# -ve/-va as a gerund



## vesteralen27

szia¡¡ 

my doubt is if i can  use a verb with suffixe "-va/-ve" to answer questions like: ¿mit csinalsz? I mean, if a verb with this termination can be translated like the gerund in english and spanish. for exemple: what are you doing in this moment? learning/reading/aprendiendo/leyendo.

so: mit csinalsz? tanulva/olvasva.  are this kind of answers common, valid and productive in hungarian or not?

thanks for your help. Gracias por la ayuda.


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## Olivier0

This progressive use of gerund ("in the process of doing something") in Spanish and English does nor exist in Hungarian, the Hungarian answer would just be _tanulok_ (lit. "I learn") = "I am learning". Some other uses of these forms are:
- el hombre leyendo un libro = the man reading the book = _a könyvet olvasó ember_ = present participle (melléknévi igenév),
- leyendo aprendes = you learn by reading = _olvasva tanulsz_ = gerund (határozói igenév),
and only this last one is the -_va/ve_ you are asking about.
This -_va/ve_ is also used for a passive meaning: _zárva van_ = it is closed.
-- Olivier


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## gorilla

-va/-ve always expresses something for which a "How?/In what way?" question is appropriate. There are some overlaps with Spanish -endo and English -ing but only in some cases.
Depending on the verb and context, the meaning can be active or passive, as Olivier pointed out, and sometimes it refers to a previous event that still has an effect to the present.
There is a good article (in Hungarian) about the meaning of this suffix with many examples: http://www.nyest.hu/hirek/igeneveket-hatarozva


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