The Spanish Progressive

Q: What is the difference between hablo and estoy hablando?

Hablo can mean "I speak," "I'm speaking," or "I do speak." Estoy hablando only means "I'm speaking (right now)," and it puts the focus on the action being in progress. Spanish often uses the simple present where English needs "-ing."

Q: Where do pronouns go in the present progressive?

Before estar (lo estoy haciendo) or attached to the end of the gerund (estoy haciéndolo). Both are correct. When you attach them, the gerund takes a written accent.

Q: Is it "estoy sentado" or "estoy sentando"?

Estoy sentado ("I'm sitting"). For body positions, Spanish uses estar + the past participle: sentado, parado or de pie, acostado. Estoy sentando would mean "I'm seating (someone)."

Adapted from The Animated Book of Spanish, an interactive Spanish grammar book.

The present progressive (estar + gerund) describes something happening right now: estoy hablando means “I'm speaking.” It works a lot like “‑ing” in English, but Spanish uses it less.

Present progressive of hablar (to speak): the present tense of estar, then the gerund
Subject	estarpresent tense	gerundnever changes
yo	estoy	hablando
tú	estás	hablando
él / ella / usted	está	hablando
nosotros	estamos	hablando
vosotros	estáis	hablando
ellos / ellas / ustedes	están	hablando

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How to form the progressive

Take the present tense of estar and add the gerund, the ‑ando / ‑iendo form of the verb. Only estar changes to match the subject.

estar, present tenseestoy

gerundhablando

I’m speakingEstoy hablando.

To make the gerund, drop the ‑ar, ‑er, or ‑ir and add the ending:

How to form the gerund: hablar becomes hablando, comer becomes comiendo, vivir becomes viviendo
Subject	-AR verbs: hablar	-ER verbs: comer	-IR verbs: vivir
Verb	hablar	comer	vivir
Ending	‑ando	‑iendo	‑iendo
Gerund	hablando	comiendo	viviendo

A few verbs have irregular gerunds, like leyendo (leer), durmiendo (dormir), and yendo (ir). See the Spanish gerund for the full rules.

When to use the progressive

Use it for actions that are in progress: happening now, or around now.

1
Something happening right now
An action in progress at this moment.
- ¿Qué estás haciendo? Estoy cocinando.
  What are you doing? I’m cooking.
- No puedo hablar, estoy manejando.
  I can’t talk, I’m driving.
2
Something temporary
Something going on these days, even if it isn’t happening this very second.
- Este mes estoy trabajando desde casa.
  This month I’m working from home.
- Estamos aprendiendo a bailar salsa.
  We’re learning to dance salsa.
3
Something changing
A gradual change that’s still happening.
- Los precios están subiendo.
  Prices are going up.
- Tu español está mejorando mucho.
  Your Spanish is improving a lot.

Where to put object pronouns

Object pronouns (me, te, lo, la, le, nos, los, las) and reflexive pronouns can go before estar, or attached to the end of the gerund. Both are correct and mean the same thing. When you attach one, the gerund takes a written accent, so the stress stays where it was: haciendo → haciéndolo.

Before estarAttached to the gerund
Before estar
Lo estoy haciendo.
Attached to the gerund
Estoy haciéndolo.
I’m doing it.
Before estar
Te estoy escuchando.
Attached to the gerund
Estoy escuchándote.
I’m listening to you.
Before estar
Me estoy duchando.
Attached to the gerund
Estoy duchándome.
I’m taking a shower.

With two pronouns, keep them together, either both before estar or both attached:

Te lo estoy diciendo.
orEstoy diciéndotelo.
I’m telling you.

Other progressive tenses

To put the progressive in another tense, change the tense of estar. The gerund stays exactly the same.

The progressive in other tenses, with the yo form of estar
Tense	Form	Meaning
Present	estoy hablando	I’m speaking
Imperfect	estaba hablando	I was speaking
Preterite	estuve hablando	I was speaking (for a while)
Future	estaré hablando	I’ll be speaking
Conditional	estaría hablando	I’d be speaking

The past progressive

Estaba (the imperfect of estar) + gerund describes what was going on at a moment in the past, often when something else happened. With a set length of time, use the preterite, estuve, instead.

Estaba durmiendo cuando llamaste.
I was sleeping when you called.
¿Qué estabas haciendo a las ocho?
What were you doing at eight?
Estuve trabajando toda la tarde.
I was working all afternoon.

The future progressive

Estaré (the future of estar) + gerund describes what will be going on at a moment in the future. Like the future tense, it can also be a guess about right now.

Mañana a esta hora estaré volando a Lima.
This time tomorrow, I’ll be flying to Lima.
No contesta. Estará durmiendo.
He’s not answering. He’s probably sleeping.

The conditional progressive

Estaría (the conditional of estar) + gerund describes what would be going on.

Sin este trabajo, estaría viajando por el mundo.
Without this job, I’d be traveling the world.
Pensé que estarías durmiendo.
I thought you’d be sleeping.

The gerund also works with other verbs, like seguir (to keep doing) and llevar (to have been doing). See the Spanish gerund.

Common mistakes English speakers make

Using the progressive for plans
Incorrect:Estoy yendo a la fiesta mañana.
Correct:Voy a la fiesta mañana.
English uses -ing for future plans, but Spanish uses the simple present or ir a + infinitive. The progressive is only for things in progress.
Using the gerund for sitting and standing
Incorrect:Estoy sentando en el sofá.
Correct:Estoy sentado en el sofá.
For body positions, Spanish uses estar + the past participle: sentado, de pie, acostado. Estoy sentando means I'm seating (someone).
Using the progressive with verbs of state
Incorrect:Estoy sabiendo la respuesta.
Correct:Sé la respuesta.
Verbs that describe a state rather than an action, like saber, tener, and ser, almost never go in the progressive. Use the simple present.
Putting the pronoun in the middle
Incorrect:Estoy lo haciendo.
Correct:Lo estoy haciendo.
A pronoun goes before estar or on the end of the gerund (Estoy haciéndolo), never between them.
Forgetting the accent
Incorrect:Estoy haciendolo.
Correct:Estoy haciéndolo.
When you attach a pronoun, the gerund gets a written accent to keep the stress in the same place: haciendo → haciéndolo.

Questions about the progressive

What is the difference between hablo and estoy hablando?

Hablo can mean "I speak," "I'm speaking," or "I do speak." Estoy hablando only means "I'm speaking (right now)," and it puts the focus on the action being in progress. Spanish often uses the simple present where English needs "-ing."

Can you use the present progressive for the future in Spanish?

No. English uses "-ing" for plans ("I'm leaving tomorrow"), but Spanish uses the simple present or ir a + infinitive: Salgo mañana or Voy a salir mañana.

Where do pronouns go in the present progressive?

Before estar (lo estoy haciendo) or attached to the end of the gerund (estoy haciéndolo). Both are correct. When you attach them, the gerund takes a written accent.

Is it "estoy sentado" or "estoy sentando"?

Estoy sentado ("I'm sitting"). For body positions, Spanish uses estar + the past participle: sentado, parado or de pie, acostado. Estoy sentando would mean "I'm seating (someone)."

Next upThe future tensePredictions, promises, guesses, and the 12 irregular stems.

How to form the progressive

When to use the progressive

Something happening right now

Something temporary

Something changing

Where to put object pronouns

Other progressive tenses

The past progressive

The future progressive

The conditional progressive

Common mistakes English speakers make

Using the progressive for plans

Using the gerund for sitting and standing

Using the progressive with verbs of state

Putting the pronoun in the middle

Forgetting the accent

Questions about the progressive

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