The Portuguese Present Progressive: Estou Falando and Everyday Actions
To say what is happening now, combine a form of estar with a gerund: estou estudando, ela está trabalhando.
Real Life Portuguese · 5 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
The common Brazilian Portuguese pattern for an action in progress is estar + a verb ending in -ndo. For regular -ar verbs, change -ar to -ando: falar becomes falando. For -er and -ir verbs, change the ending to -endo or -indo: comer becomes comendo and abrir becomes abrindo.
Form estar plus the gerund
Conjugate estar for the subject, then leave the second verb in its gerund form: eu estou lendo, você está lendo, nós estamos lendo. The gerund does not change for gender or number.
Estou esperando o ônibus.
I’m waiting for the bus.
A Bia está preparando o jantar.
Bia is making dinner.
O que vocês estão assistindo?
What are you all watching?
Choose between an action in progress and a routine
The simple present can describe a habit or a general fact: trabalho de casa às sextas (I work from home on Fridays). The progressive highlights an activity underway or a temporary situation: estou trabalhando de casa hoje (I’m working from home today). Context can make either tense possible when you ask what someone is doing.
Brazilian Portuguese commonly uses the gerund after estar. Learners may also hear estar a falar in some varieties of Portuguese outside Brazil; for a Brazilian conversation, estou falando is the practical pattern to recognize and use.
Ela estuda à noite.
She studies at night.
Ela está estudando agora.
She is studying now.
Estamos aprendendo português juntos.
We’re learning Portuguese together.
Put it into practice
Use estar + gerund to bring an action into progress: estou falando, está comendo, estamos aprendendo. Use the simple present for routines and general statements.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “Bia is making dinner”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
Build on this guide with everyday expressions and native Brazilian audio. Choose iPhone, Android, or the web app.