In Spanish, the present progressive tense equates to is + verb + -ing in English. It is used to express an action that is in progress and not completed. For example, yo estoy hablando (I am speaking). The present progressive tense in Spanish is formed by combining the present tense of estar (to be) with the present participle.
To form the progressive present, combine the present tense of estar (to be) with the gerund.
The gerund (also called the present participle) for regular AR verbs is formed dropping the -ar from the infinitive and adding the ending -ando. For example, cantar (to sing) becomes cantando (singing).
For regular IR verbs and ER verbs, drop the -ir and -er from the infinitive and add the ending -iendo. For example, comer (to eat) becomes comiendo (eating) and vivir (to live) becomes viviendo.
There are some Spanish verbs which have irregularities when forming the present participles.
-yendo
For ER and IR verbs which have stems ending in vowels, the present participle ends -yendo. For example, leer (to read) becomes leyendo (reading) and traer (to bring) becomes trayendo (bringing).
For IR verbs under this category, oír (to hear) becomes oyendo (hearing) and incluir (to include) becomes incluyendo (including).
O > u for IR verbs
For some IR verbs, the -o in the stem becomes a -u in the present participle. For example, dormir (to sleep) becomes durmiendo (sleeping) and morir (to die) becomes muriendo.
E > i for IR verbs
For some IR verbs, the -e in the stem becomes -i in the present participle. For example, decir (to say) becomes diciendo (saying), pedir (to ask for) becomes pidiendo (asking for) and venir (to come) becomes viniendo (coming).
The main purpose of present progressive is to express that an action is ongoing in the present and is not completed.
The present progressive is used to express actions which are ongoing and not complete, as well as actions which are occurring gradually over time and not complete.
In certain situations, Spanish may use the present tense while English uses the present progressive.
Use the present progressive to emphasize “at this very moment”.
To contrast an action which occurs regularly versus a one-time event, use the present tense for the regular action and present progressive for the one-time event.
The present progressive can also be used in different tenses. Note that no matter which of the following tense are uses, the actions are ongoing and not complete.
For expressing an action that’s going to happen, Spanish uses the near future tense (ir [to go] + a + infinitive) while English uses the present progressive of go.
That it! ¡Esperamos que están haciendo progreso! We hope you’re making progress!
David is a lifelong student and teacher of languages. When he's not working on this website, he's watching Spanish TV, practicing Spanish with the people in his community, hiking, biking or skiing.
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¡Hola! My name is David Issokson. I'm based in Victor, Idaho (near Jackson, Wyoming). I am here to help you throughout your adventures learning Spanish!
