Unit One

The Present Progressive

• The Present Progressive is used to emphasize that something is happening RIGHT NOW.

• For example; John is playing tennis.

In English the present progressive is always composed of two parts – a helping verb and a present participle. Look at the examples below;

Subject Helping verb Present Participle(also known as a gerund)

I Am Swimming

You Are Eating

She Is Dancing

We Are Laughing

They Are Running

In Spanish, the present progressive is set up the exact same way – with a helping verb and a present participle.

For example; Juan está cantando.

Helping Verb

Present Participle

The helping verb is always a form of the verb Estar (to be) which translates as “am”, “is”, or “are”. You learned this verb in Spanish I. Below is a reminder of Estar’s irregular conjugation.

Subject Conjugation Translation

Yo Estoy I am

Tú Estás You are

Él, Ella, Usted Está He is, She is, You are

Nosotros Estamos We are

Vosotros Estáis You are

Ellos, Ellas, Ustedes Están They are, You are

The present participle is formed by adding “ando” or “iendo” to the end of the verb stem. Use “ando” for AR verbs and “iendo” for ER and IR verbs.

For example;

CANTAR

To sing

1. Drop the AR as you always have to conjugate

2. Now add ando which means “-ing”

AR

TOSING

ANDO

Singing

ER and IR verbs work the same way as AR verbs do except that they use “iendo” instead of “ando”.

For example;

COMER

To eat

VIVIR

To live

1. Drop the ER or IR

ER

ER

2. Now add iendo which means “-ing”

To livee

To livee

IENDO

IENDO

Living

Eating

Here’s what it looks like when you combine the helping verb with the present participle.

Subject Cantar to sing

Comer to eat

Vivir to live

Yo Estoy cantando

I am singing

Estoy comiendo

I am eating

Estoy viviendo

I am living

Tú Estás cantando

You (inf) are singing

Estás comiendo

You (inf) are eating

Estás viviendo

You (inf) are living

Él, Ella,

Usted

Está cantando

He/She is singing

You (for) are singing

Está comiendo

He/She is eating

You (for) are eating

Está viviendo

He/She is living

You (for) are living

Nosotros Estamos cantando

We are singing

Estamos comiendo

We are eating

Estamos viviendo

We are living

Vosotros Estáis cantando

You (inf pl) are singing

Estáis comiendo

You (inf pl) are eating

Estáis viviendo

You (inf pl) are living

Ellos, Ellas, Ustedes

Están cantando

They are singing

You (for pl) are singing

Están comiendo

They are eating

You (for pl) are eating

Están viviendo

They are living

You (for pl) are living

Now you try it! On a piece of paper, or in your head, translate the following and then click for the correct answer.

He is asking. (Preguntar)

I am studying. (Estudiar)

We are running. (Correr)

You (inf) are writing. (Escribir)

Él está preguntando.

Yo estoy estudiando.

Nosotros estamos corriendo.

Tú estás escribiendo.

Usage• English speakers tend to overuse the present

progressive in Spanish. Unlike English, this tense is only used in Spanish if the action is literally happening at this moment. Thus English constructions like the following should not be translated using the present progressive. Instead, use the regular present tense.

• What this paper is saying is that… (It’s not really saying that right now – it already said it!)

• I’m going home tomorrow. (You’re not really leaving right now – you’re leaving tomorrow!)

Irregulars

Irregulars in this tense are few. You will learn most of them on a case by case basis. This unit contains two of the most common irregulars in the present progressive.

• Decir>Diciendo.• Verbs ending in -aer, -uir, or -eer use “yendo”

instead of “iendo”. In this unit you should note Creer>Creyendo, and Leer>Leyendo. Less common verb types like -oer, -aír, and -oír do this also.

¡El Fin!