verbos

The present progressive tense
When you want to emphasize that an action is happening right now, you use the present progressive tense.

Paco está lavando los platos. Paco is washing dishes (now).
Estoy haciendo la cama. I’m making the bed (right now).

To form the present progressive tense, use the present-tense forms of estar + the present participle. The present participle is formed by dropping the ending of the infinitive and adding –ando for –ar verbs or –iendo for –er and –ir verbs.

lavando
(yo) estoy comiendo
escribiendo
(nosotros) lavando
estamos comiendo
(nosotras) escribiendo
lavando
(tú) estás comiendo
escribiendo
(vosotros) lavando
estáis comiendo
(vosotras) escibiendo
Ud. lavando
(él) está comiendo
(ella) escribiendo
Uds. lavando
(ellos) están comiendo
(ellas) escribiendo


In Spanish, the present progressive is formed with a conjugated form of the verb estar plus –ndo for of the verb,

v for –ar verbs drop the –ar and add –ando to the stem of the verb.

A form of Estar and stem of the verb +ando

e.g. To be dancing à estar bailando
I am dancing estoy bailando

v for –er /–ir verbs drop the –er/ -ir and add- iendo to the stem of the verb.

A form of Estar and stem of the verb +iendo

e.g. To be eating à estar comiendo
You are eating à estás comiendo

To be writing à estar escribiendo
We are writing à estamos escribiendo

When the stem of an –er/-ir verb ends in a vowel –iendo changes to –yendo.

A form of Estar and stem of the verb +yendo

e.g. To be reading à estar leyendo
He is reading à está leyendo

To be believing à estar creyendo
They are believing à están creyendo

NOTICE when to use –iendo and –yendo for er/ir verbs.

If after you drop the –er or –ir your stem has a consonant add –iendo.

If after you drop the –er or –ir your stem has a vowel add –yendo.

Comer leer

Com- + iendo le- + yendo
↑ ↑
consonant vowel

comiendo leyendo



In Spanish, the present progressive is used only to describe an action that is taking place right at the moment.

¿Qué estás haciendo? What are you doing?

The verbs to come and to go are not ordinarily used in the progressive in Spanish