Let’s review the Italian infinitive – infinito – and the difference with the gerund – gerundio. Quiz and premium Podcast.
Ciao a tutti.
We know that the infinito is the basic form of Italian verbs, ending in -are (mangiare – to eat) -ere (leggere – to read) -ire (dormire – to sleep). In some rare cases, we have the form -rre (produrre, sedurre, addurre, tradurre, porre etc.).
The infinitive is the classic “dictionary form”.
Infinito VS Gerundio
This is where English speakers get confused. Italians use the infinitive when English speakers can use the gerund. To be honest, the exact same confusion is common among Italian speakers learning English.
When should we use the Infinitive instead of the gerund in Italian?
The Italian gerundio does not have the same exact functions of the English gerund.
So, In Italian we use the Gerundio only to describe how another action takes place or what is/was going on, as a continuos tense. Other that that, we use the infinitive when you normally use the Gerund in English. Let’s practice with the quiz. Alla prossima!
Italian Painting of Today: Giuseppe Amisani, Ritratto di Riri (1910)