Verbal Periphrasis (Advanced)

A Verbal Periphrasis (perífrasis verbal) is a structure where two verbs work together as a single unit to express a nuanced aspect of an action that a simple tense cannot capture. The structure is typically:

[conjugated auxiliary verb] + [preposition/conjunction or nothing] + [infinitive, gerund, or participle]

At the C1 level, you move beyond basic periphrases (ir a, estar + gerundio) to more expressive and literary ones.

Key Categories of Periphrasis

• Inceptive (Beginning an action): Signal the start of an action, often suddenly.

  • Echar(se) a + infinitivo: To start doing something suddenly. Se echó a reír. (He burst out laughing.)
  • Romper a + infinitivo: To burst into an action, often with emotion. Rompió a llorar. (She burst into tears.)

• Terminative (Ending an action): Signal the end or culmination of an action.

  • Acabar por + infinitivo: To end up doing something. Acabó por aceptar la oferta. (He ended up accepting the offer.)
  • Llegar a + infinitivo: To manage to/get to do something, often implying difficulty. Llegó a ser el director. (He managed to become the director.)

• Durative / Progressive (Ongoing action): Emphasize the duration or progression of an action.

  • Andar + gerundio: To go around doing something. Anda diciendo mentiras. (He's going around telling lies.)
  • Venir + gerundio: Indicates an action that has been happening for some time and continues. Vengo pensando en eso todo el día. (I've been thinking about that all day.)

• Repetitive (Repeating an action):

  • Volver a + infinitivo: To do something again. Volvió a llamar. (He called again.)

• Resultative (Result of an action):

  • Llevar + participio: Indicates the accumulated result of an action. Llevo leídas cien páginas. (I have read 100 pages so far.)

A Note for Advanced Readers

Be aware that not every verb + verb combination is a true periphrasis. In a sentence like Quiero comer, the verb comer acts as the direct object of quiero. A true periphrasis functions as a single verb predicate, creating a new grammatical meaning (like aspect or modality) that modifies the main action.