01 · Chaining two verbs
Quiero aprender a cocinar.
I want to learn to cook.
Two verbs, one subject — the second one just goes infinitive, no conjugating needed.
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Infinito Mosquito
Chain verbs, describe what's happening, and place pronouns without freezing mid-sentence.
Spanish reaches for the infinitive where English uses -ing: after every preposition (antes de salir, sin decir nada, al llegar) and as a subject — Viajar es mi pasión, never a gerund there. The gerund (-ando/-iendo) is strictly for action in progress: Está hablando por teléfono. And with two-verb chains, pronouns have exactly two valid homes — before the conjugated verb or attached to the infinitive or gerund: Lo quiero comprar = Quiero comprarlo, Lo estoy leyendo = Estoy leyéndolo — both fully correct, never in the middle.
Below: the chain frames with their phrases, the English -ing traps, the accent rule for attached pronouns — and how you make both positions automatic by speaking, not by circling answers.
The warm-up pack
The verb chains, gerunds and pronoun swaps that make two-verb sentences flow — practised by saying them, not diagramming them.
01 · Chaining two verbs
Quiero aprender a cocinar.
I want to learn to cook.
Two verbs, one subject — the second one just goes infinitive, no conjugating needed.
02 · Ask for a hand, pronoun and all
¿Puedes ayudarme con esto?
Can you help me with this?
The pronoun rides on the end of the infinitive here. You could also lead with it, '¿me puedes ayudar?' — both are correct, just pick one and go.
03 · What's happening right now
Está hablando por teléfono.
He/she is talking on the phone.
The gerund is strictly for right now, mid-action — not for later, not for habits.
04 · The "still going" gerund
Sigue lloviendo desde esta mañana.
It keeps raining since this morning.
Seguir plus gerund means it hasn't stopped — the action is still going, which is exactly what a gerund is built to show.
05 · Pronoun tucked onto the infinitive
Tengo que levantarme temprano.
I have to get up early.
Pronoun glued onto the infinitive — one of two equally correct spots for it.
06 · Same sentence, pronoun up front
Me tengo que levantar temprano.
I have to get up early.
Same sentence, same meaning — the pronoun just moved up front of the conjugated verb instead. Never in the middle.
07 · The accent that saves the stress
Estoy leyéndolo ahora.
I'm reading it now.
Attach a pronoun to a gerund and it needs a written accent to keep the stress where it was — leyéndolo, not leyendolo.
08 · Making a plan for tonight
Vamos a salir a cenar esta noche.
We're going to go out for dinner tonight.
Ir a plus infinitive is how you talk about a plan — this is your 'going to' in Spanish.
09 · Something you just did
Acabo de hablar con ella.
I just spoke with her.
Acabar de plus infinitive means something just happened — moments ago, not a while back.
10 · The English trap
Viajar es mi pasión.
Traveling is my passion.
English says 'traveling' with an -ing here. Spanish reaches for the infinitive instead — viajar, never viajando, as the subject of a sentence.
11 · What "upon arriving" sounds like
Al llegar a casa, me quité los zapatos.
Upon arriving home, I took off my shoes.
Al plus infinitive is Spanish's way of saying 'upon doing something' — no separate clause required.
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First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/infinito-mosquitoRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
Watch out
The part no drill site can do
Carla
Your grammar teacher for this pack
No pronoun-attachment drills on a screen — in the Infinito Mosquito lessons you build the chains out loud and Carla catches what English smuggles in. She springs the classic trap — say "Traveling is my passion" — and you land on Viajar es mi pasión, infinitive, not gerund. Then she asks about your plans and your week, and the frames stack naturally: Vamos a salir a cenar esta noche, Acabo de hablar con ella — with you choosing, in real time, whether the pronoun goes in front or rides attached: Te lo quiero dar or Quiero dártelo.
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 6 lessons and Infinito Mosquito is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
After any preposition and as a noun/subject — exactly where English uses -ing: antes de salir (before leaving), Estudio mucho para aprobar el examen, Viajar es mi pasión (traveling is my passion).
Two positions, both correct: before the conjugated verb (Me tengo que levantar temprano) or attached to the infinitive (Tengo que levantarme temprano). Never between the two verbs. Double pronouns travel together: Te lo quiero dar = Quiero dártelo.
-ar verbs → -ando (hablando); -er/-ir verbs → -iendo (comiendo, viviendo). It pairs with estar and seguir for ongoing action: Sigue lloviendo desde esta mañana.
Attaching a pronoun to a gerund adds a syllable, so a written accent keeps the stress in place: Estoy leyéndolo, Está duchándose. Put the pronoun before the verb instead and no accent is needed: Lo estoy leyendo, Se está duchando.
No — Estoy comiendo means right now, not later. For plans, chain with ir a + infinitive: Vamos a salir a cenar esta noche.