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; SubjectHelping verbPresent Participle (also known as a gerund) IAmSwimming YouAreEating SheIsDancing WeAreLaughing TheyAreRunning

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. SubjectConjugationTranslation YoEstoyI am TúEstásYou are Él, Ella, UstedEstáHe is, She is, You are NosotrosEstamosWe are VosotrosEstáisYou are Ellos, Ellas, UstedesEstánThey 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 2. Now add iendo which means “-ing” To livee IENDO Living Eating

Here’s what it looks like when you combine the helping verb with the present participle. SubjectCantar to sing Comer to eat Vivir to live YoEstoy cantando I am singing Estoy comiendo I am eating Estoy viviendo I am living TúEstás 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 NosotrosEstamos cantando We are singing Estamos comiendo We are eating Estamos viviendo We are living VosotrosEstáis 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!