Spanish Present Progressive

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:

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

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:

1. Estoy comprando unos calcetínes.
- I am buying some socks.

2. Estamos bebiendo la cerveza.
- We are drinking the beer.

3. Tú estás viviendo en Argentina.
- You are living in Argentina.

 

Irregular Stem Changing Verbs

Note the following irregular verbs, which make a stem change in the present participle form:

Por ejemplo:

 

 

In the next section we’ll work on Talking about what you know: SABER and CONOCER.