The present continuous
Estar with -ando and -iendo, for what is happening right now.
Learn
The present continuous, explained point by point
Everything the GCSE specification expects you to be able to do, and how to actually do it - the same lesson a signed-in student studies from.
Form the present continuous with estar and a gerund
Use the present of estar (estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están) with the gerund, the -ing form: Estoy hablando means I am talking. Only estar changes for the person.
Make the gerund with -ando and -iendo
-ar verbs take -ando on the stem, and -er and -ir verbs take -iendo: trabajando, comiendo, escribiendo. The gerund never changes its ending, whoever is doing the action.
Use it for what is happening right now
The present continuous stresses that something is going on at this moment: Ahora mismo estoy viendo una serie. For habits, use the simple present (Los martes juego al baloncesto), and for plans, the near future (Voy a salir esta noche).
Write -yendo when an -er or -ir stem ends in a vowel
An i between two vowels becomes y, so leer gives leyendo, creer gives creyendo and construir gives construyendo: Estoy leyendo una novela.
Change e to i in the gerund of verbs like pedir
The pedir verbs change e to i in the gerund as well: pidiendo, repitiendo, siguiendo, vistiendo: El camarero está sirviendo la comida.
Place a pronoun before estar or on the end of the gerund
A reflexive or object pronoun goes before estar or joins the end of the gerund, which then needs an accent: Me estoy vistiendo or Estoy vistiéndome; Lo estoy leyendo or Estoy leyéndolo.
Say what was going on with estaba and a gerund
The imperfect of estar with a gerund says what was happening at a moment in the past, often when something else interrupted it: Estaba leyendo cuando llegó mi madre. Use estaba for I and for he or she, and estabas for you.
Use the plural past forms estábamos, estabais and estabanHigher only
At Higher, the past continuous goes plural too: Estábamos jugando al fútbol cuando empezó a llover, ¿Qué estabais haciendo? The gerund stays the same, and only estar changes. You may also meet dormir with o changed to u: Estaban durmiendo.
The present continuous key terms
The words the specification and the mark schemes use, each defined the way an examiner wants it.
- Gerund
- The -ing form of a verb: -ando for -ar verbs and -iendo for -er and -ir verbs, as in cantando and bebiendo.
- Present continuous
- The present of estar with a gerund, for what is happening right now: Están jugando means they are playing.
- -ando
- The gerund ending for -ar verbs, added to the stem: hablar gives hablando, talking.
- -iendo
- The gerund ending for -er and -ir verbs: comer gives comiendo and vivir gives viviendo.
- leyendo
- Reading. When the stem ends in a vowel, -iendo is spelt -yendo: construir gives construyendo.
- pidiendo
- Asking for. Verbs like pedir change e to i in the gerund, as in repitiendo and siguiendo.
- ahora mismo
- Right now, a phrase that often goes with the present continuous: Ahora mismo estoy estudiando.
- estaba with a gerund
- Was doing, for an action going on in the past: Estaba leyendo means I was reading, or he was reading.
Common mistakes in The present continuous
The slips that cost marks year after year, and what to do instead.
Using ser instead of estar, as in Soy comiendo.
The continuous always uses estar: Estoy comiendo. Ser never goes with a gerund.
Using the continuous for a habit, as in Estoy jugando al fútbol los sábados.
For something you do regularly, use the simple present: Juego al fútbol los sábados. Keep estar and the gerund for what is happening now.
Putting -ando on an -er or -ir verb, as in escribando.
Only -ar verbs take -ando. -er and -ir verbs take -iendo: comiendo, escribiendo, saliendo.
Writing leiendo for reading.
When the stem ends in a vowel, the i of -iendo becomes y: leyendo, construyendo.
Making the gerund agree, as in Mis amigas están bailandas.
The gerund never changes its ending: Mis amigas están bailando. Only estar changes to match the person.
Practice
Try a The present continuous question
A GCSE-style original question from this topic. Have a go before you open the working - deciding on an answer first is what makes the working stick.
Which form of pedir completes the sentence? En el restaurante, mi hermano está ___ la cuenta.
- pediendo
- pedir
- pidiendo
- pide
Show the answer and the working
Answer: pidiendo
Pedir changes its e to i in the present participle, as it does in pido and pide: pidiendo. In the restaurant, my brother is asking for the bill.
- Está ___ needs a present participle, so not pedir or pide.
- Pedir is an -ir verb, so -iendo.
- Its stem e changes to i: pidiendo.