Estar + Gerundio:

This grammar point is a team effort. It uses two separate words working together. The first part is the verb estar. This acts as your anchor. It tells us *who* is doing the action. The second part is the gerundio. This is the action itself. Think of it like a grammar sandwich. The estar is the bread, and the gerund is the filling. You can't have a sandwich with just bread. And a pile of ham without bread is just... well, a mess. In Spanish, saying Yo comiendo (I eating) makes you sound like a caveman. You need that estar to make it a complete sentence. It’s a very logical system. You conjugate the first part and keep the second part the same. Easy, right? It's like a grammar traffic light. Estar gives you the green light, and the gerund keeps the traffic moving.

1. 1Building this is a simple two-step process.
2. 2Conjugate estar in the present tense.
3. 3Yo estoy (I am)
4. 4Tú estás (You are)
5. 5Él/Ella/Usted está (He/She/You formal are)
6. 6Nosotros estamos (We are)
7. 7Vosotros estáis (You all are - Spain)
8. 8Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes están (They/You all are)
9. 9Create the gerund.
10. 10For -AR verbs, take off the -ar and add -ando.
11. 11Hablar (to speak) becomes hablando (speaking).
12. 12Cantar (to sing) becomes cantando (singing).
13. 13For -ER and -IR verbs, take off the ending and add -iendo.
14. 14Comer (to eat) becomes comiendo (eating).
15. 15Vivir (to live) becomes viviendo (living).
16. 16Wait, there's a tiny catch! If the stem ends in a vowel, use -yendo.
17. 17Leer becomes leyendo (reading).
18. 18Oír becomes oyendo (hearing).
19. 19And for those tricky -IR verbs with stem changes, they keep changing.
20. 20Dormir becomes durmiendo (sleeping).
21. 21Pedir becomes pidiendo (asking/ordering).

Use this when an action is in progress right now. Imagine you are at a busy cafe. You look around. You see people. You say, Ellos están bebiendo café (They are drinking coffee). You use it to emphasize that the action hasn't finished yet. It's great for phone calls. When someone calls and asks "What are you doing?", you answer with this. Estoy cocinando la cena (I am cooking dinner). It’s also perfect for temporary situations that are happening "these days." If you are reading a great book this week, you can say Estoy leyendo un libro genial. It feels active and fresh. It’s the tense of the paparazzi—always catching people in the middle of something.

This is where English speakers usually trip up. Do not use this for the future. In English, we say "I am going to the beach tomorrow." If you say Estoy yendo a la playa mañana in Spanish, people will look at you funny. It sounds like you are already on the way there, but also somehow in the future. For future plans, just use the simple present: Voy a la playa mañana.

Also, don't use it for permanent states or habits. If you work at a bank every day, just say Trabajo en un banco. If you say Estoy trabajando en un banco, it sounds like you are literally sitting at your desk with your headset on right this second. Or maybe it's just a temp job for the week. Use the simple present for your general life. Use the gerund for the "now."

1. 1Forgetting estar. This is the most common crime. Yo estudiando is not a sentence. You must say Estoy estudiando.
2. 2Using ser instead of estar. We use estar for location and temporary states. Since an action in progress is temporary, ser is invited to stay home. Never say Soy comiendo.
3. 3Overusing it. English uses "-ing" way more than Spanish. If it's a general habit, stick to the simple present.
4. 4Literal translations. In English, we say "It is raining." In Spanish, you can say Está lloviendo. But don't try to translate "I am liking this." In Spanish, we just say Me gusta. Some verbs just don't like the gerund lifestyle.

The biggest rival is the Presente Simple (e.g., Hablo).

• Hablo español means "I speak Spanish" (in general, as a skill).
• Estoy hablando español means "I am speaking Spanish" (right now, words are coming out of my mouth).

Think of the Presente Simple as a photo of your life. It's a snapshot of facts. Think of the Estar + Gerundio as a video. It has motion. If you're in a job interview and they ask what you do, use the simple present. If they ask what you're doing to prepare for the role *at this moment*, use the gerund. It shows you're a person of action! Even native speakers mess this up when they're tired, so don't sweat it too much if you slip up.