Estar+gerundio VS simple present

[Laurien]

This is confusing for me:

You use estar+gerundio when you talk about things that happen at the moment when you are speaking and for "presentamos como no definitivas o temporales".

Yet since the gerundio doesn't exist in my language, it confuses me.

If i say "I'm browsing a site." that's something i'm doing now. So according to the theorie i should use estar+gerundio. But i would just say it in simple present?

I've looked at many different sites but i can't find one thats explains it clearly.

So can someone help me understand when i should just use presente de indicativo and when estar+gerundio ?

Thank you in advance.

[laepelba]

I think this is difficult for native English speakers as well, since we tend to use "to be" + "gerund" a lot more often than "estar + gerundio" is used in Spanish. I try to keep the following in mind:
- if it is an action that I am in the present habit of doing, I use the present tense verb: "Me despierto temprano en el verano."
- if it is an action that I am physically actually doing right this moment, I use the "estar + gerundio" construction: "Me estoy despertando temprano esta mañana para llamar a mi madre."

How does this sound to you native speakers?

[Laurien]

It's still difficult to understand but I'm trying to keep in mind that gerundio is when you are physically doing it at the moment.

I hope with some practice I'll understand it better, thank you!

[chileno]

Originally Posted by Laurien

This is confusing for me:

You use estar+gerundio when you talk about things that happen at the moment when you are speaking and for "presentamos como no definitivas o temporales".

Yet since the gerundio doesn't exist in my language, it confuses me.

If i say "I'm browsing a site." that's something i'm doing now. So according to the theorie i should use estar+gerundio. But i would just say it in simple present?

I've looked at many different sites but i can't find one thats explains it clearly.

So can someone help me understand when i should just use presente de indicativo and when estar+gerundio ?

Thank you in advance.

You seem to understand the concept (be +verb+ing) very well in English. It shouldn't be so difficult in Spanish, then.

I am watching TV - Estoy viendo (la) tele.

What are you doing? - I am watching TV/I watch TV --Estoy viendo (la) tele - Veo (la) tele.

[aleCcowaN]

This is not my cup of tea and I'm not saying I manage it in English either, but I think that it is similar to English usage of present simple and present progressive. The difference is that when you are using the verbal phrase "ser + gerundio" in Spanish you should be able to see the action happening or to describe it happening as if you were there watching it.

The roof is falling apart ---> El techo se está cayendo [if indeed it is falling apart right now] ---> El techo (está en mal estado/está a punto de caerse/está que se cae/se viene abajo) [if it is in bad shape]

Something is going wrong ---> Algo anda mal [Spanish chooses a verb that describes on going actions, but you can't watch or describe an undetermined "something" doing anything]

[chileno]

Originally Posted by aleCcowaN

This is not my cup of tea and I'm not saying I manage it in English either, but I think that it is similar to English usage of present simple and present progressive. The difference is that when you are using the verbal phrase "ser + gerundio" in Spanish you should be able to see the action happening or to describe it happening as if you were there watching it.

The roof is falling apart ---> El techo se está cayendo [if indeed it is falling apart right now] ---> El techo (está en mal estado/está a punto de caerse/está que se cae/se viene abajo) [if it is in bad shape]

Something is going wrong ---> Algo anda mal [Spanish chooses a verb that describes on going actions, but you can't watch or describe an undetermined "something" doing anything]

Take for instance your second phrase.

** Something is going wrong - algo está marchando/andando/funcionando/trabajando mal

** Something is wrong - algo está/anda/marcha/trabaja mal

** both phrases refer and mean the same.

[Laurien]

Thank you all!

English isn't a problem for me, it's something I feel. So now I'll try to think of the sentences in english first.

Again, thank you.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by Laurien

Thank you all!

English isn't a problem for me, it's something I feel. So now I'll try to think of the sentences in english first.

Again, thank you.

Correct. You'll be up and running in no time.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by Laurien

This is confusing for me:

You use estar+gerundio when you talk about things that happen at the moment when you are speaking and for "presentamos como no definitivas o temporales".

Yet since the gerundio doesn't exist in my language, it confuses me.

If i say "I'm browsing a site." that's something i'm doing now. So according to the theorie i should use estar+gerundio. But i would just say it in simple present?

I've looked at many different sites but i can't find one thats explains it clearly.

So can someone help me understand when i should just use presente de indicativo and when estar+gerundio ?

Thank you in advance.

Well, you use English, and English and Spanish are (almost) identical in this use. The really confusing issue is that Spanish use the name gerundio for the English present participle.

Your first sentence above: "This is confusing for me" is the verb 'to be' plus present participle of 'to confuse', and Spanish does exactly the same.

This is not really a problem when you get used to it. For example, English has 3 separate forms of the present tense, whereas German (thus I assume Dutch) has only one. The continuous form is expressed in other ways. I'll give an example in German, guessing that Dutch has something similar:

I think - ich denke (= cogito)
I am thinking- ich bin dabei, das zu ueberlegen
I do think - aber ich denke doch ...

Does that help?

[Laurien]

German & dutch is slightly different yet thank you for trying to explain .

I'm just always gonna keep in mind to look at english, it makes more sense then .

Dank u!

[Luna Azul]

Originally Posted by Laurien

This is confusing for me:

You use estar+gerundio when you talk about things that happen at the moment when you are speaking and for "presentamos como no definitivas o temporales".

Yet since the gerundio doesn't exist in my language, it confuses me.

If i say "I'm browsing a site." that's something i'm doing now. So according to the theorie i should use estar+gerundio. But i would just say it in simple present?

I've looked at many different sites but i can't find one thats explains it clearly.

So can someone help me understand when i should just use presente de indicativo and when estar+gerundio ?

Thank you in advance.

I'll try to answer this question in a way that I won't make it more confusing for you (I hope)

Estar + gerundio. It's the construction native Spanish speakers normally use when we want to express an action that is happening at the time that we are speaking. [ Even though this isn't exactly true when estar is used in other verb tenses. But that's another story]

Estoy comiendo
María está llorando
etc....

I said "normally" because this not the only way we say those things. We actually can use the present tense :

(yo) estoy comiendo = (yo) como
María está llorando = Maria llora

Both sets of sentences mean the same thing

-¿Qué haces? (what are you doing?)
-Escribo una carta (I'm writing a letter)
These sentences mean exactly the same as ¿Qué estás haciendo? - Estoy escribiendo una carta.

However, the present tense is used for other actions and that can be confusing.

Yo como arroz - It doesn't necessarily means that I am eating rice now. I just eat rice, it's something that I eat as opposed to let's say, potatoes.

Yo como arroz pero no como papas.

If you say yo estoy comiendo arroz pero no estoy comiendo papas the meaning is different.

The present is also used as future:

-¿Cuándo viajan ellos?
- Ellos viajan mañana..
This is totally different to "ellos están viajando".

All these differences may be the reason why we prefer to use estar + gerund. It's the normal way of speaking. And even though using the present tense in these cases -when there's no confusion- is correct, I would try to avoid it.

You must know about it if you want to master the language, but don't use it.. just leave it a little aside but don't forget about it.. just in case.

I hope I helped.

[laepelba]

Just to belabor this point a little bit ... I have been told (I think it was here in the forums) that native English speakers who are learning Spanish tend to overuse "estar + gerundio" because we use that construction more in English than it is used in Spanish. For example, I might be sitting at dinner with some of my math teacher colleagues and say to them "I am learning to speak Spanish." But it is my understanding (please, someone correct me if I am wrong), that if I am presently eating dinner and speaking Spanish with some colleagues, I wouldn't say "estoy aprendiendo hablar español", but rather "aprendo hablar español". Is this correct?

[chileno]

Originally Posted by laepelba

Just to belabor this point a little bit ... I have been told (I think it was here in the forums) that native English speakers who are learning Spanish tend to overuse "estar + gerundio" because we use that construction more in English than it is used in Spanish. For example, I might be sitting at dinner with some of my math teacher colleagues and say to them "I am learning to speak Spanish." But it is my understanding (please, someone correct me if I am wrong), that if I am presently eating dinner and speaking Spanish with some colleagues, I wouldn't say "estoy aprendiendo a hablar español", but rather "aprendo hablar español". Is this correct?

I would say yes.

And I hesitate here, because to me there are some set answers depending on situations. ie:

I am asked "what are you doing"

- veo (la) tele

- estoy comprando la comida para la semana.


Stationary vs non-stationary, see the difference?

I don't know if I am imagining this or I am tainted by living in this country for so long.

[laepelba]

That makes sense to me. I have to say that as I spend more time with Spanish-speaking friends, I notice that they do not use "estar + gerundio" nearly as often as I am tempted to. One friend will send me a text message that will say "¿Qué haces?", but in English it would HAVE to be "What are you doing?" ... etc., etc.

[Luna Azul]

chileno - I would say yes.

I would say no.

Originally Posted by laepelba

Just to belabor this point a little bit ... I have been told (I think it was here in the forums) that native English speakers who are learning Spanish tend to overuse "estar + gerundio" because we use that construction more in English than it is used in Spanish. For example, I might be sitting at dinner with some of my math teacher colleagues and say to them "I am learning to speak Spanish." But it is my understanding (please, someone correct me if I am wrong), that if I am presently eating dinner and speaking Spanish with some colleagues, I wouldn't say "estoy aprendiendo hablar español", but rather "aprendo hablar español". Is this correct?

You're right when you say the construction is more used in English than in Spanish, but it seems to me it happens when you're talking about the future:

I'm traveling to Europe tomorrow. I'd never say "estoy viajando......· but "voy a viajar", "viajo", or (less common) "viajaré.

As for your sentence "I am learning to speak Spanish", I would certainly say "estoy aprendiendo a hablar español". It's the usual, the common way to say it. It doesn't necessarily mean that at that very minute you have your Spanish text book open on the dinner table. It means "at the present time/currently I am learning...... "

"yo aprendo a hablar español" is correct, but a little more general.. "among other things I learn to speak Spanish".

That makes sense to me. I have to say that as I spend more time with Spanish-speaking friends, I notice that they do not use "estar + gerundio" nearly as often as I am tempted to. One friend will send me a text message that will say "¿Qué haces?", but in English it would HAVE to be "What are you doing?" ... etc., etc.

In Spanish both ways are correct: "¿Qué haces?" = ¿"Qué estás haciendo?" mean exactly the same, if you read my previous post. I hope you did.

Luna Azul -
-¿Qué haces? (what are you doing?)
-Escribo una carta (I'm writing a letter)
These sentences mean exactly the same as ¿Qué estás haciendo? - Estoy escribiendo una carta.

[laepelba]

Thanks, all of you. It might seem a trivial point ... but I like learning about the things that are said differently in the two languages so that I can make a point to NOT sound so much like a gringa....

[chileno]

Originally Posted by laepelba

Thanks, all of you. It might seem a trivial point ... but I like learning about the things that are said differently in the two languages so that I can make a point to NOT sound so much like a gringa....

Believe me, once you get/adopt an accent and start to refine that accent you won't sound like a gringa and these finer points will go unnoticed.

[laepelba]

My tutor says that my accent is great! It's one thing that I'm relatively content with!!

[chileno]

Originally Posted by laepelba

My tutor says that my accent is great! It's one thing that I'm relatively content with!!

There you go!

If you are at a point where you can more or less differentiate certain accents in Spanish, whether they are from another American talking or different Spanish speaking countries, then you should start reading out loud while recording yourself and then listening and correcting whatever you think it is wrong. You will accomplish with this, great fluency and improve you abilities to think in Spanish and of course soften your own accent, to the point people are not going to be able to determine where is it that are from.

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by chileno

There you go!

If you are at a point where you can more or less differentiate certain accents in Spanish, whether they are from another American talking or different Spanish speaking countries, then you should start reading out loud while recording yourself and then listening and correcting whatever you think it is wrong. You will accomplish with this, great fluency and improve you abilities to think in Spanish and of course soften your own accent, to the point people are not going to be able to determine where is it that are from.

Determining the origins of different Spanish accents is actually of great interest to me. I don't know why ... but it is. I can usually distinguish an accent from Spain, and I can typically pick out Uruguashan and Argentinian accents (although I have GREAT difficulty understanding them!). I have also had difficulty understanding Chilean accents.

My tutor, who is Mexican, spends a LOT of time every week talking with me. Not just in our "classes", as we have become good friends, so we often meet for drinks or whatever. She almost always speaks to me in Spanish, and I press her to correct my mispronunciations, which she says are few. I have also done some exercises where I read to my tutor or to one of my Spanish-speaking friends, and ask them to critique my accent.

The one thing that my tutor has pointed out that I say a lot is "um" when I'm trying to think of the word that I'm looking for. She says that is the thing that is the dead give-away that I am a native English-speaker and is more significant than my "accent".