In this module, we will learn the present progressive verb tense for ongoing actions. In other words, you will learn how describe things that are happening right now or in the near future. When you use two verbs to describe what you are doing such as “I am walking” or “I am dancing,” this is an example of a compound verb. Another example may be “she is learning” or “we are working” is called a compound verb tense because there are two verbs needed.

We will be conjugating the verb estar and using it with the gerund (words that have -ing at the end) to create the present progressive verb tense.  Check out the following examples in Spanish:

Yo estoy caminando. I am walking.

Tú estás bailando. You are dancing.

Ellos están comiendo. They are eating.

Nosotros estamos trabajando. We are working.

Él está bebiendo. He is drinking.

Can you see the two parts of the compound verb phrase in both the Spanish and English sentences?  Do you see a pattern with the gerund (-ing ending) and how it is formed in Spanish?  You will! Being able to say what we are doing at the present moment and in the near future allows us to express what we see going on around us!

Listen to these songs and challenge yourself to think about ongoing actions.

Enrique Iglesias — Bailando (ft. Descemer Bueno & Gente de Zona)
Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer, songwriter, actor and record producer who is widely regarded as the King of Latin Pop. Descemer Bueno (born July 5, 1971) is a Cuban singer, songwriter, and record producer. Gente de Zona is a Cuban reggaeton band made up of musicians Alexander Delgado and Randy Malcom.

You can view the transcript for “Bailando” here (opens in new window).

GTA and Jenn Morel — Buscando
Jenn Morel is a Dominican singer and songwriter. GTA (acronym of Good Times Ahead) are an electronic music duo from Miami consisting of house, electro house, trap and hip hop producers Julio Mejia (born December 8, 1990) and Matt Toth (born August 22, 1990).

You can view the transcript for “Buscando” here (opens in new window).

Francisca Valenzuela – Flotando
Francisca Valenzuela is an American-born Chilean singer, poet, and multi-instrumentalist.

You can view the transcript for “Flotando” here (opens in new window).