If you already know all the regular and irregular forms of the Simple Present (I speak: yo hablo), it’s time to learn the Present Continuous (I am speaking: yo estoy hablando). Let’s see the regular forms. As you can see in the chart below, you need the verb “estar” followed by a form ending with “ando” or “iendo”. Examples:
Yo estoy caminando. I am walking
Yo estoy corriendo. I am running
Yo estoy subiendo. I am going up
Let’s see now the irregular forms.
-The verbs “morir” and “dormir” take an “u”:
El gato se está muriendo. The cat is dying
El gato está durmiendo. The cat is sleeping
-The verbs ending in “ir” which in the Simple Present change E/IE or E/I take an “i”:
Ella está mintiendo. She is lying
Ella está pidiendo una pizza. She is ordering a pizza
These two verbs end with “ir” (mentir, pedir), and in the Simple Present, they change E/IE (yo miento: I lie) or E/I (yo pido: I order). There are more verbs in this group.
-When you have three vowels in a row, you change “i” for “y” to do the pronunciation easier:
She is reading. Ella está leyendo
She is building a house. Ella está construyendo una casa
There are more verbs in this group.
Here you have a video to learn how to describe a photo using this tense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvvMLR43RD8
Last but not least, you need to study now the “ing” form in depth. Here you have the video explaining the topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnvwkxKirWE&t=28s
