Catalan
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En Miquel estava meditant. Miquel was meditating. (durative)
En Miquel anava meditant. Miquel went on meditating. (progressive)
The aspectual element, nevertheless, is determined not by the gerund alone but by the verbs on which it depends in this kind of periphrasis (see 18.1.1 and 18.1.2). The compound gerund of any verb is obtained by adding the (past) participle to the gerund of haver: havent dinat ‘having lunched’, havent pres ‘having taken’, havent dormit ‘having slept’, havent sabut ‘having known’, etc.These forms express anteriority, that is, denote a time that precedes that of the main verb. There are some examples of the use of the compound gerund in 22.2.4.1.
22.1.2 INFLECTION: THE GERUND AS VERBAL MODIFIER
Unlike the participles, the gerund presents no nominal inflection for gender and number. This is another feature opposing gerund and present participle (see 21.2.1).
The important point is that the Catalan gerund is basically a non-finite verbal form whose primary function is adverbial, and it can thus correctly modify only verbs (present in the sentence or implied) except in the special circumstances described in 22.2.4.2, ‘An appendix supplying more documentation’ should not be translated with the gerund (*un apèndix fornint més documentació) but rather with a relative clause: un apèndix que forneix/fornia més documentació. Only in captions does the gerund exceptionally appear without an accompanying finite verb (les meves germanes sortint del parc ‘my sisters coming out of the park’, beneath a photograph, for example). Otherwise, as indicated, English speakers need to take particular care not to misuse the gerund as a participle, and to use the relative construction as the most natural solution in Catalan for frequently occurring cases like:
Se’m va acostar un tipus que portava una gavardina bruta.
I was approached by a character wearing a dirty raincoat.
Α recepció es pot obtenir un plànol que mostra tots els llocs d’interès turístic.
A map showing all the sites of interest to tourists can be obtained in reception.
These characteristics of the gerund will be further illustrated in discussion of various features of related syntax given in the following sections.
22.2 SYNTAX OF THE GERUND
22.2.1 WEAK PRONOUN POSITION
Typically, any weak pronoun complements will be attached enclitically to the gerund:
Fent-ho així acabaràs aviat.
(By) doing it like this you will finish quickly.
Escrivien contant-me coses de la seva feina.
They used to write telling me things about their work.
(North Catalan, though, behaves like French and consistently places the pronoun before the gerund.)
When the gerund is governed by a finite verb (that is, in durative or progressive periphrases) a weak pronoun can either precede the main verb or follow the gerund. See 12.2.3.
Ens anirem coneixent a poc a poc. = Anirem coneixent-nos a poc a poc.
We shall gradually get to know one another.
22.2.2 AMBIGUITY IN GERUND SUBJECTS
The adverbial function of the gerund and the mobility of adverbial components within a sentence mean that there may be ambiguity in the interpretation of the subject of the gerund in L’Enric trobà la Maria cantant. Here the meaning could be either ‘Enric came across Maria (who was) singing’ or ‘When he was singing Enric came across Maria’. Such cases of ambiguity (see 22.2.4.3) can always be resolved in this way:
Els vaig veure quan baixaven de l’avió.
I saw them as they were getting off the plane.
Els vaig veure quan baixava de l’avió.
I saw them as I was getting off the plane.
Either of the options above would clarify, if context were insufficient, the possible ambiguity (perhaps stronger in Catalan than in the English equivalent) of:
Els vaig veure baixant de l’avió. I saw them getting off the plane.
22.2.3 GERUND IN ABSOLUTE PHRASES
The gerund, with its (logical) subject, object, and other complements, can be the nucleus of an absolute gerund phrase (e.g. Sabent-ho tu ja ho sap tothom ‘With you knowing it everybody now knows it’). The adverbial functions (conditional, causal, concessive, temporal, etc.) performed by such absolute gerund phrases coincide with part of the range available when the gerund and the main verb have the same subject (see 22.2.4.1). English translation of this type of absolute clause often involves a conjugated verb:
Dient això ella tampoc no ho creurem. (concessive)
Although she might say that we still won’t believe it.
Pagant l’empresa, els dinars sempre cauen bé. (temporal)
When the firm is paying, lunches are always a pleasure.
Aportant ells aquesta quantitat el premi serà més substancial. (means or condition)
By their contributing this sum/If they contribute this sum the prize will be more substantial.
Tractant-se d’una emergència el metge us atendrà de seguida. (causal)
As it’s an emergency the doctor will see you immediately.
Observe that these absolute gerund phrases show the virtually obligatory order, in non-finite constructions, of the subject following the verb, as in the examples above.
22.2.4 SYNTACTIC FUNCTIONS OF THE GERUND
22.2.4.1 Adverbial functions
The main area of use of the gerund, including absolute phrases discussed in 22.2.3, is the modification of the main verb phrase in a sentence. Structurally the gerund clause in Dient aquestes coses no tindràs mai amics ‘If you say these things you’ll never have any friends’ has the same function as the simple adverb així when the sentence is recast as Així no tindràs mai amics ‘You’ll never have any friends (if you behave) like this’. Likewise, a gerund phrase can be seen to be the equivalent of a full subordinate clause with a finite verb, as in Jugant per la plaça es va rompre un braç = Quan jugava per la plaça es va rompre un braç ‘(When he was) playing in the square he broke his arm’, and in examples shown at 22.2.3.
Following from what is said about tense in 22.1.1, the situation denoted by the gerund will be simultaneous or virtually simultaneous with that of the main verb, as is seen in:
Van marxar remugant.
They went off muttering.
Vam pujar l’escala saltant de dos en dos els esglaons.
We skipped up the stairs two at a time.
Fent-me l’ullet féu veure que havia entès l’al·lusió.
Winking at me he let on that he had understood the allusion.
Normative grammarians insist that the action expressed by the gerund must always be simultaneous to that expressed by the main verb. Modern journalism in particular is frequently charged with abuse of the gerund in producing sentences like the following:
(non-standard) Van fugir de pressa, detenint-los la policia pocs dies després.
(recommended) Van fugir de pressa, però la policia els va detenir pocs dies després.
They fled quickly, being arrested by the police a few days later.
(non-standard) Actuà a Paris i a Roma, esdevenint una celebritat mundial abans de complir vint anys.
(recommended) Actuà a París i a Roma, i esdevingué una celebritat mundial abans de complir vint anys.
She performed in Paris and Rome, becoming a world-wide celebrity before the age of twenty.
Note, though, that there is no infraction when the action of the gerund occurs immediately before that of the main verb, as in Es va fer famosa publicant les seves confessions ‘She became famous by publishing her confessions’, or in Agafant el micròfon començà a cantar Taking the microphone she began to sing’.
The main information conveyed by the gerund phrase may itself be temporal, as is the case when ser or estar is involved:
Estant a Roma podrem visitar el Coliseu.
While staying in Rome we’ll be able to visit the Colosseum.
Essent ella a la presó, un parent seu va portar el negoci famIIIar.
When/While
she was in prison, one of her relatives ran the family business.
But the basic temporal reference (simultaneity) is very commonly complemented by another (or more than one other) connotation, typically of manner, means, condition, concession, cause or purpose. Overlapping can easily be seen between the divisions of adverbial function given below:
(i) Manner:
Em va saludar somrient.
She greeted me with a smile.
(ii) Means or method (overlapping with conditional function, as in the examples given in (iii) below):
Podeu obtenir més informació escrivint-nos ο trucant-nos per telèfon.
You can obtain more information by writing to us or phoning us.
Repartint diaris pel veïnat ha après les adreces de tots els veïns.
From delivering newspapers around the neighbourhood he has learnt the addresses of everyone who lives there.
(iii) Condition:
Explicant-los-ho tu, és més probable que s’ho creguin.
If you explain it to them it’s more likely they’ll believe it.
Sent tan importants, no voldran pas seure amb nosaltres.
Being/If they are so important they won’t want to sit with us.
(iv) Concession:
Havent estat un dels nostres col·laboradors més fidels, aquesta vegada ens ha fallat.
Despite having been one of our most faithful contributors, this time he has let us down.
Tot suprimint aquest paràgraf, el text encara ens resultarà massa llarg.
Even if we knock out this paragraph, we’ll still find the text is too long.
(In its concessive function the gerund is frequently accompanied by the adjunct tot, as here, or tot i, see below.)
(v) Cause:
Adonant-se de la meva presència, va adoptar un to més suau.
Becoming aware of my presence, she adopted a softer tone.
Havent pintat les parets, ara convé que canviem les cortines.
Having painted the walls we now need to change the curtains.
(vi) Purpose (invariably with verbs of communication):
Ens han escrit expressant (= per expressar) el seu condol.
They have written to express their condolences.
Ens va trucar ahir demanant (= per demanar) més aclariments.
She phoned us yesterday asking for more clarifications.
These clauses with the gerund (especially temporal and concessive) sometimes occur introduced by tot (i) or bo i, stressing the idea of simultaneity or opposition:
Tot/Bo i dinant establirem els termes del contracte.
Over lunch we will fix the terms of the contract.
Els de la Creu Roja, tot i acudint amb rapidesa, no hi van ser a temps per reanimar-la.
The Red Cross people, although responding quickly, were not in time to revive her.
This reinforcement with tot (i)/bo i is optional, a matter of idiolectal or stylistic preference in all registers.
22.2.4.2 Adjectival behaviour of the gerund
In certain cases the gerund (with its complements) appears to modify a noun and thus to have an adjectival function:
L’avi, explicant tot el que havia viscut, entretenia els néts hores i hores.
Grandfather, recounting everything he had lived through, kept his grandchildren amused for hours on end.
La coral, seleccionant un repertori tan variat, pretenia satisfer tot l’auditori.
The choir, selecting such a varied repertoire, aimed to satisfy the whole audience.
Els metges, receptant tranquil·litzants a dojo, contribueixen a les drogoaddiccions.
Doctors prescribing handfuls of tranquillizers are making drug addiction worse.
That the role of each of these gerund clauses is adjectival is shown by the way that they readily convert into relative (i.e. adjectival) clauses: l’avi, el qual explicava, …, la coral, que havia seleccionat …, els metges, els quals recepten … It is to be observed that gerunds used in this way can be converted into explicative or non-restrictive clauses (see 31.1.2) but not into restrictive ones. These considerations are relevant for the foreign learner because of their bearing on the contrast between the Catalan gerund and the English ‘-ing’ form (where French can also produce interference). The point is returned to in 22.3.1.
The subject of this adjectival gerund may coincide with either the subject of the main verb (as in the examples given immediately above) or with its object, as in:
He vist en Joan fent cua per pagar la contribució.
I saw Joan queuing to pay his (local) tax.
Trobaren el seu germà corrent per les muntanyes.
They met her brother running in the mountains.
A restriction operating here is that the gerund in such constructions can be only of verbs of perceivable action:
*He menjat unes pomes essent agres.
He menjat unes pomes (que eren) agres.
I ate some bitter-tasting apples.
*Ens van explicar unes coses semblant increïbles.
Ens van explicar unes coses que semblaven increïbles.
They told us some incredible-sounding things.
*He hagut d’aclucar els ulls per mirar aquells llums brillant tant.
He hagut d’aclucar els ulls per mirar aquells llums que brillen tant.
I had to close my eyes to look at those lights shining so brightly.
22.2.4.3 The gerund modifying a direct object
As already seen, the gerund is used (like the English ‘-ing’ form) to refer to actions being performed by persons who are the objects of certain types of verb.
(i) Verbs of ‘encountering’, like agafar ‘catch’, sorprendre ‘surprise’, pillar/enxampar (colloquial) ‘nab’, ‘catch’, detenir/arrestar ‘arrest’, trobar ‘find’, ‘meet’, and others, also deixar ‘leave’:
No hi ha cap examen on no enxampin algú copiant.
There is no exam where they don’t catch somebody copying.
El deixaren dormint la mona.
They left him sleeping off his hangover.
(ii) Verbs of representation, like dibuixar ‘draw’, descriure ‘describe’, retratar ‘portray’, fotogafiar ‘photograph’, mostrar ‘show’, representar ‘represent’, imaginar (-se) ‘imagine’, etc.:
És una vella fotografia que mostra el meu avi embarcant-se cap a Cuba.
It’s a an old photograph which shows my grandfather embarking for Cuba.
Te’ls has d’imaginar arribant al cim.
You must imagine them reaching the summit.
Captions of illustrations, photographs, etc., belong to this category. As mentioned (in 22.1.2) this is virtually the only context in which the gerund appears correctly without any accompanying verb:
La guàrdia d’honor formant a la porta del palau
The guard of honour lining up at the palace gate
Un petroler iranià salpant del port
An Iranian oil-tanker steaming out of the port
(iii) Verbs of perception: after veure ‘see’ (and synonyms), sentir ‘hear’, and other less common verbs of perception the gerund may qualify the object of the main verb. In this function the infinitive or a subordinate adverbial clause often occurs instead of the gerund. The infinitive is preferred to the gerund to denote perfective aspect, that is, a completed action, while the gerund (imperfective in aspect) shows the action going on as it is being perceived:
Els vam veure parar la tenda.
We saw them pitch the tent.
Els vam mirar parant la tenda.
We saw them pitch (= as they were pitching) the tent./We saw them pitching the tent.
The construction with a finite subordinate clause is preferred when ambiguity concerning the subject of the gerund might otherwise arise (22.2.2):
La vaig veure estenent la roba./La vaig veure que estenia la roba.
I saw her hanging out the washing.
22.3 TRANSLATING THE ENGLISH ‘-ING’ FORM
Sections 22.3.1–5 de
scribe cases where the English ‘-ing’ form will not be translated by the Catalan gerund.
22.3.1 EQUIVALENTS OF RESTRICTIVE RELATIVE CLAUSES
The restrictive/non-restrictive distinction is established in 22.2.4.2: the examples given there of gerunds standing for non-restrictive adjectival clauses should be contrasted with the following restrictive cases, where the relative clause is the only option in Catalan.
*La família vivint al segon pis són molt bona gent.
La família que viu al segon pis són molt bona gent.
The family living on the second floor are very nice people.
*Digues-ho a la primera persona sortint de l’ascensor.
Digues-ho a la primera persona que surti de l’ascensor.
Tell the first person coming out of the lift.
(On relative clauses in general, see Chapter 31.)
22.3.2 VERBAL NOUNS
It is the Catalan infinitive alone and not the gerund which performs the function of the verbal noun (see 20.2), whether as subject or object of a main verb: