Ongoing actions with estar + gerund

In brief

To say that an action is in progress, Brazilian Portuguese uses a form of estar followed by a gerund. This often matches English ‘am/is/are doing’: Estou lendo means ‘I’m reading.’ The form of estar changes with the person; the gerund stays the same.

Form

Present tense of estar (estou, está, estamos, estão) + gerund: -ar → -ando (falar → falando), -er → -endo (beber → bebendo), -ir → -indo (abrir → abrindo).

Usage

• Describe what someone is doing right now: Ela está cozinhando. (‘She’s cooking.’)
• Describe an activity currently in progress, even if it is not happening at this exact second: Estou estudando português este mês. (‘I’m studying Portuguese this month.’)

Examples

• Estou trabalhando agora. — I’m working right now.
• Ela está bebendo água. — She’s drinking water.
• Estamos abrindo a loja. — We’re opening the store.

Common mistake

❌ Eu sou estudando agora.

✅ Eu estou estudando agora.

Use estar, not ser, before the gerund to describe an action in progress. Both ser and estar can translate as ‘to be,’ but this construction requires estar.

Remember

For an ongoing action in Brazilian Portuguese, use estar + a word ending in -ando, -endo or -indo.