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Using Progressive Verb Forms

Common Mistake Is To Overuse Them

By Gerald Erichsen, About.com

Progressive used to describe prolonged events: In past and future tenses, the progressive often signifies something that took or will be taking an extraordinarily long time. For example, estuvimos esperando cuatro horas could be used to say "we were waiting for four hours."

Referring to repeated actions: Sometimes the progressive forms indicate that an action is repeating; this is especially true when used with certain verbs such as ir and venir. Estoy yendo mucho al club, I'm going to the club often.

Regional variations: Despite what you read on this page, you may hear some of the no-nos listed here, especially in parts of Latin America, where the progressive forms are apparently used more than they are in Spain. It is possible this is the case due to the influence of English on the language (or, to be more precise, the influence of news and entertainment translated poorly from English to Spanish). The important thing to remember is that the progressive in Spanish is uncommon compared to English and is best avoided except in imitation of what you hear or read.

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Gerald Erichsen
Guide since 1998

Gerald Erichsen
Spanish Language Guide

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