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An -ing form is termed gerund when it behaves as a verb within a clause (so that it may be modified by an adverb or have an object); but the resulting clause as a whole (sometimes consisting of only one word, the gerund itself) functions as a noun within the larger sentence.
This means that a sentence may have alternative meanings depending on whether the -ing form is intended as a gerund or as a deverbal noun: in I like singing either function may be the intended one, but the meaning in each case may be different (I like to sing, if gerund; I like hearing others sing, if deverbal noun).
Future perfect subjunctive – se/quando tivermos/houvermos falado ("if/when we have spoken") Personal perfect infinitive – termos/havermos falado ("for us to have spoken") With no inflection: Impersonal perfect infinitive – ter/haver falado ("to have spoken") Perfect gerund – tendo/havendo falado ("having spoken")
perfect-ing; Irregular verbs; ... infinitive and gerund phrases, ... (meaning "at/to that place"), a sentence like There is a river could have either of two meanings: ...
Gerund forms are often used as plain verbal nouns, which function grammatically like common nouns (in particular, by being qualified by adjectives rather than adverbs): He did some excellent writing (compare the gerund: He is known for writing excellently). Such verbal nouns can function, for instance, as noun adjuncts, as in a writing desk.
Resultative perfect (referring to a state in the present which is the result or endpoint of an event in the past): "I have lost my pen-knife" (message: I still don't have it) Continuative perfect (past situations continuing into present): "I have always guided him" Anterior perfect (completed past situations, but with relevance to the present):
In the table that follows, the transformations produce grammatical sentences with similar meanings when applied to sentences with gerunds (since the transformations are based on the assumption that the phrase with the -ing word is a noun phrase). When applied to sentences with participles, they produce ungrammatical sentences or sentences with ...
As in English, the gerund conveys the main meaning of the utterance: sto pattinando (skating), I am skating. For the regular verbs, the gerund is formed from the infinitive of the verb by taking the stem and attaching the appropriate gerund suffix: -are verbs take -ando and the -ere and -ire verbs both take -endo.