mudando

Mudando is the gerund form of the Portuguese verb mudar, used to express ongoing action, a process of change, or a transitional state. In English, it is often translated as changing or moving, depending on the context. The word is common in everyday speech as well as written Portuguese.

Etymology and form: Mudar comes from Latin mutare, via the Romance language tradition. The gerund ending -ando is attached to the verb root to form mudando for -ar verbs. Other verb groups have -endo and -indo (“mudendo” for some contexts as an alternative spelling in certain regions or constructions, though mudando is standard for mudar).

Usage and nuance: The gerund describes actions happening at the same time as another action or as part of a continuous process. Examples include “Estou mudando de casa” (I am moving house) and “Mudando de assunto, vamos ao próximo tópico” (Changing the subject, let’s move to the next topic). In formal writing, overuse of the gerund to describe concurrent actions can be discouraged in favor of subordinate clauses or infinitives. The term also appears in idiomatic phrases such as “mudando de opinião” (changing one’s mind) and “mudando de ideia.”

Relation to related words: The noun form of change is mudança, derived from mudar with the -ança suffix, and is used to refer to a change or shift as a concept rather than an ongoing action.

See also: mudar; gerúndio; mudança; mudança de opinião.