{"id":1686,"date":"2018-05-06T16:07:11","date_gmt":"2018-05-06T16:07:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/?p=1686"},"modified":"2019-05-17T11:24:43","modified_gmt":"2019-05-17T11:24:43","slug":"present-progressive-spanish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/present-progressive-spanish\/","title":{"rendered":"Present Progressive in Spanish: A Simple (But Complete) Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Spanish language has 16 verb tenses and the present progressive tense is not one of them. Wait! What? \u201cBut I have I used the present progressive in Spanish before\u201d, you may say. Let me explain. <\/span><\/p>\n

What in English is called \u201cpresent progressive\u201d in Spanish is called \u201cper\u00edfrasis verbal\u201d (verb phrase). This particular verb phrase is made up of the verb \u201cestar\u201d and a verb that ends in \u201cando\u201d or \u201ciendo\u201d. The good news is that this \u201cverb phrase\u201d works very similarly to the present progressive you are familiar with.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this lesson, we will show you how to form this structure, which, for the purposes of this article, we will call present progressive in Spanish. We will also show you when and how to use this form. Ready? Let\u2019s dive into it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Spanish Present Progressive Structure <\/span><\/h2>\n

To form the present progressive or continuous tense in Spanish, you only need two things, the auxiliary verb \u201cestar\u201d and a present participle. In Spanish, present participles are verbs that end in -ando or -iendo. <\/span><\/p>\n

This tense appears in three different forms in Spanish conversations. You can create affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences with the Spanish progressive tense. Below, we share with you the patterns you can use to form this tense. <\/span><\/p>\n

Affirmative Form<\/span><\/h3>\n

Roberto est\u00e1 bailando. (subject + estar + verb in -ando\/iendo) <\/span><\/p>\n

Negative Form <\/span><\/h3>\n

Roberto no est\u00e1 bailando. (subject + no + estar + verb in -ando\/iendo) <\/span><\/p>\n

Interrogative Form <\/span><\/h3>\n

\u00bfRoberto est\u00e1 bailando? (\u00bf + subject + estar + verb in -ando\/iendo + ?)<\/span><\/p>\n

To create closed questions (questions that can be answered with \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cno\u201d) in Spanish is very simple. The structure used to create affirmative and interrogative forms in Spanish is the same. <\/span><\/p>\n

To turn an affirmative statement into a question, you simply need to change the tone of your voice. Raise it a bit at the end of the statement. <\/span><\/p>\n

Did you notice that we changed the form of the verb \u201cestar\u201d in the examples above? It\u2019s because in Spanish the forms of verbs change depending on the person that performs the action. <\/span><\/p>\n

To form the Spanish present progressive tense, we need to use the form of the verb \u201cestar\u201d that belongs to the person we refer to. Do you know how to conjugate this verb in the simple present tense? <\/span><\/p>\n

Simple Present of <\/span>Estar<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n

To use the Spanish present progressive tense correctly, you need to learn by heart the conjugation of \u201cestar\u201d. Here are all the conjugations of this verb. <\/span><\/p>\n

Singular Pronouns <\/span><\/h4>\n