A2
estar + gerund
How the Spanish progressive is formed, its irregular gerunds, and why the plain present usually does the job instead.
Estar plus the gerund: -ando for -ar verbs, -iendo for -er and -ir.
Estoy comiendo.
I-am eating
I’m eating.
¿Qué estás haciendo?
what you-are doing
What are you doing?
It is for this moment only
The plain present already covers I eat and I am eating. The progressive is reserved for something genuinely under way right now, which makes it far less common than its English equivalent.
Estoy trabajando en un banco desde 2020.
Trabajo en un banco desde 2020.
An ongoing situation is not an action in progress. The plain present is right for anything habitual, and using the progressive for it is the clearest sign of translating from English.
Never for the future
English says I’m going to Madrid tomorrow. Spanish cannot.
Mañana estoy yendo a Madrid.
Mañana voy a Madrid.
The progressive can only describe now. A future arrangement takes the present or ir a — see ir a + infinitive.
The irregular gerunds
A stem vowel changes, or the i becomes y between vowels.
| decir → diciendo | |
| pedir → pidiendo | |
| dormir → durmiendo | |
| leer → leyendo | |
| oír → oyendo | |
| ir → yendo |
Pronouns attach or precede
Estoy haciéndolo. / Lo estoy haciendo.
I-am doing-it / it I-am doing
I’m doing it.
Attached, an accent holds the stress — see object pronouns.
Other verbs take a gerund too
Seguir (to keep on), llevar (to have been doing), ir (gradually).
Sigo estudiando español.
I-continue studying Spanish
I’m still studying Spanish.