Usage, Regular Formation, and Irregular Forms
The structure estar + gerundio is used to describe an action that is in progress at a particular moment. The verb estar is conjugated according to the subject and tense, while the gerund remains unchanged.
Unlike English, Spanish does not always use the progressive form for actions happening now. The simple present is often sufficient:
The gerund normally expresses an action that is simultaneous with the time indicated by estar.
To form the gerund, remove the infinitive ending and add the appropriate ending:
| Infinitive ending | Gerund ending | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -ar | -ando | hablar → hablando, trabajar → trabajando |
| -er | -iendo | comer → comiendo, beber → bebiendo |
| -ir | -iendo | vivir → viviendo, escribir → escribiendo |
Many -ir verbs undergo a stem-vowel change in the gerund. In general, stem-changing -ir verbs change e → i or o → u in the gerund.
With many -er and -ir verbs whose stem ends in a vowel, -iendo becomes -yendo. This change avoids having three consecutive vowels and reflects the pronunciation.
After a vowel:
A small number of forms: