32 Topic 3 The Present Progressive

El presente progresivo

The present progressive

• In Spanish the present progressive is used to indicate that an action is happening right now.
  • Julia está comiendo ahora mismo. Julia is eating right now.
• The present progressive is formed with the verb estar plus the present participle (el gerundio), -ando for verbs that end in -ar, and -iendo for verbs that end in -er or -ir.
  

  (hablar)	Estoy hablando por teléfono.	I am talking on the phone.
  (comer)	Estoy comiendo pizza.	I am eating pizza.
  (escribir)	Estoy escribiendo una carta.	I am writing a letter.

• The ending of the present participle never changes; it always ends in -o.
• In English, a present participle is a verb that ends in -ing.
• Verbs like leer and oir are conjugated with a “y” as follows
  

  leer	le + iendo ⇒ leyendo
  oir	o + iendo ⇒ oyendo

• Present participle of -ir stem-changing verbs.
  

  preferir	prefiero	prefiriendo
  pedir	pido	pidiendo
  dormir	duermo	durmiendo
  servir	sirvo	sirviendo
  vestirse	*me visto	vistiendo

• Position of reflexive pronouns when using the present progressive is as follows:
  • Before the conjugated form of estar.
    • Me estoy vistiendo. I am getting dressed.
  • Attached to the end of the present participle.
    • Estoy vistiendome.

Pratícalo…

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