comiendo

Comiendo is the gerund form of the Spanish verb comer, meaning the act of eating. It translates to "eating" in English and is used to describe actions that are ongoing or to indicate how something is done. In standard Spanish, the progressive aspect is formed with a present tense of estar plus the gerund: estoy comiendo, estás comiendo, estamos comiendo, etc. The gerund can also express simultaneous actions or serve as a manner adverbial, as in Llegó comiendo and habló entre bocados.

Formation and grammar: For regular -er verbs, the gerund is formed by replacing the -er ending with -iendo, yielding comiendo from comer. The stress falls on the syllable mien in comiendo: co-MIEn-do. Like other gerunds, comiendo is invariable for gender and number.

Usage notes: The Spanish gerund is not used in the same way as the English present participle for all contexts. It is usually used with estar to show ongoing action, or with verbs like seguir, venir, or llevar to emphasize continuation. It can also describe a concurrent action or manner, as in Caminó comiendo, which means he walked while he was eating.

Etymology and variations: Comiendo derives from Latin comedere, meaning to eat up, and entered Spanish through medieval forms that became comer in modern Spanish.