Does Italian always use the infinitive where English uses the gerund?

Question

A phrase like "**asking** questions is a sign of a curious mind" is translated in Italian as _**fare** domande è segno di una mente curiosa_; the difference is clearly that English uses the gerund where Italian uses the infinitive.Does Italian always use the infinitive where English uses the gerund?The only case where this _rule_ doesn't seem to apply is with _giocando si impara_, which is the translation of "you learn by playing." I would not say _giocare si impara_. Is there any reason for using _giocando_ in this case?

Answer 1

Hello,

Remember that only the infinitive (never the gerund in Italian) can be used as the subject or the direct object of a sentence. The infinitive form of a verb can function as the subject or direct object in Italian. In English, by contrast, either the infinitive or the gerund (the -ing form) can be used. The Italian gerund is never used in this context.

Italiano:

Cercare lavoro è molto faticoso.

Inglese:

To look for a job is very tiring.

Looking for a job is very tiring.

Italiano:

Amo cantare.

Inglese:

I love singing.

I love to sing.

I hope it helps!

Fabio

Answer 2

It's a bit complicated. In the case of "giocando si impara," Italian grammarians would refer to that as "gerundio". However, that's the kind of thing that English grammarians would call a "participle", and we might translate it as "one playing, learns". If the "-ing" form in English is properly a gerund, then yes, you can reliably use the infinitivo. In fact, you can always do that in English (running is my life→to run is my life). Unfortunately, English speakers also use "-ing" for participles, progressive tenses, and a few other obscure purposes. Until you get more intimately familiar with the use cases, I would stick to this rule: if it's gerund in English, use infinitivo; if it's participle in English, use gerundio.

Participle example: "The cat staring at you is Fuzzy. The one purring is Pickles."

"Il gatto ti fissando si chiama Fuzzy. Quello facendo la fussa si chiama Pickles."

Gerund (NOT GERUNDIO) example: "I took up swimming a year ago and I can't get enough!"

"È un'anno che mi sono dato nuotare, e mi diverta cosí tanto!"

Present progressive: "She can't come to the party. She's studying for a huge chemistry final."

"Non riuscirá ad esserla alla festa. Studia per un'esame enorme di chimica."

Notice I used the indicativo in that last example, not the progressivo, which would be "sta studiando". I would tend towards that unless I'm talking about something that's happening right now to an inanimate object, which is one of the rare times I would use the progressivo. I'm not sure I can explain why, but I will say that progressivo is not used very often in Italian, just as the indicative is not used very often in English.