71.5.2 Present tense
With verbs denoting actions which can have duration, like ‘speak’, ‘sleep’, ‘play’, etc.,
actions in progress at the moment of speaking can be expressed with the present tense.
The present tense of hacer is often used to refer to such actions.
¿Qué haces?
What are you doing?
No hagáis ruido, que el niño duerme.
Don’t make noise, the child is sleeping.
¿En qué piensas?
What are you thinking of?In these examples, the construction with estar+ gerund and the one with the present
tense are interchangeable. Compare the previous sentences with these:
¿Qué estás haciendo?
What are you doing?
No hagáis ruido, que el niño está durmiendo.
Don’t make noise, the child is sleeping.
¿En qué estás pensando?
What are you thinking of?By and large, the tendency is to use the construction with estar+ gerund for actions in
progress, as this is more specific. With the present tense, only the context makes it clear
that we are referring to an action in progress. This ambiguity does not arise with the
construction with estar, which actually stresses the continuity of the action.Estar+ gerund is also used in preference to the present when we want to emphasize
some kind of change in the action in relation with the past or the fact that the action
is somewhat unexpected. In the first case, a time expression such as ahora‘now’,
actualmente‘at present’, usually accompanies this construction.Vivía en Madrid, pero ahora estoy viviendo en Zaragoza.
I used to live in Madrid, but now I’m living in Zaragoza.
Es profesora, pero está trabajando de camarera.
She’s a teacher, but she’s working as a waitress.71.6 Talking about permanent and habitual actions
To ask and give information about a permanent state of affairs, Spanish, like English,
uses the present tense.
¿Dónde vives?
Where do you live?
Vivo en Granada.
I live in Granada.
¿A qué te dedicas?
What do you do for a living?Talking about permanent and habitual actions 71.6