Spanish Present Progressive Tense
Understanding the Present Progressive
The term present progressive is a fancy way of describing the verb tense that emphasizes that an action is currently taking place as we speak. It is characterized by the verb “to be,” followed by a second verb that ends with –ing (the present participle). For example:
I am studying.
You are running.
In Spanish, the present progressive is constructed in a similar way. Use the “to be” verb estar. Instead of ending the present participle with –ing, however, you’ll end it with –ando or –iendo.
Por ejemplo:
Be careful, though! In English you can also use the present participle in this way:
We are going fishing.
In this case, the verb “to be” indicates a future occurrence, that of fishing. You cannot use the present participle in this case in Spanish. Rather, you must use an infinitive. In other words:
DO NOT say “Vamos pescando.” DO say, “Vamos a pescar.”
The Present Participles of Regular Verbs
|
-ar verbs |
p. participle |
er verbs |
- p.participle |
-ir verbs |
p.participle |
|
comprar |
comprando |
correr |
corriendo |
vivir |
viviendo |
|
esperar |
esperando |
tener |
teniendo |
pedir |
pidiendo |
|
enseñar |
enseñando |
beber |
bebiendo |
abrir |
abriendo |
|
estudiar |
estudiando |
comer |
comiendo |
salir |
saliendo |
The general rules for creating the present participle of regular verbs are:
1. –ar verbs will end in –ando.
2. –er verbs and –ir verbs will both end in –iendo.
The present participles never change … no matter which subject pronoun is used.
Por ejemplo:
Irregular Stem Changing Verbs
Note the following irregular verbs, which make a stem change in the present participle form:
|
From e to i |
From o to u |
||
|
venir |
viniendo |
dormir |
durmiendo |
|
sentir |
sintiendo |
morir |
muriendo |
|
decir |
diciendo |
Por ejemplo:
In the next section we’ll work on Talking about what you know: SABER and CONOCER.
