Progressive Tense: Estar + Gerund (-ando / -iendo)
Quick Answer: The progressive is formed with estar + gerund (-ando for -ar verbs, -iendo for -er/-ir verbs). It emphasizes an action in progress at the moment of speaking.
Expressing what's happening right now
Category: Verb Tenses
The Rule
The progressive is formed with estar + gerund (-ando for -ar verbs, -iendo for -er/-ir verbs). It emphasizes an action in progress at the moment of speaking.
Why This Matters
Spanish progressive is used more narrowly than English progressive. In English, 'I'm eating' can mean right now OR a general plan. In Spanish, 'estoy comiendo' means strictly right now. For general plans, use the simple present.
Examples
• Estoy estudiando español. — "I am studying Spanish (right now)." [-ar: estudi- + -ando] • ¿Qué estás haciendo? — "What are you doing?" [hacer → haciendo] • Están comiendo en el restaurante. — "They are eating at the restaurant." [-er: comi- + -iendo] • Estaba lloviendo cuando salí. — "It was raining when I left." [Past progressive: estaba + gerund]
Common Mistakes
❌ Estoy yendo al trabajo mañana. ✅ Voy al trabajo mañana. → Don't use the progressive for future plans or habitual actions. Use the simple present or ir + a + infinitive. ❌ Estoy teniendo hambre. ✅ Tengo hambre. → Verbs like tener, ser, poder, saber, and querer are rarely used in the progressive in Spanish.
Quick Tip
Stem-changing -ir verbs change in the gerund too: dormir→durmiendo, pedir→pidiendo, sentir→sintiendo. Also: leer→leyendo, ir→yendo, oír→oyendo (when the unstressed 'i' falls between vowels, it becomes 'y').
Stem-changing -ir verbs change in the gerund too: dormir→durmiendo, pedir→pidiendo, sentir→sintiendo. Also: leer→leyendo, ir→yendo, oír→oyendo (when the unstressed 'i' falls between vowels, it becomes 'y').
Examples
Common Mistakes
Incorrect: Estoy yendo al trabajo mañana. → Correct: Voy al trabajo mañana.. Don't use the progressive for future plans or habitual actions. Use the simple present or ir + a + infinitive.
Incorrect: Estoy teniendo hambre. → Correct: Tengo hambre.. Verbs like tener, ser, poder, saber, and querer are rarely used in the progressive in Spanish.
Quiz
What is the gerund of 'dormir'?