Portuguese grammar · Elementary (A2)
Estar + gerund and other verb phrases
Estar fazendo for what's happening now, and the verb phrases acabar de, voltar a, começar a, parar de, ficar, andar and vir + gerund.
Estar + gerund: what's happening now
The “gerund” is the verb form that matches English “-ing”. It is always regular: -ar → -ando, -er → -endo, -ir → -indo, and → . Use + gerund for something in progress now or around now: (What are you doing?), (She's living in Recife at the moment).
Don't use it for future plans, as English does. For “I'm travelling tomorrow” say or .
In Portugal people say + infinitive instead: (Brazil: ). In relaxed Brazilian speech and are often shortened to and : (I'm nearly there).
| Infinitive | Gerund |
|---|---|
- Estou trabalhando agora, te ligo depois.I'm working now, I'll call you later.
- Está chovendo muito.It's raining a lot.
- A gente está procurando um apartamento.We're looking for a flat.
Other verbs + gerund
Several other verbs combine with the gerund. Each adds its own idea of time. + gerund is very common in Brazil for something that went on for a long time; + gerund is a little more formal.
| Verb phrase | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| + gerund | keep doing, spend time doing | (I spent an hour waiting.) |
| + gerund | still, keep on | (She still lives in Rio.) |
| + gerund | lately, again and again | (I've been sleeping badly lately.) |
| + gerund | little by little | (Things are gradually getting better.) |
| + gerund | from some time ago up to now | (I've been working in events.) |
| + gerund | end up doing | (I ended up staying at home.) |
- Fiquei o dia todo pensando nisso.I spent the whole day thinking about it.
- Ela continua trabalhando no mesmo lugar.She's still working at the same place.
- O tempo vai passando e a gente nem percebe.Time goes by and we don't even notice.
Verb + preposition + infinitive
Many useful phrases are a verb, a small word such as or , and an infinitive. The small word is part of the phrase, so learn them together. in the preterite means “to have just done”: (I've just arrived).
| Verb phrase | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| have just done | (I've just arrived.) | |
| start to | (It started to rain.) | |
| do again | (I've started studying English again.) | |
| stop doing | (I've stopped smoking.) | |
| no longer do | (I don't eat meat any more.) | |
| be about to | (The show is about to start.) | |
| usually do | (I usually have lunch at noon.) | |
| have to | (I have to leave early.) |
- Acabei de falar com ela.I've just talked to her.
- Quando você parou de fumar?When did you stop smoking?
- Ela voltou a morar com os pais.She's moved back in with her parents.