What is the Present Progressive Tense?
In Spanish, the present progressive tense (also called the present continuous) expresses an action that is actively occurring at the moment—an action in progress
You will use it to express
🔄 An action that is in progress
⏰ An action occurring right in the moment
⚡ Emphasis for an action that is happening right now
A Quick Word About the Present Indicative Tense
It is important to remember that the simple present tense (present indicative) in Spanish is very versatile
For example, the sentence "Ella canta una canción triste" can mean
She sings a sad song.
She does sing a sad song.
She is singing a sad song.
Grammar Tip: When you don't explicitly need to emphasize that an action is happening right this second, stick to the simple present tense
Toco el violín. (I play the violin.)
Ella nada en el verano. (She swims in the summer.)
Mis primos viven en México. (My cousins live in Mexico.)
Siempre nos divertimos los viernes. (We always have a good time on Fridays.)
¿Por qué te ríes todo el tiempo? (Why do you laugh all the time?)
How to Form the Present Progressive
Just like in English, the present progressive is a compound tense
The verb estar conjugated in the present tense (am/is/are)
. The present participle of your main verb (the gerund, or "-ing" form)
.
Part 1: Forming the Gerund
To make a gerund, you drop the infinitive ending of a verb (-ar, -er, or -ir) and add either -ando or -iendo to the stem
Let's practice building these by verb category. Read them aloud to practice your pronunciation!
1. Regular -Ar Verbs ➔ Add -ando
Drop the -ar and add -ando to the stem
| Infinitive Verb | Gerund Form | English Meaning |
| abrazar | abrazando | embracing |
| adivinar | adivinando | guessing |
| alquilar | alquilando | renting |
| arreglar | arreglando | arranging, repairing, fixing |
| arriesgar | arriesgando | risking |
| bajar | bajando | descending, going down |
| comenzar | comenzando | beginning |
| entregar | entregando | delivering, handing in |
| esperar | esperando | waiting |
| fregar | fregando | scrubbing, washing dishes |
| jugar | jugando | playing |
| mostrar | mostrando | showing |
| pensar | pensando | thinking |
| probar | probando | testing, proving |
| recordar | recordando | remembering |
| sacar | sacando | taking out, getting |
| soñar | soñando | dreaming |
| temblar | temblando | trembling |
| volar | volando | flying |
2. Regular -Er Verbs ➔ Add -iendo
Drop the -er and add -iendo to the stem
| Infinitive Verb | Gerund Form | English Meaning |
| beber | bebiendo | drinking |
| comer | comiendo | eating |
| correr | corriendo | running |
| coser | cosiendo | sewing |
| devolver | devolviendo | returning (an object) |
| hacer | haciendo | doing, making |
| mover | moviendo | moving (an object) |
| perder | perdiendo | losing |
| poner | poniendo | putting |
| volver | volviendo | returning |
3. Regular -Ir Verbs ➔ Add -iendo
Drop the -ir and add -iendo to the stem
| Infinitive Verb | Gerund Form | English Meaning |
| abrir | abriendo | opening |
| compartir | compartiendo | sharing |
| decidir | decidiendo | deciding |
| escribir | escribiendo | writing |
| insistir | insistiendo | insisting |
| recibir | recibiendo | receiving |
| subir | subiendo | ascending, going up |
| sufrir | sufriendo | suffering |
Spelling (Orthographic) Changes to Watch For!
Grammar rules like to keep things sounding smooth-er and -ir verbs whose stem ends in a vowel, we change the -iendo to -yendo
This isn't actually an irregular verb form; it's simply a spelling adjustment to prevent having three vowels sitting in a row
Examples (-Er Verbs):
atraer (to attract) ➔ atrayendo (attracting)
caer (to fall) ➔ cayendo (falling)
creer (to believe) ➔ creyendo (believing)
In our next post, we will look at how to combine these gerunds with estar to form full sentences, alongside some trickier irregular stems.
Tell us in the comments below: What are you doing right now? Practice writing a simple present sentence or trying out a new gerund!