What’s the Italian present progressive?
The present progressive tense in Italian is used to describe actions occurring at the moment of speaking. For instance, “sto andando a lavoro” translates to “I am going to work” and indicates the action is happening as you speak.
Conjugating the present progressive is pretty straightforward.
All it takes is using the present tense of the verb “stare” followed by the gerund form of the main verb.
| present tense of STARE + gerund* forms |
To form the gerund* in Italian, follow this pattern:
- Verbs ending in “-are” change to “-ando” (e.g., “andando” for “andare”).
- Verbs ending in “-ere” and “-ire” change to “-endo” (e.g., “scrivendo” for “scrivere”, “dormendo” for “dormire”).
Present Progressive: The Conjugation
To form the present progressive in Italian, follow this pattern:
| present tense of “STARE” | Gerundio |
|---|---|
| io sto tu stai lui, lei sta noi stiamo voi state loro stanno | and-ando (going) scriv-endo (writing) dorm-endo (sleeping) |
There are very few irregular gerund forms in Italian to be aware of, and they are:
| Infinitive | Irregular Gerund Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| fare | facendo | Cosa stai facendo? (What are you doing?) |
| dire | dicendo | Cosa stai dicendo? (What are you saying?) |
| bere | bevendo | Cosa stai bevendo? (What are you drinking?) |
Present Progressive vs. Simple Present
Careful:
A common mistake for English speakers is to use the present progressive to express general truths or habitual actions, which in Italian are usually conveyed with the simple present tense.
| present simple | Parlo italiano | I speak Italian or I’m speaking Italian as general truth or habitual action |
| present progressive | Sto parlando italiano | I’m speaking italian RIGHT NOW |
Exercise 1
Translate the following forms into Italian.
- I’m finishing (right now) → sto finendo
- You’re sleeping (right now) → _____________________________
- She’s writing (right now) → _____________________________
- You all reading (right now) → _____________________________
- They’re buying (right now) → _____________________________
- I’m visiting (right now) → _____________________________
- We’re cooking (right now) → _____________________________
- He’s listening (right now) → _____________________________
- I’m dreaming (right now) → _____________________________
- You all are drinking (right now) → _____________________________
- Are you telling? (right now) → _____________________________
Exercise 2
Form the gerund from the following verbs.
| venire venendo | fare _________________ | disegnare _________________ | capire _________________ |
| avere _________________ | ripetere _________________ | viaggiare _________________ | guardare _________________ |
| ridere _________________ | finire _________________ | imparare _________________ | camminare _________________ |
| dare _________________ | insegnare _________________ | svegliarsi _________________ | vendere _________________ |
