Lesson 21 - Deportes (Sports)
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Pages in this lesson: Sports - Present Progressive - Dialogue - Reading - Quiz
This page: Learn the present progressive in Spanish.
Present Progressive in Spanish
Grammar Lesson
The present progressive tense is used to tell what is happening at this moment. To form the present progressive, you use a form of the verb estar and the present participle (known as a "gerund" or gerundio in Spanish). Present participles are words that end in -ing in English (like walking).
estar
First, let's review the forms of the verb estar.
| Subject pronouns | Form of estar | English translation |
|---|---|---|
| yo | estoy | I am |
| tú | estás | you are |
| usted, él, ella | está | you are/he is/she is |
| nosotros, nosotras | estamos | we are |
| vosotros, vosotras | estáis | you are (used in Spain only) |
| ustedes, ellos, ellas | están | you are/they are |
Present Participle
The present participle for -ar verbs is formed by dropping the -ar and adding -ando. The present participle for -er and -ir verbs is formed by dropping the -er or -ir and adding -iendo.
| Infinitive | Present participle | English translation |
|---|---|---|
| hablar (to speak) | hablando | speaking |
| correr (to run) | corriendo | running |
| abrir (to open) | abriendo | opening |
Practice
Section 1
Write the verb in the present participle form (with -ando or -iendo).
Irregular Present Participles
There are a small number of verbs that are irregular in the present progressive tense.
1) Verbs that end in a vowel and then -er and -ir
If a verb ends in a vowel and then -er or -ir, the present participle will end in -yendo, instead of -iendo.
- leer → leyendo
- oir → oyendo
- ir → yendo
2) Verbs with an e → i or e → ie stem change
With most verbs with an e → i or e → ie stem change, the letter E changes to an I in present participle form.
- mentir → mintiendo
- preferir → prefiriendo
3) Verbs with an o → ue stem change
With some verbs with an o → ue stem change, the letter O changes to a U in the present participle form.
- morir → muriendo
- dormir → durmiendo
4) Verbs that end in a vowel and then -ir AND that have a e → i stem change
Verbs that end in a letter E and then -ir (-eir) AND that have a e → i stem change lose the letter E from the stem.
- freír → friendo
- reír → riendo
Practice
Section 2
Write the verb in the present participle form. These verbs all have irregular participle forms that follow the rules described above.
Forming the present progressive
To form the present progressive tense, you combine the verb estar with a present participle.
- Examples:
- Estoy caminando. = I am walking.
- Mi amigo está estudiando. = My friend is studying.
- Ella no está durmiendo. = She isn't sleeping.
- ¿Están jugando los niños? = Are the children playing?
Practice
Section 3
Write sentences in the present progressive form using the noun and verb provided. Don't forget to use correct capitalization, accents and punctuation, or the computer will mark it as incorrect.
- Example
- los niños/correr → Los niños están corriendo.
Find the mistake in the sentence and re-write it correctly in the space. Don't forget to use correct capitalization, accents and punctuation, or the computer will mark it as incorrect.
|
Writing
Write five sentences in the present progressive tense about what people are doing.
- Examples:
- Estoy estudiando.
- Mi papá está trabajando.
- Mis amigos están comiendo.
If you want to type a special character (like an accented letter) in the comments section, you could do one of the following . . .
- Select and copy the character that you need → á é í ó ú ü ñ ¿ ¡ Á É Í Ó Ú Ü Ñ « »
- Use special codes on your computer if you have numeric keypad (instructions HERE).
- Type your sentences into the text box below and use the special character buttons provided. Then select and copy your text and paste it into the comments section.
If you see an error in someone else's sentence, please respond with the correction. Comments that are not from "Janet Castrejon" (the author of this page) do not represent Simplified Spanish. If someone is writing inappropriate comments on this webpage, please send a message to [email protected] and include the page that you saw the comment on.
Lesson 21 - Deportes (Sports)
Sports - Present Progressive - Dialogue - Reading - Quiz
Important Links
Pronouns - Pronunciation - Verbs
