Back to: Spanish Verb Tenses Practice – Course
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¡Bienvenidos a la Lección 7: El Pretérito Progresivo en Español!
In this lesson, you will learn how to conjugate verbs in the preterite progressive tense in Spanish using the infinitives -ar, -er, and -ir. The preterite progressive is used to describe actions that were ongoing or in progress at a specific point in the past.
Here’s what this lesson includes:
Lesson Outline 📝
1. Learning Objective
- By the end of this lesson, you will be able to conjugate -ar, -er, and -ir verbs in the preterite progressive tense.
2. Watch & Learn 🎥
- Be sure to watch the 3 videos below, each covering the conjugations for different verb groups:
- Video 1: -ar verbs (e.g., hablar → estaba hablando)
- Video 2: -er verbs (e.g., comer → estaba comiendo)
- Video 3: -ir verbs (e.g., vivir → estaba viviendo)
Conjugation Basics
The preterite progressive tense is formed by combining the imperfect form of the verb estar (to be) with the present participle (the gerund) of the main verb.
1. How to Form the Preterite Progressive
- Formula:
Imperfect of estar + present participle (gerund) of the main verb - The imperfect form of estar is:SubjectConjugationYoestabaTúestabasÉl/EllaestabaNosotrosestábamosVosotrosestabaisEllos/Ellasestaban
- Present participles (gerunds) of -ar, -er, and -ir verbs are formed by replacing the infinitive endings with -ando for -ar verbs and -iendo for -er and -ir verbs. Examples:
- -ar: hablar → hablando
- -er: comer → comiendo
- -ir: vivir → viviendo
2. -ar Verbs 🌞
- Example: hablar (to speak)
| Subject | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estaba hablando | I was speaking |
| Tú | estabas hablando | You were speaking |
| Él/Ella | estaba hablando | He/She was speaking |
| Nosotros | estábamos hablando | We were speaking |
| Vosotros | estabais hablando | You all were speaking |
| Ellos/Ellas | estaban hablando | They were speaking |
3. -er Verbs 🍴
- Example: comer (to eat)
| Subject | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estaba comiendo | I was eating |
| Tú | estabas comiendo | You were eating |
| Él/Ella | estaba comiendo | He/She was eating |
| Nosotros | estábamos comiendo | We were eating |
| Vosotros | estabais comiendo | You all were eating |
| Ellos/Ellas | estaban comiendo | They were eating |
4. -ir Verbs 🌍
- Example: vivir (to live)
| Subject | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estaba viviendo | I was living |
| Tú | estabas viviendo | You were living |
| Él/Ella | estaba viviendo | He/She was living |
| Nosotros | estábamos viviendo | We were living |
| Vosotros | estabais viviendo | You all were living |
| Ellos/Ellas | estaban viviendo | They were living |
Quiz Time 🎉
- After watching the videos and practicing, test your knowledge with a 5-question quiz to reinforce your understanding of the preterite progressive tense.
¡Te deseamos mucho éxito en tu proceso de aprendizaje! 💪