Coffee Break Spanish CBS 2.36 | Continuous tenses
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Mar 4, 2011 Join María-José and Andrew as they dive into the intricacies of the present continuous tense. Discover how to ask 'What are you doing?' in Spanish and the fun nuances of using estar with gerunds. Enjoy lively dialogues that highlight Andrew's favorite activities in Spain, from enjoying the beaches to vibrant parties. They also tackle common pitfalls in using gerunds and explore fun expressions like 'pasarlo fenomenal.' Tune in for practical tips and engaging language insights that make learning Spanish enjoyable!
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Present Continuous Emphasizes Now
- The present continuous in Spanish uses estar + gerund to emphasize actions happening right now.
- This construction pinpoints what someone is doing at this exact moment.
Real Dialogue Examples
- In the dialogue María José says Estoy leyendo while Andrew says Estoy escribiendo una carta.
- These examples show native use of estar + gerund during a real conversation.
Form Gerunds And Use Them Correctly
- Form AR gerunds by dropping -ar and adding -ando, and ER/IR by adding -iendo (or -yendo when needed).
- Use the gerund only to describe actions in progress with estar; avoid using it after gusta.