Present Progressive

[wafflestomp]

In this thread: http://forums.tomisimo.org/showthread.php?t=8001&page=2

Some native speakers said you can say the present progressive for the future.. I was under the impression this was totally disallowed?

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

"Totally disallowed" is too much to say.

Although "estoy yendo mañana a la playa" sounds unusual to me, it's very common in Mexico to tell someone: "nos estamos hablando/viendo", to say we'll be calling/seeing each other sometime in the near future.

I suppose it's just a matter of regional colloquialisms, and it doesn't replace the usual formulas, but present progressive can definitely be used for the future.

[wafflestomp]

My aunt who's a native speaker from Spain says that it's abolutely disallowed by any circumstance... so it's just a regional thing?

[Rusty]

It might be a regional usage.
The Spanish simple present tense is used to mean the near future. This can't be done in English. "I'm going to the park this afternoon," for example, is translated as "Voy al parque esta tarde." By extension, perhaps, the present continuous has also been used to mean the near future. But, I side with AngelicaDeAlquezar that "estoy yendo" sounds strange when it is used to mean a future event. "Voy a ir" or "iré" sounds much better.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

The function of present progressive on a future action "sketches" what someone will be doing at some moment in the future.

Entonces el 18 de julio estamos volando a Alemania.
So on July 18th we'll be flying to Germany.

Te llamo a las cinco. Ah, pero vas manejando, ¿verdad?
I'll call you at five. Oh, but you'll be driving, right?

[wafflestomp]

She just told me it's totally disallowed even for that.. they seem to be grammar nazis in Spain

[chileno]

Originally Posted by Rusty

It might be a regional usage.
The Spanish simple present tense is used to mean the near future. This can't be done in English. "I'm going to the park this afternoon," for example, is translated as "Voy al parque esta tarde." By extension, perhaps, the present continuous has also been used to mean the near future. But, I side with AngelicaDeAlquezar that "estoy yendo" sounds strange when it is used to mean a future event. "Voy a ir" or "iré" sounds much better.

Conversely, some people will say "Díle a tu papá que nos vamos en diez minutos" :-)

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by chileno

Conversely, some people will say "Díle a tu papá que nos vamos en diez minutos" :-)

That's what I said. The simple present (nos vamos) is used to express the near future in Spanish. We can't use the simple present in English to express the near future.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by Rusty

That's what I said. The simple present (nos vamos) is used to express the near future in Spanish. We can't use the simple present in English to express the near future.

My problem is that you speak grammatique, and I don't.

That, and I quoted you instead of Angélica.

[Rusty]

O K