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Do you remember the present progressive? Do you remember the present progressive? Its used when a person wants to say that an action is happening right now. Its used when a person wants to say that an action is happening right now.

It uses the present tense of estar + the present participle. No puedo ir al cine. Estoy estudiando para el examen.

To describe something that was taking place over a period of time in the past, use the imperfect progressive, which uses the imperfect tense of estar + the present participle.

Estaba esquiando cuando me caí y me rompí la pierna. I was skiing when I fell and broke my leg.

The present and imperfect progressive tenses use the same irregular present participles.

Remember, to form the present participle of -ir stem-changing verbs, e changes to i and o changes to u:

decir? diciendo pedir? pidiendo repetir? repitiendo seguir? siguiendo servir? sirviendo vestir? vistiendo

dormir? Durmiendo Morir? Muriendo

For the following -er verbs, the I of -iendo changes to y: creer? creyendo leer? leyendo traer? Trayendo Influir? Influyendo

When you use pronouns with the imperfect progressive, you can put them before estar or attach them to the participle.

¿Qué estaba haciendo cuando te cortaste? Estaba afeitándome. Or Me estaba afeitando.

Note that the imperfect progressive describes what was taking place while the preterite tells a specific occurence in the past or interrupts the action.

Ella estaba corriendo cuando se lastimó el tobillo.