ROP: Lesson - Present Progressive: Formation

A chalkboard with English verbs: Simple - I play; Progressive - I am playing.Present Progressive: Formation

The present progressive form of the verb (in both English and Spanish) is used to talk about what we're doing right now. In the image to the right, we see an English example comparing simple and progressive verbs:

  • Simple:
    • I play.
    • Subject + Plain form of the verb
  • Progressive:
    • I am playing.
    • Subject + Form of be + gerund (-ing form of verb).

The Present Progressive in Spanish

So, that's English, but what about Spanish?

In Spanish, you form the present progressive by conjugating estar (to be) + the present progressive form of the verb. For example:

  • English: I am reading.
  • Spanish: Estoy leyendo.

In this lesson, we’ll go over what the present progressive in Spanish is and how to conjugate it.

Before we continue this lesson, let's review the forms of estar:

Verbo estar
Pronoun Estar Translation
Yo estoy I am
Tú estás You are (singular, informal)
Él/Ella
Usted		 está He/She/It is
You are (singular, formal)
Nosostros/Nosotras estamos We are
Vosostros/Vosotras estáis You are (plural, informal)
Ellos/Ellas
Ustedes		 están They are
You are (singular, formal)

How to Form the Present Progressive

Now that we've reviewed the forms of estar, we're ready to learn the steps to forming the present progressive.

  • Step 1: Conjugate the verb estar in the present tense
  • Step 2: Form the gerund for the second verb (the action verb). In Spanish, you will not conjugate this gerund form - the conjugation happens in the auxiliary verb (estar). Note: in English, the -ing form of the verb is the gerund, and Spanish has its own equivalent special form (-ndo). There are two rules for forming the Spanish gerund:
    • AR verbs: drop the -ar, add -ando.
      • Comprar: compr- + ando = comprando. Comprando = buying
    • ER/IR verbs: drop the -er or -ir, add -iendo.
      • Comer: com- + iendo = comiendo. Comiendo = eating
      • Escribir: escrib- + iendo = escribiendo. Escribiendo = writing
  • Step 3: Put the two verbs together. When you combine the conjugated form of the auxiliary verb with the gerund form of the main verb you get the present progressive:
    • Estar (conjugated) + gerund = present progressive.
  • Examples:
    • Ellos están comprando. - They are buying.
    • Estoy comiendo. - I am eating.
    • Estamos escribiendo. - We are writing.

As with regular present tense verbs, you do not have to use the subject pronouns (yo, tú, él, etc.) when it is clear who you are talking about. The pronouns will still be used for clarity.

A stick note with La actividad de práctica written on it.

Practice Activity

Are you feeling more comfortable now with the formation rules for the present progressive? Take time to practice the formation of the Spanish gerund. All practice activities have unlimited attempts. Practice as many times as you need. When you complete practice activities, you are reviewing the lessons and preparing yourself to move forward in the course!

Complete the following practice activity. Be sure you do not forget to use correct end punctuation, capitalization, accents, and all diacritical marks in your response or points will be deducted.

NOTE: You are required to use information from this course to complete all practice activities. Additionally, fill-in-the-blank activities can be very particular: if an item is marked incorrect, double check that it wasn't something as minor as an extra space or a capital letter in the wrong place!

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