Antes de salir, revisa tus cosas.
English: Before leaving, check your things.
- Language
- Spanish
- Level
- B2
- Unit
- Formas no personales del verbo y estructuras complejas
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
In Spanish, 'formas no personales del verbo' are verb forms that do not change according to the subject or tense. In subordinate clauses, these forms (infinitive, gerund, participle) allow you to connect ideas without using a full conjugated verb.
When to use it
These forms are used in Spanish to express actions related to the main verb, such as expressing purpose, cause, condition, or time. They often appear after prepositions or in phrases where the subject is the same as the main clause.
Key forms
- Infinitivo: hablar, comer, vivir
- Gerundio: hablando, comiendo, viviendo
- Participio: hablado, comido, vivido
Examples
Al terminar de comer, nos fuimos.
English: After finishing eating, we left.
Viendo la lluvia, decidimos quedarnos en casa.
English: Seeing the rain, we decided to stay at home.
He visto a Juan corriendo en el parque.
English: I have seen Juan running in the park.
Terminada la reunión, todos se marcharon.
English: Once the meeting was finished, everyone left.
Tips
- Use the infinitive after prepositions (like 'de', 'por', 'para').
- The gerund is never used to express future actions.
- The participle is often used with 'haber' to form perfect tenses or as an adjective.
Exceptions and edge cases
- Some verbs have irregular participles (e.g., 'escribir' → 'escrito', 'abrir' → 'abierto').