The present progressive is formed by combining the verb "to be" with the present participle. (The present participle is merely the "-ing" form of a verb.)

In English, present progressive can be used to describe what is happening now, or what will happen in the future.

In Spanish, the present progressive is only used to describe an action that is in the process of taking place. It is not used for future actions!

To form the present progressive in Spanish, combine a form of "estar" with the present participle.

In order to form the present progressive, you must know how to conjugate the verb estar, and how to form the present participle. You already know how to conjugate the verb estar:

estoy estamos

estás _______

está están

To form the present participle of regular -ar verbs, add -ando to the stem of the verb. Give 2 more examples!

hablar: hablando ____________________
(hablar - ar + ando) ____________________

estudiar: estudiando ____________________
(estudiar - ar + ando) ____________________

To form the present participle of regular -er and -ir verbs, add -iendo to the stem of the verb. Give 2 examples!

comer: comiendo ____________________
(comer - er + iendo) ____________________

vivir: viviendo ____________________
(vivir - ir + iendo) ____________________

To form the present participle of -ir stem changing verbs, change e:i and o:u in the stem, and then add -iendo to the stem of the verb.

servir: sirviendo
pedir: pidiendo
decir: diciendo

dormir: durmiendo
morir: muriendo
poder: pudiendo



Sometimes when forming the present participle it is necessary to change the spelling of a word so that it agrees with the way it is pronounced. We call this an "orthographic" change. Here are some common examples:

caer: cayendo
creer: creyendo
huir: huyendo
ir: yendo
influir: influyendo
oír: oyendo
traer: trayendo
leer: leyendo

Complete the following!

Mi madre ______________ ________________ su cama. (tender)

Juan y Jorge __________ _______________ las papas. (pelar)

Susana _____________ _____________________ la mesa con un trapo. ( limpiar)

Mi hermana y yo ___________ ______________ la mesa. (poner)

Javier _______________ ___________________ los platos. (lavar)

Ellos ___________ _______________ el libro. (leer)*

Tú _________ _________________ la hamburguesa. (pedir)*

Alejandro__________ _______________ las sábanas. (cambiar)

Yo__________ _______________ la ropa. (colgar)

¿Ustedes____________ ________________ en el sofá? (dormir)*

La mesera (waitress)____________ ____________________. (servir)*

Mi amigo______________ ____________________ pizza. (comer)

Yo estoy_______________ __________________ la verdad. (decir)*

Nosotros_____________ ____________________ a la fiesta. (venir)*

Ustedes_______________ ____________________ la ropa. (se