The Present Progressive Tense
El está hablando.
Ellos están trabajando.
Ella está jugando.
Yo estoy comiendo.
Estamos escibiendo.
He is talking.
They are working
She is playing
I am eating
We are writing.
The form of the verb ending in ing is called the present participle. To form the present
participle for ar verbs, change the ar to ando.
Patinar = to skate
patinando = skating
nadar= swim nadando= swimming
To form the present participle for the er and ir verbs, change the er and ir to iendo.
Comer = to eat
comiendo = eating
abrir = to open
abriendo = opening
The present participle of leer is levendo. The present participle of dormer is durmiendo.
Stem changing verbs whose infinitive ends in ar or ir form their present participle
regularly. There is no stem change.
Cerrer (ie) = to close cerrando = closing
volver (ue) = to return
Volviendo = returning
The present progressive expresses an action that is in progress now.
Ellos están nadano. They are swimming.
Ella está comiendo. She is eating.
The simple present tense can be used as well, but the present progressive is preferable.
Eloos nadan. They swim , they do swim, they are swimming.
Ella come.
She eats, she does eat, she is eating
In English we often use the present progressive form to express a future action. In
Spanish the present progressive can only be used for an action in progress now. For
example we want to say, “I am eating with them on Tuesday” the time reference is future.
We could say in Spanish.
Yo voy a comer con ellos el martes or Yo como con ellos el martes.
We could NOT say
Yo estoy comiendo con ellos el martes.
The verb”ir” is not generally used in the present progressive. Use the simplest present
instead.
¿Adónde van ellos? Where are they going?
Ellos van a la playa. They are going to the beach.
Yo voy a jugar béisbol
I am going tp play baseball