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Portuguese Tip: Infinitives and Gerunds Part 1
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By Teacher Claudia
Happy 2007, dear readers! Thank you for your encouraging emails, interesting suggestions and useful critique on my work.
My foreign students sometimes misuse infinitives and gerunds, especially if their mother-tongue is English. As the topic presents several "details", I'm splitting it in two lessons. Let's study the gerund first, shall we?
Activity 1
Read the beginning of the song "Sentidos", by Zélia Duncan:
"Não quero seu sorriso
Quero sua boca
No meu rosto
Sorrindo pra mim.
Não quero seus olhares
Quero seus cílios
Nos meus olhos
Piscando pra mim."
(I don't want your smile
Want your mouth
On my face
Smiling to me.
I don't want your glances
Want your eyelashes
On my eyes
Blinking to me.)
Activity 2
Explanation.
In activity 1, the words sorrindo and piscando have been underlined.
They are in the gerund form, usually shown by terms which end in -ando, -endo, -indo.
The gerund can be used in two forms, "simples" (sorrindo, piscando) and "composta" (tendo or havendo sorrido, tendo or havendo piscado).
The "simples" form explains an action in course:
Chegando atrasada, ela precisou correr.
The "composta" form is about an action ended:
Tendo chegado atrasada, ela pediu desculpas.
There's always a condition of cause, time, manner and means, plus a sense of timing:
Acreditando nele, ela se declarou.
Dizendo aquilo, ele partiu.
The gerund can also be with another verb form, creating a "locução verbal":
Está chovendo muito.
Eles vivem brigando.
Activity 3
Attention!
Differently from English, we can't use the gerund in the future. The sentence "O diretor estará voltando de Singapura amanhã" is wrong! "O diretor voltará de Singapura amanhã" is correct.
Activity 4
Practice what you've studied.
Complete these sentences with the gerund form:
a. .............................., faremos a festa. (poder)
b. ............................... vencido o jogo, comemorou a vitória. (ter)
c. Eles estavam ........................... muito alto! (falar)
d. Sem dúvida, ele vinha ............................. o melhor. (ser)
Ok, dear readers, enough for a day.
Next class I'll talk about the infinitive.
See you!
Cláudia
Teacher Claudia is available for private classes in Sao Paulo. She can be contacted at claudiafmla@uol.com.br
To read previous articles by Teacher Claudia click below:
Brazil: Portuguese Tip - Ninguém X Nenhum
Brazil: Portuguese Tip - Tudo vs. Todo
Brazil's Independence Day
Brazil: Portuguese Tips - Denials
Brazil: Portuguese Tips - Não and Nem
Portuguese Tip: If Clauses Part 1
Portuguese Tip: If Clauses Part 1
Portuguese Tip: The X Doubts Part 2
Portuguese Tip: The X Doubts
Brazil: To Tell or Not to Tell
Brazil: Ipiranga Museum
Portuguese Tip: Odd words
Portuguese Tip: Interjections and Expressions
A Brazilian Holiday: October 12th
Portuguese Tip: Sounds
Portuguese Tip: Verb Tenses
Portuguese Tip: The Mystery of Seu, Sua
Portuguese Tip: Interjections and Expressions
Portuguese Tips: Plurals - Part 2
A Brazilian custom: Kissing the Cheek
Portuguese Tips: Regular Verbs - Simple Past
Portuguese Tips: Plurals - Part 1
Portuguese Tips: Regular Verbs - Simple Present
Portuguese Tips
Portuguese Tips: Adverbs in Portuguese
Portuguese Tips: Comparative and Superlative
Foreigners Through Brazilian Eyes
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1/11/2007
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