&#8217;ve probably come across verb forms ending in -ando or -endo \u2014 and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65,32],"tags":[711,553,260,292],"class_list":["post-2562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-b1-italian","category-it-italian","tag-gerund","tag-gerundio","tag-grammar","tag-grammatica-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2562"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2562\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2581,"href":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2562\/revisions\/2581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}