Progressive Tense in Spanish Grammar
Does Spanish have a progressive tense?
The structure estar + gerundio in Spanish grammar is similar to the English present progressive tense (am going, am doing, am waiting, etc.). Technically, it's not a tense, but is something called verbal periphrasis.
We use the conjugated form of the verb estar plus the gerund of the main verb to express an action in progress at the time of speaking.
- Examples:
- Ahora mismo estoy conduciendoI’m driving right now.
- Alguien está llamando por teléfono.Someone is calling.
Learn how to use estar + gerundio, then test yourself in the exercises below.
Contents
Marta está buscando su anillo de la suerte.
Su compañero de piso dice que siempre está perdiendo cosas.
La pobre Marta está durmiendo mal últimamente y está más despistada que de costumbre.
Marta está desesperándose.
How to use estar + gerundio in Spanish grammar
The verbal periphrasis estar + gerundio is used to express:
- actions in progress at the moment of speaking
- Example:
- Marta está buscando su anillo de la suerte. Marta is looking for her lucky ring.
- repeated actions
- Example:
- Siempre está perdiendo cosas. She’s always losing things.
- actions that disrupt a routine for a certain period of time
- Example:
- La pobre Marta está durmiendo mal últimamente. Poor Marta hasn’t been sleeping well lately.
How to conjugate estar + gerundio
To conjugate the estar + gerundio, we take a present form of the verb estar plus the main verb in its gerund form. The gerund is the same for all forms. See the table below:
| Person | estar | Gerund |
|---|---|---|
| yo | estoy |
hablando aprendiendo viviendo |
| tú | estás | |
| él/ella/usted | está | |
| nosotros/-as | estamos | |
| vosotros/-as | estáis | |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | están |
Gerund
To form the gerund (gerundio), we replace the infinitive endings -ar, -er, -ir with the following:
| Ending | Example | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | Gerund | Infinitive | Gerund |
| -ar | -ando | hablar | hablando |
| -er | -iendo | aprender | aprendiendo |
| -ir | -iendo | vivir | viviendo |
Reflexive Verbs
In the case of reflexive verbs (los verbos reflexivos), the reflexive pronoun can come before the verb estar or can be attached to the end of the gerund. With the latter option, the gerund takes an accent.
- Examples:
- desesperarse → Marta se está desesperando. / Marta está desesperándose. Marta is getting desperate.
Exceptions
Generally speaking, verbs that change their stem in the present tense (-e → -i, -o → -u) also change their stem in the gerund.
| Infinitive | Gerund | |
|---|---|---|
| e → i |
decir | diciendo |
| divertir | divirtiendo | |
| pedir | pidiendo | |
| preferir | prefiriendo | |
| servir | sirviendo | |
| o → u |
dormir | durmiendo |
| morir | muriendo | |
| poder | pudiendo |
However, the following stem-changing verbs conjugate their gerunds in a regular manner:
| e → i | o → u |
|---|---|
| empezar → empezando | mover → moviendo |
| cerrar → cerrando | oler → oliendo |
| querer → queriendo | probar → probando |
| tener → teniendo | recordar → recordando |
| entender → entendiendo | soñar → soñando |
| perder → perdiendo |
Verbs that end in -er/-ir whose word stem ends with a vowel, form the gerund with -yendo (not: -iendo).
- Example:
- construir → construyendo
- ir → yendo
- leer → leyendo
- oír → oyendo
- traer → trayendo
Gerund or Present Participle?
The English gerund is not the same as the Spanish gerundio.
In English grammar, the gerund is an -ing verb which is used like a noun as the subject of sentence, or after certain verbs.
- Example:
- Swimming is fun.
-
Gerund as the subject. Functions like a noun.
- I like swimming.
-
Gerund after the verb like. Functions like a noun.
The Spanish gerundio is a verb that indicates a continuing action. It corresponds to the English present participle which is also used in progressive tenses with the verb be.
- Example:
- Me está mirando. = He is looking at me.
To Note
Estar + gerundio isn’t just for the present tense; we can also use it in other tenses in order to emphasise the progression of an action. The auxiliary verb estar is conjugated accordingly:
- Examples:
- Yo he estado viendo una exposición.I was about to go see an exhibition. → pretérito perfecto
- Yo estaba viendo una exposición.I was about to go see an exhibition. → pretérito imperfecto
- Yo estuve viendo una exposición.I was about to see an exhibition. → pretérito indefinido
- Yo estaré viendo una exposición.I will be about to go see an exhibition. → futuro simple
