Estar + gerundio (presente continuo)
Estar + gerundio (presente continuo) means “estar + gerund describes an action happening right now”. To stress that something is happening now, use estar in the present + the gerund. Formation: estar + -ando (-ar) / -iendo (-er, -ir): estoy hablando, está comiendo
estar + gerund describes an action happening right now
A2Formation
estar + -ando (-ar) / -iendo (-er, -ir): estoy hablando, está comiendo
Explanation
To stress that something is happening now, use estar in the present + the gerund. Form the gerund by replacing -ar with -ando (hablar → hablando) and -er/-ir with -iendo (comer → comiendo, vivir → viviendo): Estoy trabajando, Está lloviendo. Unlike English, Spanish does not use this form for the future — for that, use the present or ir a.
Examples
Note
Some gerunds are irregular: leer → leyendo, dormir → durmiendo, ir → yendo.
FAQ
Estar + gerundio (presente continuo) — what does it mean and how is it used?
estar + gerund describes an action happening right now. To stress that something is happening now, use estar in the present + the gerund. Form the gerund by replacing -ar with -ando (hablar → hablando) and -er/-ir with -iendo (comer → comiendo, vivir → viviendo): Estoy trabajando, Está lloviendo. Unlike English, Spanish does not use this form for the future — for that, use the present or ir a.
Estar + gerundio (presente continuo) — how do you form it?
estar + -ando (-ar) / -iendo (-er, -ir): estoy hablando, está comiendo
Estar + gerundio (presente continuo) — any usage notes?
Some gerunds are irregular: leer → leyendo, dormir → durmiendo, ir → yendo.