Ever wondered how to say “I’m studying” or “She is cooking” in Spanish? Today we’ll master the progressive tense: estar + gerundio. You’ll learn the structure, common verbs, when to use it (and when not to), plus get lots of hands-on practice. ¡Vamos! Let’s get you sounding natural when talking about what’s happening right now.

¿Qué estás haciendo? The core idea

In Spanish, the progressive tense focuses on actions happening at this very moment or around now. The structure is:

• estar (conjugated) + gerundio (the “-ing” form)
• Example: Estoy comiendo. = I’m eating.

Use it to emphasize that something is in progress right now, often with time markers like ahora, en este momento, or ahora mismo. Spanish also uses the simple present (como ahora) for current actions more than English does, but estar + gerundio adds that “it’s happening right now” feeling.

Forming the gerundio (Spanish “-ing”)

• For -ar verbs: stem + -ando → hablar → hablando (speaking)
• For -er/-ir verbs: stem + -iendo → comer → comiendo (eating), vivir → viviendo (living)
• Irregulars you’ll see often:
  • leer → leyendo (reading)
  • dormir → durmiendo (sleeping; o→u stem change)
  • decir → diciendo (saying; e→i)
  • ir → yendo (going)

Put them together:

• Estoy trabajando. = I’m working.
• Ella está leyendo. = She is reading.
• Estamos viviendo en Madrid por ahora. = We are living in Madrid for now (temporary).

Ahora mismo yo en casa.

When to use it (and when not to)

Use estar + gerundio for actions in progress:

• Phone calls: ¿Qué estás haciendo? = What are you doing?
• Narrating the moment: Estoy caminando al trabajo. = I’m walking to work.
• Temporary activities: Estamos viviendo con mis padres por unas semanas. = We are living with my parents for a few weeks.

In everyday Spanish, simple present often covers immediate actions too:

• Ahora como. = I’m eating now. (simple present)
• But if you want to emphasize “right now,” use the progressive: Estoy comiendo ahora.

Cultural note: In Spanish (both Spain and Latin America), you’ll hear simple present a lot for current actions. The progressive gives extra “in-progress” emphasis—common in phone calls, status updates, and play-by-play descriptions.

Soy hablando español. → Estoy hablando español. Use estar + gerundio for actions in progress.

Mi hermana está música.

Sounding natural: time words and nuance

Useful adverbs:

• ahora (now), en este momento (at this moment), ahora mismo (right now), todavía (still)

Nuance:

• Estoy viviendo en Sevilla. = I’m living in Seville (temporary, in progress).
• Vivo en Sevilla. = I live in Seville (more general or permanent).

Another common structure (bonus): seguir + gerundio (to keep doing something)

• Sigo estudiando. = I keep studying / I’m still studying.

Mini conversation practice

Put the lines in order to make a natural phone call using estar + gerundio.

More examples you can use today

• Estoy trabajando desde casa hoy. = I’m working from home today.
• ¿Qué estás viendo? = What are you watching?
• Estamos preparando el informe. = We are preparing the report.
• Ella no está escuchando. = She is not listening.

Pro tip: Negative is simple—add “no” before estar.

• No estoy estudiando. = I’m not studying.

Ellos están el periódico.

¿Qué haciendo?

Summary and next steps

Now you can form the Spanish progressive with estar + gerundio, choose it when you want that “right now” feel, and avoid common mistakes like using ser. Keep listening for it in phone calls, status updates, and everyday chats. Practice by describing your moment:

• Ahora estoy… trabajando / estudiando / cocinando / descansando.

Write 3 sentences about what you’re doing today using estar + gerundio. ¡Sigue practicando! (Keep practicing!)