Estar + gerundio (present continuous)

Estoy estudiando español ahora mismo.I'm studying Spanish right now.

To say that something is happening at this very moment, Spanish combines the verb estar with a form of the main verb ending in -ando or -iendo, called the gerundio. It does much the same job as English "I am eating".

Quick shortcut: estar (present) + gerundio. The gerundio ends in -ando for -ar verbs and -iendo for -er and -ir verbs: hablar → hablando, comer → comiendo, vivir → viviendo. Only estar changes with the subject; the gerundio never does: Estoy comiendo. · Estamos comiendo. · Ellos están comiendo.

Forming the gerundio

The gerundio is built from the infinitive: the -ar, -er or -ir is replaced by the ending:

A few common verbs have a spelling or vowel change:

Putting it together

Conjugate estar for the person doing the action, then add the gerundio. The forms of estar are in estar:

The gerundio does not agree with the subject in person, number or gender: ✅ Ellas están comiendo, never ❌ Ellas están comiendas.

When to use it

The construction stresses that an action is in progress:

• Right now: Estoy hablando por teléfono. (I'm talking on the phone.)
• Around now, over a period of time: Estoy leyendo un libro muy bueno. (I'm reading a very good book, these days.)

Time words such as ahora, ahora mismo and en este momento often go with it. Spanish can also use the simple present for something happening now (Escucho música ahora), and the construction with estar puts the emphasis on the action being in progress. For habits and routines, the simple present is the normal choice (see present tense: -ar verbs): Trabajo en un banco (my job) versus Estoy trabajando (right now).

Negatives and questions

no goes before estar, and questions follow the usual pattern (see negation with no and questions: intonation and word order): No estoy trabajando. · ¿Qué estás haciendo? · ¿Estáis comiendo?

An object or reflexive pronoun usually goes before estar (Me estoy duchando., "I'm taking a shower"). It can also attach to the end of the gerundio, and the rule for placing pronouns has its own lesson: Position of object pronouns.

What it is not used for

English -ing has more jobs than the Spanish gerundio, and some of them need another form in Spanish:

• An arranged future. English says I'm leaving tomorrow; Spanish usually uses the simple present or ir a (see ir a + infinitive): Mañana salgo. · Mañana voy a salir.
• A noun or a subject. After gustar, after a preposition or as a subject, Spanish uses the infinitive: Me gusta nadar. · Antes de comer, me lavo las manos. · Nadar es divertido.
• A state. Verbs that describe a state rather than an action, such as tener or saber, usually take the simple present: Tengo hambre., not ❌ Estoy teniendo hambre.

Common mistakes

• ❌ Soy comiendo. → ✅ Estoy comiendo. (the helper is estar, not ser)
• ❌ Estoy comer. → ✅ Estoy comiendo. (after estar it takes the gerundio, not the infinitive)
• ❌ Estoy leiendo. → ✅ Estoy leyendo. (an i between vowels becomes y)
• ❌ Me gusta nadando. → ✅ Me gusta nadar. (Spanish uses the infinitive where English uses -ing as a noun)

Quick check

Which form completes each sentence?

1. (yo) ___ estudiando español ahora mismo.
2. Ellos están ___ (dormir).
3. ¿Qué estás ___ (hacer)?
4. Estamos ___ (comer) en casa.
5. What needs to change in Ella es trabajando?
6. The gerundio of leer:

Key takeaways

• estar + gerundio says that an action is in progress: Estoy comiendo.
• The gerundio ends in -ando (-ar verbs) or -iendo (-er and -ir verbs): hablando, comiendo, viviendo.
• Some common gerundios change: leyendo, durmiendo, pidiendo, yendo.
• Only estar changes with the subject; the gerundio never changes: Ellas están comiendo.
• Pronouns usually go before estar: Me estoy duchando.
• For future plans, states, and -ing as a noun, Spanish uses other forms (the simple present, ir a, the infinitive).