Estar + gerund: saying what is happening now
You will learn how to describe an action that is in progress at the exact moment you speak. This matters because it lets you answer simple questions like what you are doing right now, and it keeps you from using the wrong form for future plans or habits.
The rule
The present continuous in Spanish is built with two parts: a present tense form of estar, followed by a gerundio. You use it when the action is genuinely in progress right now, at the time you speak. For example, Estoy comiendo describes something happening in the moment, not a routine and not a future plan.
Step 1 is forming the gerundio. With -ar verbs, you take the stem and add -ando: hablar → hablando, trabajar → trabajando. With -er and -ir verbs, you add -iendo: comer → comiendo, vivir → viviendo. Some common verbs have small changes to keep pronunciation natural. One frequent example is dormir → durmiendo. In practice, focus on the two main endings, -ando and -iendo, and memorize a few high frequency forms.
At a glance
Forming the gerundio: -ando, -iendo, plus common forms
| Infinitivo | Tipo | Gerundio | Ejemplo con estar |
|---|---|---|---|
| hablar | -ar | hablando | Estoy hablando. |
| trabajar | -ar | trabajando | Están trabajando. |
| comer | -er | comiendo | Estamos comiendo. |
| vivir | -ir | viviendo | Ella está viviendo aquí. |
| leer | -er | leyendo | Tú estás leyendo. |
| dormir | -ir | durmiendo | Él está durmiendo. |
Heard in real Spanish
Native speakers on YouTube, in videos about something other than grammar. The notion is in pink. Each clip starts a second before the line.
Terminamos con la clase y ahorita estoy regresando a casa.
We finished class and right now I'm going back home.
VLOG 🎀 Un día CAÓTICO en COREA 🇰🇷🐯: clases de NEUROCIENCIA👩🏻🔬dermatólogo y amigas 💖💅🏻 by Mini World · Watch on YouTube
Ahora, en esta parte ya están enseñando a bailar a los extranjeros.
Now, in this part they're already teaching foreigners to dance.
ASÍ ES LA VIDA NOCTURNA MÁS SALSERA DE CALI by Valentina Tips · Watch on YouTube
Examples
- Ahora estoy comiendo.I am eating right now.Action in progress at the moment of speaking.
- ¿Qué estás haciendo? Estoy leyendo.What are you doing? I’m reading.A common question-answer pattern for what is happening now.
- Ella está durmiendo.She is sleeping.dormir has a common gerundio form: durmiendo.
What to remember
- Estar + gerundio is for an action in progress right now.
- Gerundio endings: -ar → -ando, -er/-ir → -iendo.
- Person and number are carried by estar, not by the gerundio.
- Do not use it for the future or habits. Use the simple present.
- In this lesson, no article with the gerundio. Keep it with estar.
Check yourself
1 Fill the gap with the correct present tense form of estar.
Ahora ___ comiendo.
- estoy
- estás
- está
- estamos
Show the answer
estoy. With yo, the correct form is estoy: Ahora estoy comiendo.
2 Choose the correct gerundio form of trabajar.
- trabajando
- trabajiendo
- trabajado
- trabajas
Show the answer
trabajando. -ar verbs form the gerundio with -ando: trabajar → trabajando.
Take the full lesson
“Estar + gerund: happening now” in the Streal course: the whole explanation, the quiz, and every YouTube extract picked for it. Free to start, nothing to install. The full lesson goes on with the rest of the explanation and more examples, the common mistakes and the practice quiz.