Estar + gerundio: describir cuadros (videolección)

To practise estar + gerundio, this lesson describes some famous Spanish paintings: what are the people in each picture doing?

You will learn how to use this useful structure in this free Spanish lesson brought to you by Tilde Madrid Spanish school in Madrid

Key points

Estar + gerund describes an action in progress: Los personajes están bailando.
Regular gerunds: -ar becomes -ando (hablando); -er and -ir become -iendo (comiendo, viviendo).
Some irregular gerunds: leyendo, durmiendo, diciendo, pidiendo.
A useful question to describe a picture: ¿Qué están haciendo los personajes?

Can I say estoy estudiando español este año?

Yes. Estar + gerund also describes an activity that is going on during a period of time, not only at this exact moment.

Where do pronouns go with estar + gerund?

Before estar or attached to the gerund: Me estoy duchando or Estoy duchándome. Note the written accent when the pronoun is attached.

Is the Spanish gerund used like the English -ing form?

Not always. Spanish uses the infinitive where English often uses -ing as a noun: Me gusta nadar (I like swimming).

Part of Spanish Sessions, the YouTube channel of the teachers at Tilde Madrid — more than 3 million views.