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Verbal Periphrases: acabar de, llevar, volver a, seguir + verb",null,{"type":49,"value":50,"toc":850},"minimark",[51,56,96,118,125,130,236,275,279,293,307,321,341,360,364,374,388,402,410,420,424,440,452,471,482,496,500,510,522,557,567,581,592,606,610,623,641,655,659,668,688,699,703,739,743,758,775,789,810,817,821],[52,53,55],"h1",{"id":54},"verbal-periphrases","Verbal Periphrases",[57,58,59,60,64,65,68,69,72,73,76,77,80,81,84,85,88,89,84,92,95],"p",{},"A Spanish tense pins down ",[61,62,63],"strong",{},"when","; a verbal periphrasis adds ",[61,66,67],{},"how it unfolds",". The recipe is always the same: a ",[61,70,71],{},"helper verb"," (the auxiliary), sometimes a small linking word, and a ",[61,74,75],{},"non-finite"," main verb - an ",[61,78,79],{},"infinitive",", a ",[61,82,83],{},"gerund"," (",[61,86,87],{},"-ando \u002F -iendo",") or a ",[61,90,91],{},"participle",[61,93,94],{},"-ado \u002F -ido","). Only the helper is conjugated; the main verb stays fixed.",[97,98,99,106,112],"ul",{},[100,101,102,105],"li",{},[61,103,104],{},"Acabo de llegar."," (I have just arrived.)",[100,107,108,111],{},[61,109,110],{},"Llevo dos horas esperando."," (I have been waiting for two hours.)",[100,113,114,117],{},[61,115,116],{},"Volvió a llamar."," (He called again.)",[57,119,120,121,124],{},"English does this job with a jumble of adverbs, phrasal verbs and the perfect. Spanish packages it into a tidy set you can group by ",[61,122,123],{},"meaning",".",[126,127,129],"h2",{"id":128},"the-map-grouped-by-what-they-add","The map: grouped by what they add",[131,132,133,152],"table",{},[134,135,136],"thead",{},[137,138,139,143,146,149],"tr",{},[140,141,142],"th",{},"Nuance",[140,144,145],{},"Periphrasis",[140,147,148],{},"Links with",[140,150,151],{},"Example",[153,154,155,170,184,197,210,223],"tbody",{},[137,156,157,161,164,167],{},[158,159,160],"td",{},"Starting",[158,162,163],{},"ponerse a, echarse a, empezar a, comenzar a",[158,165,166],{},"+ infinitive",[158,168,169],{},"Se puso a llorar. (burst into tears)",[137,171,172,175,178,181],{},[158,173,174],{},"Continuing",[158,176,177],{},"seguir, continuar, andar",[158,179,180],{},"+ gerund",[158,182,183],{},"Sigue lloviendo. (still raining)",[137,185,186,189,192,195],{},[158,187,188],{},"Lasting",[158,190,191],{},"llevar + time",[158,193,194],{},"+ gerund \u002F + sin + inf",[158,196,110],{},[137,198,199,202,205,207],{},[158,200,201],{},"Finishing",[158,203,204],{},"acabar de, terminar de, dejar de, llegar a",[158,206,166],{},[158,208,209],{},"Acabo de llegar. (have just arrived)",[137,211,212,215,218,220],{},[158,213,214],{},"Repeating",[158,216,217],{},"volver a",[158,219,166],{},[158,221,222],{},"Volvió a llamar. (called again)",[137,224,225,228,231,233],{},[158,226,227],{},"Gradual",[158,229,230],{},"ir",[158,232,180],{},[158,234,235],{},"Va mejorando. (getting better)",[57,237,238,239,242,243,246,247,250,251,254,255,257,258,261,262,242,265,268,269,271,272,124],{},"Notice the pattern in the linking word: ",[61,240,241],{},"starting"," and ",[61,244,245],{},"finishing"," ideas lean on ",[61,248,249],{},"a"," or ",[61,252,253],{},"de"," plus an ",[61,256,79],{},", while ",[61,259,260],{},"continuing",", ",[61,263,264],{},"lasting",[61,266,267],{},"gradual"," ideas take a ",[61,270,83],{}," with ",[61,273,274],{},"no preposition",[126,276,278],{"id":277},"starting-ponerse-a-echarse-a-empezar-a","Starting: ponerse a, echarse a, empezar a",[57,280,281,282,285,286,242,289,292],{},"These mark the ",[61,283,284],{},"moment an action kicks off",". The neutral pair is ",[61,287,288],{},"empezar a",[61,290,291],{},"comenzar a",":",[97,294,295,301],{},[100,296,297,300],{},[61,298,299],{},"Empezó a llover."," (It started to rain.)",[100,302,303,306],{},[61,304,305],{},"Comenzamos a estudiar a las ocho."," (We started studying at eight.)",[57,308,309,310,313,314,242,317,320],{},"For a ",[61,311,312],{},"sudden, emotional"," start, Spanish reaches for ",[61,315,316],{},"ponerse a",[61,318,319],{},"echarse a"," - closer to the English \"burst into\" or \"set about\":",[97,322,323,329,335],{},[100,324,325,328],{},[61,326,327],{},"Se puso a llorar."," (He burst into tears.) - abruptly, all at once.",[100,330,331,334],{},[61,332,333],{},"Se echó a reír."," (She burst out laughing.)",[100,336,337,340],{},[61,338,339],{},"Me puse a trabajar en cuanto llegué."," (I set to work the moment I arrived.)",[57,342,343,346,347,261,350,261,353,356,357,359],{},[61,344,345],{},"Echarse a"," loves verbs of sudden motion or emotion (",[61,348,349],{},"llorar",[61,351,352],{},"reír",[61,354,355],{},"correr","); ",[61,358,316],{}," is the broader \"get down to doing\".",[126,361,363],{"id":362},"continuing-seguir-continuar-andar-gerund","Continuing: seguir, continuar, andar + gerund",[57,365,366,367,370,371,292],{},"These say the action is ",[61,368,369],{},"still going",". The workhorse is ",[61,372,373],{},"seguir + gerund",[97,375,376,382],{},[100,377,378,381],{},[61,379,380],{},"Sigue lloviendo."," (It is still raining. \u002F It keeps raining.)",[100,383,384,387],{},[61,385,386],{},"Seguimos esperando."," (We are still waiting.)",[57,389,390,393,394,397,398,401],{},[61,391,392],{},"Continuar"," is a slightly more formal twin - ",[61,395,396],{},"continúa lloviendo"," - and ",[61,399,400],{},"andar + gerund"," adds a note of \"going around \u002F busily doing\", often with a hint of disapproval:",[97,403,404],{},[100,405,406,409],{},[61,407,408],{},"Anda diciendo que no fue culpa suya."," (He goes around saying it was not his fault.)",[57,411,412,413,415,416,419],{},"Remember these take the ",[61,414,83],{},", never an infinitive: ",[61,417,418],{},"sigue lloviendo",", not \"sigue a llover\".",[126,421,423],{"id":422},"lasting-llevar-for-have-been-ing-for","Lasting: llevar for \"have been -ing for\"",[57,425,426,427,430,431,434,435,434,438,292],{},"This is the one every learner wants. To say ",[61,428,429],{},"how long"," an action has been running, use ",[61,432,433],{},"llevar"," plus a ",[61,436,437],{},"time expression",[61,439,83],{},[97,441,442,446],{},[100,443,444,111],{},[61,445,110],{},[100,447,448,451],{},[61,449,450],{},"Llevamos un año viviendo aquí."," (We have been living here for a year.)",[57,453,454,455,458,459,462,463,466,467,470],{},"The trap for English speakers is the ",[61,456,457],{},"tense",": Spanish keeps ",[61,460,461],{},"llevar in the present",", because the waiting is ",[61,464,465],{},"still happening now",", where English switches to a perfect (\"have been\"). Do not say \"he estado esperando dos horas\" as a default - ",[61,468,469],{},"llevo dos horas esperando"," is the idiomatic choice.",[57,472,473,474,477,478,481],{},"A close variant swaps the gerund for ",[61,475,476],{},"sin + infinitive"," to say how long you have ",[61,479,480],{},"gone without"," doing something:",[97,483,484,490],{},[100,485,486,489],{},[61,487,488],{},"Llevo tres días sin dormir."," (I have not slept for three days.)",[100,491,492,495],{},[61,493,494],{},"Lleva meses sin llamarme."," (He has not called me in months.)",[126,497,499],{"id":498},"finishing-acabar-de-dejar-de-llegar-a","Finishing: acabar de, dejar de, llegar a",[57,501,502,503,506,507,292],{},"The star here is ",[61,504,505],{},"acabar de + infinitive",", the Spanish for ",[61,508,509],{},"\"have just\"",[97,511,512,516],{},[100,513,514,105],{},[61,515,104],{},[100,517,518,521],{},[61,519,520],{},"Acaba de salir."," (She has just left.)",[57,523,524,525,528,529,532,533,536,537,540,541,543,544,548,549,552,553,556],{},"Keep it in the ",[61,526,527],{},"present"," for \"have just\" and the ",[61,530,531],{},"imperfect"," for \"had just\": ",[61,534,535],{},"acababa de comer"," (I had just eaten). Beware the false friend: ",[61,538,539],{},"acabar"," without ",[61,542,253],{}," means simply ",[545,546,547],"em",{},"to finish",", so ",[61,550,551],{},"acabo de comer"," is \"I have just eaten\", while ",[61,554,555],{},"termino de comer"," leans towards finishing the meal itself.",[57,558,559,562,563,566],{},[61,560,561],{},"Dejar de + infinitive"," means to ",[61,564,565],{},"stop doing"," something:",[97,568,569,575],{},[100,570,571,574],{},[61,572,573],{},"Dejó de fumar."," (He stopped smoking.)",[100,576,577,580],{},[61,578,579],{},"No dejes de escribirme."," (Do not stop writing to me.)",[57,582,583,562,586,250,589,292],{},[61,584,585],{},"Llegar a + infinitive",[61,587,588],{},"manage to",[61,590,591],{},"go so far as to",[97,593,594,600],{},[100,595,596,599],{},[61,597,598],{},"Llegó a ser director."," (He went on to become director.)",[100,601,602,605],{},[61,603,604],{},"No llegué a entenderlo."," (I never quite managed to understand it.)",[126,607,609],{"id":608},"repeating-volver-a-for-re","Repeating: volver a for \"re-\"",[57,611,612,615,616,619,620,292],{},[61,613,614],{},"Volver a + infinitive"," is the neatest trick in the set: it is the Spanish equivalent of the English prefix ",[61,617,618],{},"\"re-\""," or the adverb ",[61,621,622],{},"\"again\"",[97,624,625,629,635],{},[100,626,627,117],{},[61,628,116],{},[100,630,631,634],{},[61,632,633],{},"Vuelve a leerlo."," (Read it again.)",[100,636,637,640],{},[61,638,639],{},"No lo volveré a hacer."," (I will not do it again.)",[57,642,643,644,646,647,650,651,654],{},"Where English has a dedicated re- verb, Spanish often just uses ",[61,645,217],{},": ",[61,648,649],{},"volver a escribir"," (to rewrite), ",[61,652,653],{},"volver a nacer"," (to be reborn).",[126,656,658],{"id":657},"gradual-ir-gerund","Gradual: ir + gerund",[57,660,661,664,665,292],{},[61,662,663],{},"Ir + gerund"," paints an action as ",[61,666,667],{},"unfolding little by little",[97,669,670,676,682],{},[100,671,672,675],{},[61,673,674],{},"Va mejorando."," (It is gradually getting better.)",[100,677,678,681],{},[61,679,680],{},"Voy entendiendo el problema."," (I am slowly getting to grips with the problem.)",[100,683,684,687],{},[61,685,686],{},"Las cosas van cambiando."," (Things are gradually changing.)",[57,689,690,691,694,695,124],{},"The sense is ",[61,692,693],{},"progressive change over time",", not a snapshot of right now - that snapshot job belongs to ",[249,696,698],{"href":697},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fpresent-progressive","estar + gerundio",[126,700,702],{"id":701},"the-obligation-periphrases-in-brief","The obligation periphrases, in brief",[57,704,705,706,709,710,713,714,717,718,721,722,725,726,729,730,733,734,738],{},"A whole family of periphrases expresses ",[61,707,708],{},"having to"," do something. They have their own page, so here is just the roll-call: ",[61,711,712],{},"tener que + infinitive"," (personal obligation - ",[545,715,716],{},"tengo que irme","), ",[61,719,720],{},"hay que + infinitive"," (impersonal necessity - ",[545,723,724],{},"hay que estudiar","), and ",[61,727,728],{},"deber + infinitive"," (duty or strong advice - ",[545,731,732],{},"debes descansar","). See ",[249,735,737],{"href":736},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fobligation-necessity","obligation and necessity"," for the full treatment.",[126,740,742],{"id":741},"common-mistakes-english-speakers-make","Common mistakes English speakers make",[57,744,745,748,749,261,751,261,754,757],{},[61,746,747],{},"Dropping or swapping the linking word."," Each periphrasis fixes its own preposition: ",[61,750,288],{},[61,752,753],{},"acabar de",[61,755,756],{},"dejar de",". \"Empezar de\" and \"acabar a\" are both wrong. Learn the little word as part of the phrase.",[57,759,760,763,764,84,766,769,770,84,772,774],{},[61,761,762],{},"Using a gerund where an infinitive belongs (and back)."," Starting and finishing periphrases take an ",[61,765,79],{},[61,767,768],{},"volvió a llamar",", not \"volvió a llamando\"); continuing and lasting ones take a ",[61,771,83],{},[61,773,418],{},", not \"sigue a llover\").",[57,776,777,780,781,783,784,646,786,788],{},[61,778,779],{},"Putting llevar in the perfect."," For \"I have been waiting two hours\", Spanish keeps ",[61,782,433],{}," in the ",[61,785,527],{},[61,787,469],{},", not a perfect-tense calque of the English.",[57,790,791,794,795,798,799,802,803,806,807,809],{},[61,792,793],{},"Confusing acabar de with acabar."," ",[61,796,797],{},"Acabo de comer"," is \"I have just eaten\"; ",[61,800,801],{},"acabo de trabajar"," is \"I have just finished working\", but ",[61,804,805],{},"acabo el trabajo"," (no de) is \"I finish the work\". The ",[61,808,253],{}," is what delivers \"have just\".",[57,811,812,813,816],{},"Learn the periphrases by the ",[61,814,815],{},"nuance they add",", keep the linking word attached, and you gain a whole layer of meaning Spanish tenses alone cannot express.",[126,818,820],{"id":819},"see-also","See also",[97,822,823,829,836,842],{},[100,824,825,828],{},[249,826,827],{"href":697},"The present progressive"," - estar + gerundio for the here-and-now, and why it is not the English -ing.",[100,830,831,835],{},[249,832,834],{"href":833},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fhace-and-desde","hace and desde"," - the other ways Spanish measures ongoing time, alongside llevar.",[100,837,838,841],{},[249,839,840],{"href":736},"Obligation and necessity"," - tener que, hay que and deber in full.",[100,843,844,845,849],{},"The ",[249,846,848],{"href":847},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar","Spanish grammar cheatsheet"," collects the periphrasis groups on one card.",{"title":851,"searchDepth":852,"depth":852,"links":853},"",2,[854,855,856,857,858,859,860,861,862,863],{"id":128,"depth":852,"text":129},{"id":277,"depth":852,"text":278},{"id":362,"depth":852,"text":363},{"id":422,"depth":852,"text":423},{"id":498,"depth":852,"text":499},{"id":608,"depth":852,"text":609},{"id":657,"depth":852,"text":658},{"id":701,"depth":852,"text":702},{"id":741,"depth":852,"text":742},{"id":819,"depth":852,"text":820},"B1-B2","The toolbox of helper verb plus infinitive, gerund or participle that adds aspect Spanish tenses cannot: acabo de llegar (I've just arrived), llevo dos horas esperando (I've been waiting two hours).",[867,903],{"type":868,"instructions":869,"items":870},"fill-blank","Complete each periphrasis. Put the helper verb in brackets into the right form and keep the main verb as an infinitive or gerund as the pattern demands.",[871,875,879,883,887,891,895,899],{"prompt":872,"answer":873,"hint":874},"___ de llegar, todavía no me he sentado. (acabar, present)","Acabo","acabar de + inf = have just",{"prompt":876,"answer":877,"hint":878},"Llevo dos horas ___ el autobús. (esperar)","esperando","llevar + time + gerund",{"prompt":880,"answer":881,"hint":882},"Cuando oyó la noticia, se ___ a llorar. (poner, preterite)","puso","ponerse a + inf = burst into",{"prompt":884,"answer":885,"hint":886},"Aunque es tarde, sigue ___. (llover)","lloviendo","seguir + gerund = still",{"prompt":888,"answer":889,"hint":890},"El niño ___ a llamar a su madre. (volver, preterite)","volvió","volver a + inf = again",{"prompt":892,"answer":893,"hint":894},"Llevo tres días sin ___. (dormir)","dormir","llevar + time + sin + inf",{"prompt":896,"answer":897,"hint":898},"El médico dice que el paciente va ___. (mejorar)","mejorando","ir + gerund = gradually",{"prompt":900,"answer":901,"hint":902},"Después de años, por fin dejó de ___. (fumar)","fumar","dejar de + inf = stop doing",{"type":904,"instructions":905,"items":906},"which-one","Choose the periphrasis that fits the meaning: starting, continuing, lasting, finishing, repeating or gradual.",[907,912,917,921,925,929],{"prompt":908,"answer":909,"options":910},"It has just started (it started a second ago): ___ de empezar.","acaba",[909,911],"empieza",{"prompt":913,"answer":914,"options":915},"I have been studying for three hours: llevo tres horas ___.","estudiando",[914,916],"a estudiar",{"prompt":918,"answer":881,"options":919},"She burst into tears: se ___ a llorar.",[881,920],"dejó",{"prompt":922,"answer":889,"options":923},"He called again: ___ a llamar.",[889,924],"siguió",{"prompt":926,"answer":927,"options":928},"It is still raining: ___ lloviendo.","sigue",[927,909],{"prompt":930,"answer":920,"options":931},"He stopped smoking: ___ de fumar.",[920,932],"acabó","md",[935,938,941,944],{"q":936,"a":937},"What does acabar de plus infinitive mean in Spanish?","Acabar de plus an infinitive means to have just done something: acabo de llegar is 'I have just arrived', acaba de salir is 'she has just left'. It describes an action finished a moment ago, and it is the standard, idiomatic way Spanish says 'have just' - do not try to build it with the perfect tense and an adverb. Keep it in the present for 'have just' (acabo de comer, I have just eaten) or the imperfect for 'had just' (acababa de comer, I had just eaten). Be careful: acabar on its own, without de, simply means to finish, so acabo de comer is 'I have just eaten' while termino de comer would lean towards finishing the meal.",{"q":939,"a":940},"How do you say 'I have been doing something for a length of time' in Spanish?","Use llevar plus a time expression plus a gerund: llevo dos horas esperando is 'I have been waiting for two hours', llevamos un año viviendo aquí is 'we have been living here for a year'. Spanish puts llevar in the present tense where English reaches for a perfect, because the action is still going on now. A close cousin swaps the gerund for sin plus an infinitive to say how long you have gone without doing something: llevo tres días sin dormir, 'I have not slept for three days'. Both replace the clumsy English 'have been -ing for', and both keep llevar in the present.",{"q":942,"a":943},"What is the difference between seguir and volver a plus a verb?","Seguir plus a gerund means to keep on or still be doing something, an action that has not stopped: sigue lloviendo is 'it is still raining', seguimos esperando is 'we are still waiting'. Volver a plus an infinitive means to do something again, the literal Spanish equivalent of the English prefix 're-': volvió a llamar is 'he called again', vuelve a leerlo is 'read it again'. One says the action continues without a break; the other says it stopped and then happened afresh. Note the forms differ: seguir takes a gerund (-ando \u002F -iendo), volver a takes a plain infinitive.",{"q":945,"a":946},"Does empezar a use a preposition, and which periphrases need one?","Yes. Some periphrases glue the helper to the main verb with a preposition and some do not, and the choice is fixed per verb, not optional. The a group covers starting and reaching: empezar a, comenzar a, ponerse a, echarse a, volver a and llegar a, all followed by an infinitive (empezó a llover, it started to rain). The de group covers finishing and stopping: acabar de, terminar de, dejar de, again plus infinitive (dejó de fumar, he stopped smoking). The gerund group takes no preposition at all: seguir, continuar, andar, llevar and ir simply precede the -ando \u002F -iendo form. Learn the little word as part of the phrase.","higher","A Spanish tense tells you when something happens; a verbal periphrasis tells you how it unfolds. Pair a helper verb with a non-finite form - an infinitive, a gerund or a participle - and you unlock shades of meaning that plain tenses cannot carry: the exact moment an action starts (se puso a llorar, he burst into tears), the fact that it is still going (sigue lloviendo, it is still raining), how long it has been running (llevo dos horas esperando, I have been waiting two hours), that it has only just finished (acabo de llegar, I have just arrived), or that it has happened yet again (volvió a llamar, he called again). English scatters this work across adverbs, phrasal verbs and the perfect; Spanish concentrates it into a small, learnable set of auxiliary-plus-verb patterns. This page groups the high-value periphrases by the nuance they add - starting, continuing, lasting, finishing, repeating, gradual - and drills the two every learner reaches for daily: acabar de plus infinitive for 'have just', and llevar plus gerund for 'have been -ing for'.","spanish",{},true,"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fverbal-periphrasis",{"title":46,"description":865},"spanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fverbal-periphrasis","XbGYtLIb86l7-Kduve0PwslEsHTAR0ddBxVmSc1Qecs",[],{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":958},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M13 21h8M15 5l4 4m2.174-2.188a1 1 0 0 0-3.986-3.987L3.842 16.174a2 2 0 0 0-.5.83l-1.321 4.352a.5.5 0 0 0 .623.622l4.353-1.32a2 2 0 0 0 .83-.497z\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":960},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"M12 15V3m9 12v4a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H5a2 2 0 0 1-2-2v-4\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"m7 10l5 5l5-5\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":962},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"M20 20a2 2 0 0 0 2-2V8a2 2 0 0 0-2-2h-7.9a2 2 0 0 1-1.69-.9L9.6 3.9A2 2 0 0 0 7.93 3H4a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v13a2 2 0 0 0 2 2Zm-8-10v6\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"m15 13l-3 3l-3-3\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":964},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M11 4.702a.705.705 0 0 0-1.203-.498L6.413 7.587A1.4 1.4 0 0 1 5.416 8H3a1 1 0 0 0-1 1v6a1 1 0 0 0 1 1h2.416a1.4 1.4 0 0 1 .997.413l3.383 3.384A.705.705 0 0 0 11 19.298zM16 9a5 5 0 0 1 0 6m3.364 3.364a9 9 0 0 0 0-12.728\"\u002F>"]