arañando

Arañando is the gerund form of the Spanish verb arañar. The basic meaning is to scratch or scrape with nails or claws, leaving marks on a surface or causing minor skin injuries. The action can be performed by people, animals, or rough-edged objects.

As a gerund, arañando describes an ongoing action. It is used with estar to indicate a progressive aspect, as in “El gato está arañando la puerta.” It can also appear in constructions that convey concurrent or accompanying actions, and it encompasses both physical scratching and related scraping or scoring of surfaces. For example, “La puerta está arañada por los gatos” shows the result of the action, while “Arañando la superficie, el viento dejó marcas finas” emphasizes the process.

Figurative use is common in many varieties of Spanish. Arañar can mean to scrape together or obtain a small amount of money, time, or resources. For instance, “consiguió arañar cincuenta euros” indicates earning just a small sum. The term can also apply to other minimal gains or to lightly affect something, such as a budget or reputation, when the impact is modest.

Etymology traces the verb arañar to the Spanish lexicon with roots in older forms of rascar or marcar a surface with claws. It is widely understood across Spanish-speaking regions and remains a standard term for both literal scratching and its figurative uses.