(Fumar et perjudica la salut.)
Forms: walking, interesting, reading.
For the spelling of –ing forms, see table.
We can use the –ing form as a verb, as a noun and as an adjective. (When the –ing form is a verb, the form is called the present participle; see simple and continuous.)
When we use the –ing form as a noun, it is sometimes called a gerund. We use it for the activity corresponding to the verb. A gerund can be the subject of the sentence, e.g.:
| Smoking is bad for your health. (Fumar et perjudica la salut.) |
| Regular swimming keeps you fit. (Nedar regularment et manté en forma.) |
A gerund can also be the object of the sentence, e.g.:
| I like cycling but I don't like cycling in the rain. (M'agrada anar amb bici, però no m'agrada anar amb bici quan plou.) |
 | |||
 |
| ||
| |||
A gerund can also be the complement of a preposition, e.g.:
| She's very afraid of falling. (Té molta por de caure.) |
| I'm looking forward to meeting you in person. (Em fa il·lusió conèixer-la en persona.) |
| They started without waiting to hear what I had to say. (Van començar sense esperar a sentir allò que els havia de dir.) |
| |||
|
| ||
| |||
Notice the use of the –ing form after the following expressions: difficulty, no point in, no use, waste of time, worth, e.g.:
| We had some difficulty moving the fridge. (Teníem dificultats per a moure la nevera.) |
| There's no point in getting up early. (No té sentit llevar-se d'hora.) |
| It's no use waiting for Peter. (No té sentit esperar en Peter.) |
| It's a waste of time listening to her excuses. (És una pèrdua de temps escoltar les seves excuses.) |
| It's worth phoning to make an appointment. (Paga la pena trucar per demanar hora.) |
Examples of the –ing form as an adjective:
| an interesting book (un llibre interessant) |
| a very tiring journey (un viatge molt cansat) Not: a very |
Notice the different use of the words in pairs like interesting/interested, boring/bored, etc.:
| I am interested. (Hi estic interessada.) |
| The film was interesting. (La pel·lícula era interessant.) |
| The talk was boring; I was bored. (La xerrada era avorrida; estava avorrida.) |