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Tense guide
Presente progresivo (Present Progressive)

Language: Spanish
Tense:
Person:

Practice conjugation drills

Introduction

This tense describes an action that is happening or in progress. It is very similar to using "-ing" in English. The main idea is to show that an action is continuing at a specific point in time.

The most common use is for actions happening right now, at the exact moment of speaking.

¿Qué estás haciendo ahora?
(What are you doing right now?)
Yo estoy comiendo en la cocina.
(I am eating in the kitchen.)
Mi hermano está escuchando música.
(My brother is listening to music.)
Está lloviendo en este momento.
(It is raining at this moment.)
Nosotros estamos esperando el autobús.
(We are waiting for the bus.)
Los niños están jugando en el parque.
(The children are playing in the park.)

You can also use it for actions happening around the present time, but not necessarily at this exact second. These are ongoing projects or temporary situations.

Este mes, estoy leyendo un libro de historia.
(This month, I am reading a history book.)
Ellos están construyendo una casa nueva.
(They are building a new house.)
Mi amiga está aprendiendo a conducir.
(My friend is learning to drive.)

This tense can describe a gradual change that is happening over a period of time.

La tecnología está cambiando el mundo.
(Technology is changing the world.)
Poco a poco, mi español está mejorando.
(Little by little, my Spanish is improving.)

Less frequently, it is used to express an annoying or repeated action. It often appears with words like siempre (always) or todo el día (all day).

Él siempre está perdiendo sus llaves.
(He is always losing his keys.)
Tú siempre te estás quejando de todo.
(You are always complaining about everything.)

Be careful: this tense is used less often in Spanish than the "-ing" form is used in English. Spanish often uses the simple present for actions that English would describe with the present continuous. Use this progressive form only for actions that are truly in progress.

Conjugation patterns