This Portuguese lesson will show you the present progressive in Portuguese. This is a very useful and easy to learn verb tense. In English, it is the -ing conjugation.
You’re going to love this: There is no irregular verb in the present progressive in Portuguese. Furthermore, the conjugations are the same for all the different persons of speech: eu, você, ele, a gente, nós, vocês, eles.
In this lesson you will learn:
- The present progressive conjugation
- The structure of phrases using the present progressive in Portuguese
- How to say it in a street smart Brazilian way
- When to use the present progressive, with examples for each situation
- The difference between Brazilian and European Portuguese
- A useful bonus phrase
The Present Progressive Tense
Imagine that you are going to have dinner with a friend. You call your friend and say, “I’m leaving now. I will be there in 20 minutes.”
You are quietly reading a book at home when you hear a huge noise on the street outside. You look out of the window and wonder, “What is happening?”
In the picture above the girl is saying, “Yes, I am listening.”
These phrases use the Present Progressive tense, also called Present Continuous. We use the present progressive to talk about ongoing actions. It is the -ing tense in English.
In Portuguese we call it Presente Contínuo. It is an Indicative verb tense.
The present progressive conjugation
In English the present progressive is formed by adding –ing to the verb.
In Portuguese you do this:
- Drop the final R of the infinitive form of the verb
- Add: ndo
You do this for every single verb in Portuguese. There are no irregular verbs in the present progressive.
Examples:
| Infinitive | Present Progressive |
| Falar (to speak, to talk) | Falando |
| Aprender (to learn) | Aprendendo |
| Comer (to eat) | Comendo |
| Fazer (to do, to make) | Fazendo |
| Ver (to see) | Vendo |
| Ir (to go) | Indo |
In other words, you have the following terminations in the present progressive:
- Verbs that end in AR: ando
- Verbs that end in ER: endo
- Verbs that end in IR: indo
Easy, right?
The Present Progressive Structure
The present progressive structure is very similar in English and in Portuguese. We use the verb Estar as auxiliary verb in Portuguese. Thus you need to conjugate the verb estar in the present tense.
| Verb Estar – Present Tense Indicative |
| Eu estou |
| Você/Ele/Ela está |
| A gente está |
| Nós estamos |
| Vocês/Eles/Elas estão |
For example, the questions in the lesson introduction are:
- Estou saindo agora. Chego em 20 minutos. = I’m leaving now. I will be there in 20 minutes.
- O que está acontecendo? = What is happening?
- Sim, estou ouvindo. = Yes, I am listening.
There are additional examples along the lesson.
How to sound Brazilian using the present progressive
In spoken Brazilian Portuguese we very rarely say the verb Estar as it is. We shorten it by dropping the first syllable (es). You will also see this in informal writing such as text messages and social media posts.
So in spoken Brazilian Portuguese, the sentences above would be spoken like this:
- Tô saindo agora. = I’m leaving now.
- O que tá acontecendo? = What is happening?
- Sim, tô ouvindo.
When to Use the Present Progressive in Portuguese
In the examples below, I will use the verb Estar in its regular form and show you in parentheses how we would say it in spoken Brazilian Portuguese. You do not use both together; you choose one or the other.
We use the present progressive to:
1. Express actions that are in progress at the moment of speaking
Examples:
- O que você está (tá) comendo? = What are you eating?
- Eles estão (tão) conversando sobre o novo negócio. = They are talking about the new business.
- Você está (tá) rindo de quê? = What are you laughing at?
- Está (tá) chovendo. = It’s raining.
2. Talk about longer actions that are in progress
Examples:
- Joana está (tá) estudando para o vestibular.= Joana is studying for the vestibular exam.
- A gente está (tá) juntando dinheiro para ir ao Brasil. = We are saving money to go to Brazil.
- Estou (tô) lendo o livro O Poder do Hábito. Estou (tô) adorando! = I am reading the book O Poder do Hábito”. I am loving it.
3. Talk about something that happens repeatedly
- Bia está (tá) sempre reclamando de tudo. = Bia is always complaining about everything.
- Ana é muito simpática. Ela está (tá) sempre sorrindo. = Ana is very friendly. She is always smiling.
- Felipe está (tá) sempre perdendo o telefone. = Felipe is always losing his phone.
In these sentences we use adverbs of frequency such as: sempre, constantemente, o tempo todo. We usually place these words between the verb Estar and the verb that is in the present progressive.
4. Talk about trends
- Hoje as pessoas estão usando principalmente o telefone para fazer compras pela internet. = Today people are mainly using their phones to shop online.
- As pessoas estão cada vez mais se interessando por aprender línguas. = People are getting more and more interested in learning languages.
In these sentences, it is common to use expressions such as “more and more” and “less and less”.
When not to Use the Present Progressive in Portuguese
Please visit my Portuguese lesson on when to use the infinitive in Portuguese instead of the present progressive in English.
It’s Different in Portugal
In European Portuguese you form the present progressive in a different way:
- Verb Estar in the present tense + a + infinitive of main verb
For ex:
| Brazil | Portugal |
| Estou estudando. | Estou a estudar. |
| Estamos conversando. | Estamos a conversar. |
Useful bonus phrase
Say you are watching TV. Your roommate calls from the kitchen asking for help. You answer, as you get up:
- Tô indo.
See the difference? In English we’d say: I’m coming. In Portuguese we say: I’m going.
Imagine how wonderful it will be to speak Portuguese comfortably and use the different verb tenses without having to think so much about conjugations. It is perfectly possible. Practice is the key. Street Smart Brazil works with a wonderful team of well-trained instructors who can help you speak Portuguese with confidence.
Don’t struggle with Portuguese. Book a Trial Lesson with us to get started.
In Spanish, we tend to shorten to & to . Does português have something similar?
Muito obrigado!
Oi,
I’ve noticed people using this structure, but when it follows “e”, “estar” is dropped. For example, “E eu sozinho nessa casa”. Why does this happen?
Obrigada.
It’s like in English I could say: It’s Friday night, people are out having fun with their friends… and me, here, alone in this house.” Does it make sense?
Can the ‘es’ be dropped in other tenses? Like “eu (es)tava assistindo um filme quando ele chegou” or is it only shortened in the present?
Muito obrigado!
Yes, it can be dropped in the past, too!
This is a great explanation of the Present Progressive in Portuguese. I’m looking for a little further help. Can you point me in the direction to a lesson about pronoun placement when using the present continuous form of a verb?
For example:
“She is dressing for school” = “Ela esta se vestindo para a escola.”
I understand that “se” is used because it is the third person. But why is it there? Why not say, “Ela esta vestindo para a escola” ?
Obrigada pela ajuda!
Oi, Jessica
Some verbs in Portuguese are reflexive and need the reflexive pronoun (in this case: se). Please check out my lesson about reflexive verbs: https://streetsmartbrazil.com/reflexive-verbs-made-simple-in-portuguese/ I think it will help you.
Obrigada Luciana!
This is exactly what I was looking for.