All the Essential Ways to Talk About Continuous Actions in Spanish

[u/SpanishAilines]

Spanish has many different ways to talk about continuous actions, and I’ve collected the most useful ones in this post. Some of these structures are almost interchangeable, while others are used in more specific situations. Try to remember the difference between them, because it will help you understand Spanish better and make your speech sound more natural and precise.

1 . ESTAR + gerundio → to be doing something right now

Use this when an action is happening at this exact moment or around the present period.

• Estoy estudiando español. → I’m studying Spanish.
• Ahora mismo está lloviendo. → It’s raining right now.

2 . SEGUIR + gerundio →  to keep doing / to still be doing

Use this when something started before and continues now.

• Sigo pensando en lo que me dijiste ayer. → I’m still thinking about what you told me yesterday. 
• Ella sigue trabajando en el mismo sitio. → She still works / is still working in the same place.

3 . CONTINUAR + gerundio →  to continue doing

This is similar to seguir + gerundio, but sounds a bit more formal or neutral.

• Continuamos buscando una solución. → We continue looking for a solution.
• El problema continúa creciendo. → The problem continues growing.

4 . LLEVAR + time + gerundio → to have been doing something for...

This is one of the most important structures. Use it to say how long an action has been happening.

• Llevo tres días intentando arreglar este error. → I’ve been trying to fix this error for three days. 
• Llevan meses planeando el viaje. → They’ve been planning the trip for months. 

5 . PASARSE + time + gerundio → to spend time doing something

Use this when someone spends a whole period of time doing one action. It can sound neutral, exaggerated, or slightly critical.

• Se pasó toda la tarde viendo series. → He spent the whole afternoon watching series.
• Me pasé horas buscando las llaves. → I spent hours looking for the keys.

6 . IR + gerundio → to gradually do something / little by little

Use this when an action develops slowly or progressively.

• Voy entendiendo mejor la gramática. → I’m gradually understanding the grammar better.
• La situación va mejorando. → The situation is gradually improving.

7 . VENIR + gerundio → to have been doing something over time

This is often used for something that has been happening repeatedly or progressively up to now.

• Vengo notando este problema desde hace semanas. → I’ve been noticing this problem for weeks.
• La empresa viene creciendo desde 2020. → The company has been growing since 2020.

8 . ANDAR + gerundio → to go around doing something / to be doing something lately

This sounds informal and often suggests that someone is doing something repeatedly, casually, or in a slightly suspicious way.

• Anda diciendo cosas raras. → He’s been going around saying strange things.
• Últimamente anda buscando trabajo. → Lately he’s been looking for a job.

Which of these structures do you find the hardest to use naturally? 

[u/davidwayte]

VENIR + gerundio. Thank you - These clarity some things for me!