Overview
The progressive tenses in Spanish are verb forms used to describe actions that are ongoing or in progress at a specific moment in time. They are typically formed using a conjugated form of the verb estar followed by the gerund (the "-ing" form equivalent) of the main verb. These tenses emphasize the continuous nature of an action.
Present Progressive
The present progressive expresses an action that is happening right now. It combines the present tense of estar with the gerund form of the main verb.
Example: Estoy hablando means "I am speaking."
Past Progressive
The past progressive indicates that an action was ongoing at some point in the past. It is formed with the imperfect tense of estar plus the gerund.
Example: Estaba comiendo means "I was eating."
Future Progressive
The future progressive describes an action that will be in progress at a certain future time. It uses the future tense of estar plus the gerund.
Example: Estaré trabajando means "I will be working."
Gerund Formation
The gerund is created by replacing the infinitive endings as follows:
- For -ar verbs, replace with -ando (e.g., hablar → hablando)
- For -er and -ir verbs, replace with -iendo (e.g., comer → comiendo, vivir → viviendo)
Some verbs have irregular gerunds, such as:
- leer → leyendo
- ir → yendo
- dormir → durmiendo
Common Uses
The progressive tenses are commonly used:
- To describe actions occurring at the moment of speaking (Estoy leyendo un libro.)
- To emphasize ongoing or temporary activities (Ella estaba estudiando cuando llamaste.)
- In narratives to indicate ongoing background actions (Mientras cocinaba, sonó el teléfono.)
Conjugation Examples
| Spanish Pronoun | Present Progressive | English Conjugation | Spanish Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy hablando | I am speaking | Estoy hablando con mi amigo. | I am speaking with my friend. |
| Tú | estás comiendo | You are eating | Estás comiendo una manzana. | You are eating an apple. |
| Él/Ella/Usted | está viviendo | He/She/You are living | Ella está viviendo en México. | She is living in Mexico. |
| Nosotros/as | estamos trabajando | We are working | Estamos trabajando ahora. | We are working now. |
| Vosotros/as | estáis aprendiendo | You all are learning | Estáis aprendiendo español. | You all are learning Spanish. |
| Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | están escribiendo | They/You all are writing | Ellos están escribiendo cartas. | They are writing letters. |
