Dejar de + infinitive

Question

The lesson specifically states that we don’t use the gerund as we might in English.  Then the gerund is used: He dejado de fumar. Am I missing something? Nowhere in the lesson does it say in certain instances we would use the gerund. Please explain.

Answer

Hola MichaelI think you may be confusing the gerund with the infinitive. In Spanish we always use the infinitive (-ar, -er, -ir form, e.g. fumar, beber...) - Our gerund (or present participle) form in Spanish would be ending in -ando / -iendo. So, what you don't find in Spanish is:He dejado de fumando (I have stopped smoking)Ella dejó de bebiendo (She stopped drinking)I hope this clarified it.Saludos