{"id":138240,"date":"2023-03-02T19:32:23","date_gmt":"2023-03-03T00:32:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/progressive-tense-spanish\/"},"modified":"2025-03-20T20:46:54","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T00:46:54","slug":"progressive-tense-spanish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/progressive-tense-spanish\/","title":{"rendered":"Progressive Tenses in Spanish and How to Use Them"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You can make your Spanish sentences more engaging just by using the progressive tense.\u00a0This tense helps you explain <strong>something that was, is or will be happening<\/strong> (something &#8220;in progress&#8221;) in a more expressive manner.<\/p>\n<p>Read on to learn how to use the<strong> Spanish progressive tense<\/strong> and improve your Spanish sentences.<\/p>\n<p>[fluentu-toc]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<h2>The Uses and Importance of the Spanish Progressive Tense<\/h2>\n<p>The progressive tense, both in English and Spanish, is the tense we use to describe actions that were, are or will be happening at some point in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/spanish-verb-conjugations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">past, present or future<\/a>, respectively.<\/p>\n<p>To be specific, in Spanish you can use&#8230;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>the<strong> present progressive<\/strong> to describe actions that are going on at the moment of speaking.<\/li>\n<li>the <strong>imperfect progressive<\/strong> to talk about actions that were ongoing at some point in the past.<\/li>\n<li>the <strong>preterite progressive<\/strong> to discuss ongoing past actions that have since finished or come to an end.<\/li>\n<li>the <strong>future progressive<\/strong> to describe actions that will be ongoing at some point in the future, or to hypothesize about what must be happening in the present.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Building the Progressive Tense in Spanish<\/h2>\n<p>Most importantly, you need the verb <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/when-to-use-ser-vs-estar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>estar<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(to be) and a <strong>present participle,<\/strong> also known as a gerund and called the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/spanish-gerund\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>gerundio<\/em><\/a> in Spanish.<\/p>\n<p>Learning the present participle of verbs is fairly easy, because it<em>\u00a0<\/em>never changes. Whether you&#8217;re talking about the past, the present or the future, its form will always be exactly the same.<\/p>\n<p>To form the <em>gerundio<\/em>, just look at the ending of the infinitive. If the infinitive ends in <em>-ar<\/em>, replace that ending with <em>-ando<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-3263333\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-3263333\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<th class=\"column-1\">Infinitive<\/th><th class=\"column-2\">Present Participle<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>cant<strong>ar<\/strong><\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><em>cant<strong>ando<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>llor<strong>ar<\/strong><\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><em>llor<strong>ando<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>camin<strong>ar<\/strong><\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><em>camin<strong>ando<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-3263333 from cache -->\n<p>And if the infinitive ends in <em>-er <\/em>or <em>-ir<\/em>, replace the ending with <em>-iendo<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-3273333\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-3273333\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<th class=\"column-1\">Infinitive<\/th><th class=\"column-2\">Present Participle<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>com<strong>er<\/strong><\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><em>com<strong>iendo<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>corr<strong>er<\/strong><\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><em>corr<strong>iendo<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>viv<strong>ir<\/strong><\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><em>viv<strong>iendo<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>conduc<strong>ir<\/strong><\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><em>conduc<strong>iendo<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-3273333 from cache -->\n<p>The verb <em>estar\u00a0<\/em>is also pretty easy. Depending on the progressive tense you&#8217;re using, you just need to use the corresponding tense of <em>estar<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t worry\u2014we&#8217;ll get into when to use each progressive tense next! But as an example, if you want to use the present progressive tense, <em>estar <\/em>should be conjugated in the present tense, as such:<\/p>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-3283333\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-3283333\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<th class=\"column-1\">Spanish<\/th><th class=\"column-2\">English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>Yo <strong>estoy<\/strong><\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">I am<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>T\u00fa <strong>est\u00e1s<\/strong><\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">You are<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>\u00c9l \/ Ella <strong>est\u00e1<\/strong><\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">He \/ She is<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>Nosotros <strong>estamos<\/strong><\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">We are<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-6\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>Vosotros <strong>est\u00e1is <\/strong>\/ Ustedes <strong>est\u00e1n<\/strong><\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">You (all) are<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-7\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><em>Ellos \/ Ellas <strong>est\u00e1n<\/strong><\/em><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">They are<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-3283333 from cache -->\n<p>So, if you&#8217;re using the imperfect progressive tense, <em>estar<\/em> should be conjugated in its imperfect form; for the preterite progressive tense, conjugate <em>estar <\/em>in the preterite; and for the future progressive tense, <em>estar<\/em> should appear in its future form.<\/p>\n<p>If you need the verb <em>estar <\/em>fully conjugated, just <a href=\"https:\/\/www.123teachme.com\/spanish_verb_conjugation\/estar\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">use this handy guide from 123TeachMe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Now, let&#8217;s get into the four forms of the Spanish progressive tense.<\/p>\n<h2>Spanish Present Progressive Tense<\/h2>\n<p>As I mentioned earlier, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/present-progressive-spanish\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the present progressive tense<\/a> (sometimes called the present continuous) is used <strong>when talking about actions that are happening as you speak.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The greatest feature of the present progressive is that it&#8217;s used in both English and Spanish in the exact same way and for the exact same purpose.<\/p>\n<p>So the only thing you need in order to master it is the present tense of the verb <em>estar <\/em>and a gerund. For example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em><strong>Est\u00e1s regando<\/strong> las plantas. <\/em>(You are watering the plants.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Alguien <strong>est\u00e1 llamando<\/strong> a la puerta. <\/em>(Someone is knocking on the door.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em><strong>Est\u00e1 nevando<\/strong> en Polonia. <\/em>(It is snowing in Poland.)<\/p>\n<p>Apart from describing things that are happening at the very moment you&#8217;re speaking, the present progressive is also used to talk about broader <strong>actions that are ongoing in the present, but not necessarily at this moment.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Once again, both English and Spanish share this feature. Here are some examples:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Este a\u00f1o <strong>estoy estudiando<\/strong> franc\u00e9s. <\/em>(I am studying French this year.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Nos <strong>estamos quedando<\/strong> en un hotel. <\/em>(We are staying in a hotel.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em><strong>Estoy durmiendo<\/strong> solo esta semana. <\/em>(I am sleeping alone this week.)<\/p>\n<h2>Spanish Imperfect Progressive Tense<\/h2>\n<p>The imperfect progressive tense is mainly used <strong>to describe actions that were ongoing at some point in the past.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Again, both English and Spanish use the imperfect progressive tense in the same fashion. The main difference is that in English, you have an auxiliary verb conjugated in the simple past tense, whereas in Spanish the auxiliary verb is conjugated in the imperfect tense.<\/p>\n<p>To this Spanish imperfect auxiliary verb we add a present participle, which, as mentioned above, does not change.<\/p>\n<p>The Spanish imperfect progressive is used in two specific contexts.\u00a0First, we use it when talking about <strong>actions that were ongoing in the past.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Bear in mind that it is <em>not<\/em> important if these actions were actually completed (or not) and when. You&#8217;re referring to them when they were in process; they lasted for some time, and that&#8217;s what matters here.<\/p>\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em><strong>Estaba cantando<\/strong> su canci\u00f3n favorita.<\/em> (He was singing his favorite song.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Me<strong> estaba ba\u00f1ando<\/strong> cuando lleg\u00f3. <\/em>(I was having a bath when he arrived.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>El beb\u00e9 me<strong> estaba mirando<\/strong> a m\u00ed, no a su madre. <\/em>(The baby was looking at me, not at his mother.)<\/p>\n<p>(Note that in the English imperfect progressive tense, you use the past simple of &#8220;to be&#8221;\u2014the word &#8220;was.&#8221;)<\/p>\n<p>The second use of the Spanish imperfect progressive is <strong>describing broader actions that were ongoing in the past,<\/strong> normally during a period of time longer than just a few minutes or even a few hours.<\/p>\n<p>So, you wouldn&#8217;t use it to describe taking a bath or singing a song, but something bigger. Have a look:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Ese a\u00f1o yo <strong>estaba estudiando<\/strong> polaco. <\/em>(I was learning Polish that year).<\/p>\n<p>You obviously were not studying Polish for 365 days without a break\u2014the situation was ongoing because it happened throughout the year, but there was not a single, specific moment when you studied (there were many).<\/p>\n<p>Here are some more examples:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>En 2005 Mar\u00eda <strong>estaba viviendo<\/strong> en Barcelona. <\/em>(In 2005 Mar\u00eda was living in Barcelona.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em><strong>Estaba nevando<\/strong> mucho para ser primavera. <\/em>(It was snowing a lot considering it was spring.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Mis vecinos se <strong>estaban poniendo<\/strong> muy nerviosos. <\/em>(My neighbors were getting very nervous.)<\/p>\n<h2>Spanish Preterite Progressive Tense<\/h2>\n<p>The preterite progressive tense is used for<strong>\u00a0an ongoing past action that has finished, stopped or come to an end.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There is no equivalent tense in English, because English has only one past progressive tense, as mentioned above. Spanish, on the other hand, has two.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re learning the preterite progressive tense, I assume you already know what the preterite is and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/spanish-preterite-and-imperfect\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the difference between the imperfect and the preterite tenses<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a quick review: In Spanish, both the imperfect and the preterite are used when talking about actions that took place in the past. The big difference is that the imperfect is used for an ongoing action in the past, while the preterite is used to clearly express that a past action ended.<\/p>\n<p>The following examples will help you out:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Mi hermana <strong>cocinaba<\/strong> mientras yo quitaba el polvo. <\/em>(My sister was cooking while I was dusting [ongoing actions].)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>La pel\u00edcula<strong> termin\u00f3<\/strong> a las 7. <\/em>(The movie ended at 7 pm [completed action].)<\/p>\n<p>Now, when using the preterite progressive tense, the activity we&#8217;re describing <strong>came to an end at the moment we&#8217;re referring to or before, but never after.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I know, I know. I get questions from my students at this point, which is natural. Here are some answers:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Yes, we&#8217;re dealing with the progressive tense, which means the action of the verb must be ongoing.<\/li>\n<li>Yes, we translate both the Spanish imperfect and preterite progressive tenses as the past continuous in English.<\/li>\n<li>No, they&#8217;re really not the same, and you certainly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/past-progressive-spanish\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cannot use them interchangeably in Spanish<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The biggest thing to keep in mind is that the imperfect progressive emphasizes the ongoing nature of a past action, while the preterite progressive emphasizes that an ongoing past action ended.<\/p>\n<p>Take this example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em><strong>Estuve cantando<\/strong> toda la ma\u00f1ana. <\/em>(I was singing the whole morning.)<\/p>\n<p>We have a clear end to the action\u2014the morning ended and then the afternoon began. It doesn&#8217;t matter how many hours I was singing, where I was or what I did exactly during those hours. I sang, I finished singing. Preterite.<\/p>\n<p>You can&#8217;t use the imperfect with that sentence because <em>toda la ma\u00f1ana<\/em> marks an end. If you have an end, you cannot use the imperfect.<\/p>\n<p>So let&#8217;s compare the two:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em><strong>Estuvimos limpiando<\/strong> de las 9 a las 11. <\/em>(We were cleaning from 9 am to 11 am.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em><strong>Est\u00e1bamos limpiando<\/strong> cuando son\u00f3 el tel\u00e9fono.<\/em> (We were cleaning when the telephone rang.)<\/p>\n<p>In the first sentence, we were cleaning for two hours (progressive), but we finished at 11 am. The action was completed\u2014preterite.<\/p>\n<p>In the second sentence, you don&#8217;t know when we started, when we finished or if we even did finish cleaning. You only know that we were in the middle of an ongoing action when something else happened\u2014imperfect.<\/p>\n<h2>Spanish Future Progressive Tense<\/h2>\n<p>The future progressive tense is our way to say <strong>something will be happening at some point in the future.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This tense (also known as the future continuous) is very similar in Spanish and English. In English you use the construction &#8220;will be&#8221; plus the present participle of the main verb, while in Spanish you use the future simple of <em>estar<\/em> plus the <em>gerundio<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>There are two situations where you&#8217;ll use the future progressive tense in Spanish.\u00a0The first one is the same as in English. You use the future progressive to say that something will be happening or ongoing in the future.<\/p>\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Ma\u00f1ana a las 6 ya <strong><strong>estar\u00e9 desayunando<\/strong><\/strong>. <\/em>(I will already be having breakfast tomorrow at 6 am.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em><strong>Estaremos viviendo<\/strong> en \u00c1frica en un a\u00f1o. <\/em>(We will be living in Africa in a year.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>A esta hora ma\u00f1ana <strong>estar\u00e1n llegando<\/strong> a casa.<\/em> (This time tomorrow they will be arriving home.)<\/p>\n<p>The second use of the future progressive only appears in Spanish. You&#8217;ll use this tense to<strong> hypothesize about what must be happening in the present.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Notice that these hypotheses can always be translated in English as &#8220;must be&#8221; plus a present participle:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em><strong>Estar\u00e1 llegando<\/strong> ahora. <\/em>(He must be arriving now.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em><strong>Estar\u00e1n estudiando.<\/strong> <\/em>(They must be studying.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Me<strong> estar\u00e9 volviendo<\/strong> loco. <\/em>(I must be going crazy.)<\/p>\n<h2>Present Simple and Imperfect as Progressive Tenses<\/h2>\n<p>You may already know that Spanish speakers love using the present simple tense. So it&#8217;s important to note that you can also use this tense\u00a0with a present progressive meaning (i.e. for actions that are taking place at the moment of speaking).<\/p>\n<p>For a native Spanish speaker, there is no difference in meaning between a sentence built in the present continuous and one built in the present simple.<\/p>\n<p>Have a look (progressive first, present simple underneath):<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>\u00bfQu\u00e9 <strong>est\u00e1 pasando<\/strong>? <\/em>(What is happening?)<br \/>\n<em>\u00bfQu\u00e9 <strong>pasa<\/strong>? <\/em>(What is happening?)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em><strong>Estoy yendo<\/strong> a la escuela. <\/em>(I am going to school.)<br \/>\n<em><strong>Voy<\/strong> a la escuela. <\/em>(I am going to school.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>\u00bfQu\u00e9 <strong>est\u00e1s haciendo<\/strong>? <\/em>(What are you doing?)<br \/>\n<em>\u00bfQu\u00e9 <strong>haces<\/strong>? <\/em>(What are you doing?)<\/p>\n<p>The same happens when using the imperfect progressive and the imperfect. To refer to actions that were going on at some point in the past, you can technically choose whichever form you like the most:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em><strong>Iba caminando<\/strong> cuando ocurri\u00f3 el accidente. <\/em>(He was walking when the accident happened.)<br \/>\n<em><strong>Caminaba<\/strong> cuando ocurri\u00f3 el accidente. <\/em>(He was walking when the accident happened.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>\u00bfQu\u00e9 <strong>estabas haciendo<\/strong> cuando te llam\u00e9? <\/em>(What were you doing when I called you?)<br \/>\n<em>\u00bfQu\u00e9 <strong>hac\u00edas<\/strong> cuando te llam\u00e9? <\/em>(What were you doing when I called you?)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>El ni\u00f1o <strong>estaba jugando<\/strong> en el parque. <\/em>(The boy was playing in the park.)<br \/>\n<em>El ni\u00f1o <strong>jugaba<\/strong> en el parque. <\/em>(The boy was playing in the park.)<\/p>\n<p>Sound confusing? Have no fear! You can get the hang of the progressive tense (even in its &#8220;simple&#8221; form) with <strong>practice by reading and listening to native Spanish speakers.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For example, you might read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/best-intermediate-spanish-novels\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spanish novels<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/blogs-in-spanish\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">blogs<\/a> to see how natives use the progressive tense within a story. Or you can watch some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/spanish-tv-shows\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spanish TV shows<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/stream-movies-in-spanish\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">movies<\/a> to hear the progressive tense used in conversation.<\/p>\n<p>To practice both at once, you might try a program designed specially for language learners, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/spanish\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FluentU<\/a>. <p><strong>FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n<p><\/p> \r\n<p>You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/fluentu-learn-language-videos\/id917892175\">the iOS app<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.fluentflix.fluentu&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=US\">Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p><i><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">P.S. If you decide to sign up now, you can take advantage of our current sale!<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">\r\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/2\/NativeAd-Spanish.jpg\" alt=\"FluentU Ad\" \/>\r\n  <p style=\"text-align: center\">\r\n    <button class=\"btn-blue\" style=\"border: none;font-size: 18px;text-align: center;padding: 0.75rem 1.5rem;cursor: pointer\">\r\n      Try FluentU for FREE!\r\n    <\/button>\r\n  <\/p>\r\n<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\n<p>You can also get an idea of how FluentU works by watching videos on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@FluentUSpanish\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FluentU Spanish YouTube channel<\/a>. For example, this video takes a Spanish-dubbed episode of &#8220;Friends&#8221; and turns it into an in-depth Spanish lesson, where the host breaks down meaningful vocabulary, grammar, expressions and cultural context:<\/p>\n<p><lite-youtube videoid=\"zgfPpUypCjk\"><\/lite-youtube><\/p>\n<p>And once you&#8217;ve read or listened to natives, try using the Spanish progressive tense while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/online-spanish-language-exchange-partner\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">speaking with them<\/a>, too!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Now you have all the necessary tools to discuss ongoing actions at any point in time (and tell more engaging stories in the process).<\/p>\n<p>Time to get out there and see what&#8217;s happening!<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>And One More Thing\u2026<\/h2>\r\n<p>\r\nIf you've made it this far that means you probably enjoy learning Spanish with engaging material and <strong><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> will then love FluentU<\/a>.<\/strong>\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>\r\nOther sites use scripted content. FluentU uses a natural approach that helps you ease into the Spanish language and culture over time. You\u2019ll learn Spanish as it\u2019s actually spoken by real people.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nFluentU has a wide variety of videos, as you can see here:\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1234 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/2\/Spanish-1.jpg\" alt=\"learn-spanish-with-videos\" width=\"320\" height=\"568\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\n<strong>FluentU brings native videos within reach with interactive transcripts.<\/strong> You can tap on any word to look it up instantly. Every definition has examples that have been written to help you understand how the word is used. If you see an interesting word you don\u2019t know, you can add it to a vocab list.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-19339\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/2\/Spanish-2.png\" alt=\"learn-spanish-with-interactive-subtitled-videos\" width=\"320\" height=\"569\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\nReview a complete interactive transcript under the <strong>Dialogue<\/strong> tab, and find words and phrases listed under <strong>Vocab<\/strong>.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1235 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/2\/Spanish-3.jpg\" alt=\"learn-spanish-with-songs\" width=\"320\" height=\"568\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\nLearn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentU\u2019s robust learning engine. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you\u2019re on.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1236 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/2\/Spanish-4.jpg\" width=\"320\" height=\"568\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\nThe best part is that FluentU keeps track of the vocabulary that you\u2019re learning, and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it\u2019s time to review what you\u2019ve learned.<strong> Every learner has a truly personalized experience, even if they\u2019re learning with the same video.<\/strong>\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nStart using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. <a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a>\r\n<\/p> \r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You can make your Spanish sentences more engaging just by using the progressive tense.\u00a0This tense helps you explain something that was, is or will be happening (something &#8220;in progress&#8221;) in&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":249173,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"Progressive Tenses in Spanish and How to Use Them | FluentU Spanish Blog","description":"We use the progressive tense in Spanish to describe what's happening, what was happening or what will be happening. In this post, you'll learn when to use the Spanish progressive tense, how to build it and all four forms: the present, imperfect, preterite and future progressives. Click here to start learning!"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[590,596,597],"tags":[],"coauthors":[191],"class_list":["post-138240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spanish","category-spanish-grammar","category-tenses-and-conjugation-spanish-grammar"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/121"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138240"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138240\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":253206,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138240\/revisions\/253206"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/249173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138240"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=138240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}