The Italian gerund (gerundio) is a verb form commonly used to describe an action in progress. It often corresponds to the English -ing form in expressions such as eating, reading, or sleeping. In Italian, the gerund is especially useful with the verb stare to say what someone is doing at a particular moment. For example, sto mangiando means I am eating, and stiamo studiando means we are studying. This construction is called stare + gerund (stare + gerundio) and is similar to the English present continuous. It is a useful way to describe actions happening right now.
Forming and Using the Gerund
To form the gerund of regular verbs, remove the infinitive ending and add -ando for verbs ending in -are or -endo for verbs ending in -ere and -ire. For example, parlare becomes parlando (speaking), leggere becomes leggendo (reading), and dormire becomes dormendo (sleeping). Unlike conjugated verbs, the gerund does not change according to the subject. Some common verbs have irregular gerunds, such as fare → facendo (doing, making) and dire → dicendo (saying). These forms are useful to recognize and learn individually.
To describe an action happening right now, use the present tense of stare + gerund. The verb stare changes according to the subject, while the gerund remains the same. For example, sto leggendo means I am reading, and stanno leggendo means they are reading. Unlike English, Italian does not always use the progressive form when describing something happening in the present. The simple present tense can also describe an action happening now, while stare + gerund emphasizes that the action is in progress. Italian also does not normally use this construction for habits. For example, Lavoro ogni giorno means I work every day.
Sto leggendo un libro. — I am reading a book.
Stai mangiando? — Are you eating?
Stiamo guardando la TV. — We are watching TV.
Summary of Stare + Gerund in the Present Tense
| Subject | Stare + gerund | English meaning |
| io | sto parlando | I am speaking |
| tu | stai parlando | you are speaking |
| lui / lei / Lei | sta parlando | he / she is speaking; you are speaking (formal) |
| noi | stiamo parlando | we are speaking |
| voi | state parlando | you are speaking |
| loro | stanno parlando | they are speaking |