The Spanish Present Progressive: estar + Gerund (-ndo)
By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 12 October 2026
The present progressive is plus the gerund, the form in -ando or -iendo. It is the Spanish "is doing", kept for what is happening right now:
Quick check
Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.
Pick the right one
0/3Under way right now, a habit or a plan? Choose the natural Spanish for the meaning in brackets.
No puedo hablar: . (I'm driving, right now)
Todos los días a las dos. (I eat, a habit)
No puedo hablar, el bebé . (he's sleeping, now)
.- I'm eating.María .- María is talking on the phone.
The present progressive at a glance
Only changes for the person. The gerund never changes:
| Person | estar + gerund | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | | I'm speaking |
| you' eating | |
| , , | | he's writing |
| we' playing | |
| you' drinking | |
| , | | they' living |
The form is English-looking; the use is not. Spanish uses it far less than English does.
Forming the gerund
Drop the infinitive ending and add the gerund ending:
| Verb type | Infinitive | Gerund |
|---|---|---|
| -ar | | |
| -er | | |
| - | | |
That covers most verbs. Two groups bend the rule.
After a vowel: -yendo
When the stem of an -er or -ir verb ends in a vowel, the i of -iendo is written y:
| Infinitive | Gerund | English |
|---|---|---|
| | reading |
| | hearing |
| | bringing |
| | building |
Stem-changing -ir verbs
The -ir verbs that change their stem in the present also change it in the gerund: e becomes i, o becomes u.
| Infinitive | Gerund | English |
|---|---|---|
| | asking |
| | saying |
| | coming |
| | sleeping |
| | dying |
| | being able |
is the one -er verb that does this. The -ar and -er stem-changers keep a regular gerund: , . And has the one truly irregular gerund, .
When Spanish actually uses the progressive
Spanish uses the progressive for an action under way as you speak, or across a current stretch of time:
- .
- .
- .
- .
She's reading, he's cooking, he's running, she's talking on the phone: each one is in the middle of the action, so estar + gerund.
For habits, general truths and timetables, it uses the plain present, where English often says "-ing":
| Meaning | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| right now | , . | I can't talk, I'm driving. |
| this month | . | This month I'm studying a lot. |
| a settled fact | . | I work in a bank. |
| a habit | ¿ ? | What do you do at weekends? |
The plain present can describe the moment too: ¿ ? and ¿ ? both ask "what are you doing?". The progressive just underlines "right now".
The future trap: no progressive for plans
English uses "-ing" for plans: I'm flying to Madrid tomorrow. The Spanish progressive only covers what has already started, so a plan takes the plain present or + infinitive:
Estoy comiendo: under way now
Vuelo a Madrid mañana: a plan, not started
Timeline from past to future, with now marked.
- Wrong:
. Madrid .- I'm flying to Madrid tomorrow.Madrid .- I'm going to fly to Madrid tomorrow.
Rule of thumb: if the action has not started, the progressive is wrong.
Pronouns with the progressive
An object or reflexive pronoun goes before or joins the end of the gerund. Both are correct and mean the same:
| Before estar | Joined on | English |
|---|---|---|
. | . | I'm doing it. |
. | . | He's waiting for me. |
Joined on, the gerund takes a written accent to keep its stress: , . More on pronoun order.
Beyond estar: seguir, llevar and ir + gerund
The gerund pairs with three other verbs, each adding its own shade:
| Construction | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| + gerund | . | It's still raining. |
| + gerund | . | We' still waiting. |
| + time | . | I' been studying for two hours. |
| + time | . | We' been living here for a year. |
| + gerund | . | Things are slowly getting better. |
stays in the present where English switches to "have been -ing", because the action is still going on. More on duration in hace and desde.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| . | . | no progressive for plans |
| . | . | always |
| leiendo. | . | after a vowel, - |
| dormiendo. | . | - stem change: o to u |
| . | . | the accent keeps the stress |
Using the progressive for a settled habit is not wrong in the same way, just -Spanish: say . for the habit, and keep . for "this year, at the moment".
What to do next
- Before every "-ing", ask: is it under way right now? If not, use the plain present.
- Do the word-build and story drills below.
- Then ir a + infinitive, the everyday way to talk about plans.