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How to use the present continuous in Spanish?

By: Mango Languages Tue Feb 13 2024
Spanish
Indicative Mood

The Spanish present continuous (also known as the present progressive) is made up of the present tense of estar ("to be"), followed by the present participle of the main verb. The main use of the present continuous is to express something that is happening at this very moment. Also, bear in mind that the contexts in which the present continuous are used in English vary in Spanish.

Keep reading to learn more about the present continuous in Spanish, how it is formed, and the different situations in which it is used in Spanish compared to English.

Table of Contents

    How to form the present continuous in Spanish?

    As mentioned above, the present continuous is composed of two parts: the present tense of estar, followed by the present participle of the main verb. Let’s start with how to form the present participle:

    The present participle is formed by adding -ando to the stem (the verb without infinitive endings -ar, -er, or -ir) of -ar verbs and -iendo to the stem of -er and -ir verbs. Spanish -ando and -iendo present participles are equivalent to the English "-ing" present participles:

    Infinitives ending in -ar ⇨ Form present participles ending in -ando

    Infinitives ending in -er and -ir ⇨ Form present participles ending in -iendo

    To form present participles:

    • Take, for instance, an infinitive like cantar ("to sing").

    • Drop the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, or -ir). In this case, leave off -ar.

    • The resulting form is can-, that's your stem.

    • Then, add the appropriate ending to the stem. Since it is an infinitive ending in -ar, the correct ending is -ando.

    • The resulting present participle is cantando ("singing").

    Regular Verbs:

    -ar verbs

    pensar

    to think

    → Drop -ar
    pens-

    → Add-ando

    pensando

    thinking

    -er verbs

    comer

    to eat

    → Drop -er
    com-

    → Add-iendo

    comiendo

    eating

    -ar verbs

    pensar

    to think

    → Drop -ar
    pens-

    → Add-ando

    pensando

    thinking

    Check out these tables for more details, including Spanish irregular verbs, stem-changers, and reflexive verbs.

    Now that we know how to form the present participle, the present continuous tense is as easy as adding the present tense of estar:

    Present tense of estar +
    Present participle

    (Yo) estoy

    (I) am

    mirando la televisión.

    watching TV.

    (Tú) estás

    (You-singular, informal) are

    comiendo pizza.

    eating pizza.

    (Él/Ella/Usted) está

    (He/She/You-formal) is

    viviendo en Buenos Aires.

    living in Buenos Aires.

    (Nosotros/Nosotras) estamos

    (We) are

    (Vosotros/Vosotras) estáis

    (You-plural, only used in Spain) are

    (Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes) están

    (They/You-plural) are

    Important

    Reflexive pronouns in Spanish can either be placed before the conjugated form of estar or attached to the present participle:

    Juan se está duchando. = Juan está duchándose.

    Juan is taking a shower.

    How to form negative sentences?

    What if the sentence is negative? Where do we put the negative word, “no”? In English, the negative word is placed between the verb “to be” and the present participle, e.g., “I am not doing the dishes.” However, Spanish negative words are located right before the conjugated form of estar ("to be"):

    No estoy haciendo nada malo.

    I am not doing anything wrong.

    How to form questions?

    When using the present continuous in a question, simply add a question word like ¿qué? ("what?") at the beginning of the sentence, or use a rising intonation for yes/no questions.

    Question word:

    ¿Qué están comiendo?
    What are you eating?

    Rising intonation:

    ¿Están comiendo?
    Are you eating?
    TIP: Raise the pitch of your voice at the end of the question.

    Now that we know how the Spanish present continuous is formed, let's focus on when to use it.

    When do you use the present continuous in Spanish?

    The present continuous in Spanish is used in the following three contexts:

    • Actions happening right now

      This context refers to actions happening at the same time of speaking.
      Examples:

      – ¿Qué estás haciendo?
      – Estoy mirando la televisión.
      – What are you doing?
      – I’m watching TV.

      – Estoy haciendo la tarea ahora mismo.

      I’m doing my homework right now.

      Time phrases that are often used in these contexts:

      Ahora

      Now

      Ahora mismo

      Right now

      En este momento

      In this (very) moment

    • Temporary, non-habitual actions

      This context refers to actions that…

      • are happening at the time of speaking,

      • have been happening for a limited amount of time (a week, a month, etc.), and

      • are not what the speaker normally does.

      Examples:

      Normalmente trabajo en Uruguay, pero este mes estoy trabajando en Chile.

      I normally work in Uruguay, but I’ve been working in Chile this month.

      Duermo muy mal, pero últimamente estoy durmiendo como un bebé.

      I don’t sleep very well, but lately I’ve been sleeping like a baby.

      Time phrases often used in these contexts:

      Hoy

      Today

      Este mes

      This month

      Últimamente

      Lately

    • Habitual actions that the speaker perceives as annoying

      This context refers to actions that happen frequently (every day, all the time, etc.), perceived as annoying by the speaker.
      Examples:

      ¡Estás jugando todo el día con la PlayStation y mañana tienes un examen!

      You’ve been playing with your PlayStation all day, and you have a test tomorrow!

      Time phrases often used in these contexts:

      Todo el tiempo

      All the time

      Siempre

      Always

      A todas horas

      All the time

      Todo el día

      All day long

    Exception!

    The Spanish simple present is also used to refer to actions happening right now, especially when no time phrases are used:

    • ¿Qué estás haciendo? = ¿Qué haces?

      What are you doing?

    • Estoy mirando la televisión. = Miro la televisión.

      I’m watching TV.

    Important

    In English, an adverb like “always” is placed between the verb “to be” and the present participle, e.g., She’s always listening to loud music. However, Spanish adverbs can also be located at the beginning or at the end of the sentence, or after the present participle:

    Está siempre escuchando música muy alta.
    OR
    Siempre está escuchando música muy alta.
    OR
    Está escuchando música muy alta siempre.
    OR

    Está escuchando siempre música muy alta.

    She’s always listening to loud music.

    Check out a list of verbs that work with the present participle similarly to estar ("to be").

    When NOT to use the present continuous

    Unlike English, the present continuous is NOT used in the following contexts in Spanish:

    Contexts
    In English
    In Spanish

    The verbs ir ("to go") and venir ("to come")
    (the simple present is used instead)

    They're going to France.

    Guess who's coming.

    Van a Francia.

    Adivina quién viene.

    Future actions
    (the simple present or the future tense are the preferred tenses)

    I'm leaving tomorrow.

    Me voy mañana./
    Me iré mañana.

    Habitual actions over a period of time
    (the simple present is used in this context)

    Are you taking Spanish this semester?

    ¿Estudias español este semestre?

    Non-action verbs
    (the simple present is the tense of choice in this case)

    She's wearing black shoes.

    He’s looking tired.

    Lleva zapatos negros.


    Parece cansado.

    Check out a list of Spanish verbs that have different meanings when they are used in the simple present or the present continuous.

    Summary

    In order to form the Spanish present continuous, you need the present tense of estar, followed by the present participle of the main verb.

    Present participles in Spanish are formed by adding -ando or -iendo to the stem, that is, the infinitive without the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, or -ir).

    The present continuous in Spanish is used:

    • To express something going on at this very moment

    • To describe non-habitual temporary actions

    • To talk about recurring annoying actions

    The present continuous in Spanish is NOT used:

    • With non-action verbs

    • With the verbs ir ("to go") and venir ("to come")

    • To talk about future and habitual actions

    Ready to practice? Check out this activity (answer key included!)

    Downloadable Resources

    Elevate your language-learning journey to new heights with the following downloadable resources.

    How to use the present continuous in Spanish~Present continuous meaning changing TableHow to use the present continuous in Spanish~How to form the present participle TableHow to use the present continuous in Spanish~Spanish verbs with progressive meaningHow to use the present continuous in Spanish~Activities

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