How to Say "pretending" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “pretending” is “fingiendo” — A2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
Ella está fingiendo que no le importa el resultado.
She is pretending that the result doesn't matter to her.
Estuvimos fingiendo toda la noche para no arruinar la sorpresa.
We were pretending all night so as not to ruin the surprise.
Él entró a la oficina fingiendo una sonrisa.
He entered the office faking a smile.
Forming Continuous Actions
The word 'fingiendo' is the '-ing' form of 'fingir'. It is usually paired with a form of the verb 'estar' (to be) to show that the action is happening right now: 'estoy fingiendo' (I am pretending).
Spelling Change in the Base Verb
The base verb 'fingir' is tricky because the 'g' changes to a 'j' when followed by 'a' or 'o'. For example, the 'yo' form is 'finjo' (I pretend), not 'fingo'. However, the gerund 'fingiendo' keeps the 'g' because it is followed by 'i'.
Confusing Gerunds
Mistake: “Using 'fingiendo' in English sentence structure, e.g., 'Fingiendo es difícil.'”
Correction: In Spanish, you must use the infinitive (fingir) as the subject: 'Fingir es difícil' (Pretending is difficult). 'Fingiendo' only describes an ongoing action or manner.
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