What are you doing right now? You are reading this post! Yes! And right now, I’m writing this post. We are constantly in motion, always progressing. Without process, we couldn’t advance in life.
That’s why today we’re going to explain how to use the present progressive tense in Spanish; a structure used to express actions that are happening right now.
What is the Present Progressive?
As mentioned earlier, we use the present progressive to describe actions in progress, things happening at this very moment.
Here are some examples:
- Estoy estudiando – I’m studying
- Estamos leyendo – We are reading
- Estás caminando – You are walking
If you compare these sentences with their English translations, you’ll notice they both use two verbs:
A form of the verb "to be" (in Spanish: Estar)
A gerund (the "-ing" form of a verb in English)
In Spanish, the gerund ends in either -ando or -iendo, depending on the verb. These endings are the Spanish equivalent of the English -ing.
The Secret Formula
The present progressive in Spanish is formed like this:
[Estar] + [Gerund]
Step 1: Conjugate the verb estar based on the subject
Let’s review the conjugation of estar in the present tense:
- Yo estoy - I am
- Tú estás - You are
- Él / Ella / Usted está - He, She and you formal is
- Nosotros estamos - We are
- Ellos / Ustedes están - They, You guys are
This part of the sentence tells who is doing the action, you mustn’t omit it.
Form the Gerund (Spanish "-ing" form)
Spanish gerunds are formed by modifying the end of the verb, depending on whether the verb ends in -ar, -er, or -ir.
- AR verbs: Replace -ar with -ando
Examples:
- Caminar (to walk) → caminando (walking)
- Estudiar (to study) → estudiando (studying)
- Trabajar (to work) → trabajando (working)
- ER and IR verbs: Replace -er or -ir with -iendo
Examples:
- Comer (to eat) → comiendo (eating)
- Beber (to drink) → bebiendo (drinking)
- Vivir (to live) → viviendo (living)
- Escribir (to write) → escribiendo (writing)
Irregulars & Spelling Tweaks
Some verbs like to break the rules a little, just to keep things interesting! These are called irregular gerunds. Don’t worry, they’re not too wild. Most of the time, they just want to sound better when we say them out loud.
Let’s look at 2 main reasons verbs change:
- Spelling Changes for Sound
Sometimes, the regular form would sound awkward or hard to pronounce, so Spanish makes a little spelling tweak to keep things flowing.
- Leer (to read)
Regular form: leiendo
Correct form: leyendo
Why? Because "leiendo" is a tongue-twister! “Leyendo” flows much better.
- Oír (to hear)
Regular form: oiendo
Correct form: oyendo
Pattern tip:
If the stem ends in a vowel (like le from leer), and you would normally add -iendo, we change the "i" to "y":
le + iendo → leyendo
Stem-Changing Verbs (E → I or O → U)
Some verbs are sneaky and change a vowel in the middle, but only slightly.
- Dormir (to sleep)
Regular form: dormiendo
Correct form: durmiendo
(O → U)
- Decir (to say/tell)
Regular form: deciendo
Correct form: diciendo
(E → I)
- Servir (to serve)
Regular form: serviendo
Correct form: sirviendo
(E → I)
Pattern tip:
If a verb has a vowel change in the present tense (like dormir → duermo), it might do something similar in the gerund:
O → U
E → I
Irregular verbs can be tricky in any tense, but just like everything in life, practice makes perfect! The more you use them, the easier they’ll become. And I truly believe you’ll master them quickly if you start practicing today!
But now, let’s look at some very common mistakes students make with the present progressive:
Common Mistake: Using Only the Gerund
Many students tend to say only the second verb, the gerund (the -ando / -iendo form), and forget the first part of the structure, the verb “estar.”
For example:
‘’Yo caminando’’ instead of ‘’Estoy caminando’’ – I am walking
Why is this important?
Because “estar” is what tells us WHO is doing the action, and also WHEN the action is happening.
Remember, today we’re talking about the Present Progressive (actions happening right now), but there are also:
- Past Progressive (was/were doing something)
- Future Progressive (will be doing something)
So to know when the action is happening, and who is doing it, you need the complete structure:
The Full Formula Again: [Subject] + [Conjugated ESTAR] + [Gerund]
Examples:
- Yo estoy pidiendo – I am ordering/asking for
- Tú estás viendo – You are seeing
- Ellos están yendo – They are going
Without “estar,” we don’t know who or when, it’s like having a sentence with no subject or time frame!
How to practice this:
Try saying the full sentence every time you use the present progressive. Even if you're just thinking to yourself:
“I’m brushing my teeth” → Estoy cepillándome los dientes
“We are learning Spanish” → Estamos aprendiendo español
With practice, it’ll become automatic!
Reflexive Verbs in the Present Progressive
And just before we wrap up this post, let’s take a quick look at how to use the present progressive with reflexive verbs!
We talked about reflexive verbs in a previous post (such as ducharse, levantarse, vestirse, afeitarse, maquillarse, etc.), but here’s a quick review:
Two Ways to Use Reflexive Verbs in This Tense:
- Before the conjugated verb “estar”.
- Attached to the gerund.
Example with "ducharse" (to shower):
- Yo me estoy duchando. – I am showering.
- Yo estoy duchándome. – I am showering.
Both are totally correct! The meaning doesn’t change, it’s just a matter of style and emphasis.
Quick tip: When attaching the reflexive pronoun to the gerund, always add an accent to keep the pronunciation natural (usually on the third-to-last syllable).
And That’s a Wrap! Did you enjoy the reading? Now you know how to use the present continuous in Spanish to talk about what you're doing right now, including with reflexive verbs!
Would you like to learn about the past or future progressive tenses next? Drop your suggestions below, we’d love to hear from you!
