Using perífrasis verbales ("verb periphrases") will make you sound more natural, and they will come in very handy in both the Writing Test and the Speaking Test of the DELE exam.
Perífrasis verbales are expressions of more than one word that refer to the development of a particular action, and they fall into three types: beginning, duration and end.
First of all, among the periphrases of beginning we find “Empezar/Comenzar a...” followed by an infinitive, for example, “Empezar a estudiar” or “Comenzar a aprender español”, among other expressions that show the action is just getting started.
There are also other periphrases of beginning that mark a more abrupt start, such as “Romper a...” or “Echarse a...”, always followed by an infinitive, for example “Echarse a llorar”. Then, among the periphrases of duration, we can mention “Estar...” followed by a gerund, such as, for example, “Estar escuchando música” or “Estar riendo”, among others that indicate the action is currently in progress.
Two other periphrases of duration that also show the action is ongoing are: the ones that begin with the verb “Llevar” plus a gerund, as in “Llevo estudiando español 10 años” or “Llevo 5 años viviendo aquí”; and the ones that include the verb “Seguir”, also with a gerund, for example “Seguir estudiando español”, which indicates that the action began in the past and is still going on in the present.
Lastly, the periphrases of end are those that indicate the action has finished. Among others, we find “Dejar/Cesar de...” followed by the infinitive, as in “Ha dejado/cesado de llover”; or some that show the action has ended very recently, such as “Acabar de...” or “Terminar de...”, for example, “Acabo de tomarme un té” or “Terminé de bañarme”.
Another periphrasis of end, which in this case indicates that the subject feels they have brought an action to a close, is “Dar por...” followed by the participle, for example, “Dar por hecho”, “Dar por terminado” or “Dar por concluido”.
Finally, there is the periphrasis that uses the verb “Acabar” plus the infinitive, which points to an ending that was perhaps not desired or that came after a difficult process. As an example, we could mention: “Al principio no sabía si estudiar matemáticas o literatura, pero acabé por estudiar literatura”.
You can also watch this explanation on YouTube:
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