How to use the present progressive in Spanish

No matter where you are on your Spanish learning journey, it can be helpful to compare what you’re learning to what you already know. In English, we use the present progressive tense in all sorts of situations. If that name does not sound familiar, the present progressive is indicated by a verb ending in “-ing.”

For example: They are running. We are driving. He is eating. 

Easy, right? But what is the present progressive tense in Spanish, and how do you form it? We’ll answer those questions in this guide, and review some additional examples that illustrate when to use the present progressive.

• What is present progressive in Spanish?
• How to use present progressive in Spanish
• Examples of present progressive in Spanish

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What is present progressive in Spanish?

The present progressive tenses in Spanish and in English have very similar constructions and uses. 

In both languages, we use the present progressive to talk about actions that happen continuously. In other words, the action is still taking place at the moment the person is speaking. 

Here are some examples: 

English	Spanish
I am eating.	Estoy comiendo.
They are driving.	Están manejando.
We are leaving.	Estamos saliendo.
She is reading.	Está leyendo.

In Spanish, it is also common to use the present indicative or present simple to talk about actions that are happening right now. Therefore, you’ll often have two different ways to ask the same question. 

Present simple 

¿Qué haces? (What are you doing?)

Limpio la cocina. (I’m cleaning the kitchen.)

Present progressive 

¿Qué estás haciendo? (What are you doing?)

Estoy limpiando la cocina. (I’m cleaning the kitchen.)

How to use present progressive in Spanish

The present progressive tense in both Spanish and English is formed by using an auxiliary verb or a helping verb. 

In English, we combine the verb “to be” with a verb that ends in “-ing.” A verb with this ending is also known as a present participle. For example:

• I am running. 

Similarly, in Spanish, we use the verb estar (to be). Before we can form the present progressive, we should review how to conjugate the verb estar. Remember that, in Spanish, we do not need to include the subject unless it is unclear. Also, Spanish uses usted for the formal “you.” Learn more about formal and informal Spanish.  

Subject	Estar conjugated	Example sentence
yo (I)	estoy	Estoy comiendo. (I am eating.)
tú (you; informal)	estás	Estás comiendo. (You are eating.)
él/lla (he/he)	está	Está comiendo. (He or she is eating.)  Here you might want to use the subject if it is not clear which person you are talking about.
usted (you; formal)	está	Está comiendo. (You are eating.)
nosotros (us)	estamos	Estamos comiendo. (We are eating.)
ellos / ellas (they)	están	Están comiendo. (They are eating.)
ustedes (you all)	están	Están comiendo. (You all are e ating.)

Now let’s form the present progressive tense in Spanish: 

Estar + present participle

Estoy + comiendo. 

Estoy comiendo. (I am eating.)

Verbs that end in -ar add -ando. Hablar (to speak) becomes hablando.

Verbs that end in -ir and -er add -iendo. Escribir (to write) becomes escribiendo. 

Now, let’s look at some of the irregular and stem-changing present participles. 

English	Spanish	Present participle
to come	venir	viniendo
to tell	decir	diciendo
to feel	sentir	sintiendo
to ask	pedir	pidiendo
to sleep	dormir	durmiendo

Here are some irregular verbs that we call -yendo verbs. The –i changes to –y.

English	Spanish	Present participle
to go	ir	yendo
to read	leer	leyendo
to believe	creer	creyendo
to bring	traer	trayendo

Examples of present progressive in Spanish

Let’s look at some example sentences. These are affirmative or positive sentences. 

English	Spanish
My dad is washing the dishes.	Mi papá está lavando los platos.
The babies are sleeping.	Los bebés están durmiendo.
I am studying.	Estoy estudiando.
We are exercising.	Estamos haciendo ejercicio.

These are examples of negative sentences. 

English	Spanish
We are not running.	No estamos corriendo.
You are not driving.	No estás manejando.
She is not paying attention.	Ella no está poniendo atención.
They are not talking.	Ellos no están hablando.

These are examples of interrogative sentences or questions. 

English	Spanish
Are you traveling (right now)?	¿Estás viajando?
Are they shopping?	¿Están haciendo compras?
Are we leaving?	¿Estamos saliendo?
Is she reading?	¿Está leyendo?

Here’s a classic song that uses the present progressive in Spanish: “Estoy pensando en ti” by Sonora Santanera.

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¿Estás estudiando? (Are you studying?)

Learning Spanish takes time, but with some little tricks, you can speed up the process! The present progressive in Spanish and English are built and used in a very similar way. Leverage that to your advantage to recall the rule behind it.  
You should also remember to practice conjugating the verb estar (to be) and learning your irregular verbs. With a pinch of patience and resolve, you will master this new tense in the blink of an eye.

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