Present Progressive Irregular

Let’s take a look at the irregulars:
This first group all add a “y”.

Creer becomes	Creyendo
Leer becomes	Leyendo
Ir becomes	Yendo
Destruir becomes	Destruyendo
Incluir becomes	Incluyendo
Oír becomes	Oyendo
Traer becomes	Trayendo
Caerse (a reflexive verb) becomes	Cayéndose

This next group of irregulars are stem changers and change from “o” to “u”.

Morir becomes	Muriendo
Dormir becomes	Durmiendo

This final group of irregulars are also stem changers and change from “e” to “i”.

Pedir becomes	Pidiendo
Seguir becomes	Siguiendo
Conseguir becomes	Consiguiendo
Repetir becomes	Repitiendo
Servir becomes	Sirviendo
Sentir becomes	Sintiendo
Preferir becomes	Prefiriendo
Requerir becomes	Requiriendo
Venir becomes	Viniendo
Decir becomes	Diciendo

And now a few reflexives in the same group:

Vestirse becomes	Vistiéndose
Despedirse becomes	Despidiéndose
Sentirse becomes	Sintiéndose
Divertirse becomes	Divirtiéndose

Before you go on to the practice session, there are a few new vocabulary words to go over. Here they are:

the book	el libro
sick	enfermo
The problem	El problema
The door	La puerta
The window	La ventana

Present Progressive ER/IR

Remember that “ando” and “iendo” are similar to the “ing” ending in English.

Yo estoy	Nosotros estamos	+ (ar verb)ando +(er verb)iendo
Tú estás	Vosotros estáis (Spain)
El, Ella, or Ud. está	Uds. Están

Before we move on and practice with “er/ir” dioing verbs, we need to review an important item. As we discussed briefly in the last lesson, to put on the “ing” ending you can either use a “doing verb”, with the “ando” or “iendo” ending, or “present tense”. For example, if you asked someone, “What are you looking for?”, you could either say “¿Qué buscas?” or “¿Qué estás buscando?”. Another example is the phrase, “What are you doing?”, where you can either say “¿Qué haces?” or “¿Qué estás haciendo?” In these cases, the present tense (or “¿Qué haces?”) is usually preferred by native speakers, but the progressive or doing tense “¿Qué estás haciendo?” can also be used.

Now, if want you say “What are you doing tomorrow at 3:00?”, you should not use a “doing verb”, since you aren’t doing it “right now”. Instead, you should use present tense, “¿Qué haces mañana a las tres?”

Before we go have a practice session, we need to learn a few new vocabulary words:

Gifts	regalos
a plan	un plan
you are exercising	esta hacienda ejercicio
The door	La puerta

Practice Session

Now we’ll practice a few er and ir doing verbs. Are you ready to try a few? Just remember that you can only use this tense if you are doing the action right when you are talking about it.

I am learning a lot	Estoy aprendiendo mucho
(Rosa) You are running	Estás corriendo
He is selling cars	Está vendiendo carros
She is deciding	Está decidiendo
I am living in Texas	Estoy viviendo en Texas
Julio is exercising	Julio está haciendo ejercicio
(Mr. Rodriguez) You are opening the door	Está abriendo la puerta
We are writing letters	Estamos escribiendo cartas
They are moving	Están moviendo
Are all of you returning? (starts with ‘v’)	¿Están volviendo?
She is choosing the team	Está escogiendo el equipo
He is returning the book	Está devolviendo el libro
We are making cookies	Estamos haciendo galletas.
They are receiving the gifts	Están recibiendo los regalos.
María is making the plan	María está haciendo el plan.

Present Progressive AR

Now we’ll take it one step farther so you can learn how to say phrases like “I am living” and “She is eating”. All you have to do is conjugate a form of the verb “estar”, then add the “ing” ending on the verbs.

First, let’s review the forms of estar:

Yo estoy	Nosotros estamos	As I mentioned before, after choosing the correct form of “estar”, you simply add “ando” on the end of “ar” verbs and “iendo” on the end of “er” and “ir” verbs.
Tú estás	Vosotros estáis (Remember, this is only used in Spain)
El, Ella, or Ud. está	And finally, ellos, ellas or Uds. Están

Take a look at a few examples of doing verbs:

The phrase “I am eating” would be “Estoy comiendo”.
“She is studying” would be “Está estudiando”
“They are dancing” would be “Están bailando”
“We are preparing” would be “Estamos preparando”
“I am writing” would be “Estoy escribiendo”
And finally, “Juan, you are eating lunch” would be “(Juan) Estás almorzando”.

Now a key to the “progressive tense” or “doing verbs” is that the person has to be doing the action at the very moment, it’s being said. For example, if I say “I am eating” or “Estoy comiendo”, I would have to actually be eating right when I say it. In other words, if I say, “He is eating more lately”, I wouldn’t automatically use a “doing verb” or the “progressive tense”, because he isn’t necessarily eating, right now. 

Practice Session

To begin our practice session, first have someone say the phrases in English, and you say them out loud in Spanish.

I am dancing	Estoy bailando
He is drawing	Está dibujando
She is studying	Está estudiando
(Juan) Are you eating breakfast?	¿Estás desayunando?
Pedro is fixing the car	Pedro está arreglando el carro
(Mr. Garcia) You are helping a lot	Está ayundando mucho
We are jumping	Estamos saltando
They aren’t listening	No está escuchando
He is looking for his keys	Está buscando sus llaves
Are all of you painting the house?	¿Están pintando la casa?
I am practicing.	Estoy practicando
She is swimming	Está nadando