A2 · The present tense
Present progressive: estar a
Your -ing form is compulsory; this one is an emphasis, and using it for a habit says something odd.
At a glance
- Remember
- estar a means: at this very moment.
- When
- Before the past
- The past
- Past linked to the present
- The present
- The future
- Completed in the future
The present — What holds at the moment, what is under way, or what is always the case.
- Form
- (eu) estou a trabalharI am working
- Signal words
- estou a
- estás a
- está a
- estamos a
- Trap
- Wrong:Estou a trabalhar num escritório há dez anos.Right:Trabalho num escritório há dez anos.
Your turn
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The form
How the forms are built
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Portuguese. The colours show what changes from one form to the next.
stem (regular) tense marker auxiliary verb
| I am working | (eu) estou a trabalhar |
| you are working | (tu) estás a trabalhar |
| he is working, you are working | (ele, ela, você) está a trabalhar |
| we are working | (nós) estamos a trabalhar |
| you are working, plural and formal | (vós) estais a trabalhar |
| they are working, you all are working | (eles, elas, vocês) estão a trabalhar |
| I was working | (eu) estava a trabalhar |
| you were working | (tu) estavas a trabalhar |
| he was working, you were working | (ele, ela, você) estava a trabalhar |
| we were working | (nós) estávamos a trabalhar |
| you were working, plural and formal | (vós) estáveis a trabalhar |
| they were working, you all were working | (eles, elas, vocês) estavam a trabalhar |
| it is raining | está a chover |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
estar a plus the infinitive says: right now, at this moment.
Estou a trabalhar, ligo depois.I am working, I will ring later.
For a habit the plain present is used.
Trabalho todos os dias.I work every day.
Portugal puts a plus the infinitive where Brazil uses the gerund.
Está a chover.It is raining.
The same pattern works in the past.
Estava a ler quando chegaste.I was reading when you arrived.
Example sentences
Está a chover outra vez.It is raining again.
Estamos a jantar, podes ligar mais tarde?We are having dinner, can you ring later?
O que estás a fazer?What are you doing?
Eles estão a aprender português.They are learning Portuguese.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English uses its continuous for anything temporary, including things that have gone on for years — « I am working in an office at the moment » covers a decade quite comfortably. Portuguese does not stretch that far. Estou a trabalhar num escritório há dez anos says you are in the middle of the act of working and have been for ten years, which reads as a joke. A habit, however temporary, takes the plain present.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
The plain present covers both: como is « I eat » and « I am eating ». Where the difference matters, Portugal uses estar a plus the infinitive: estou a comer.
Brazil uses the gerund there instead: estou comendo. Both are correct, and the choice is the most audible difference between the two countries.
This is the part that costs an English speaker something. In English the continuous is not optional — « I eat now » is not what anybody says when the food is in front of them, and the choice between « I eat » and « I am eating » is made in every sentence. In Portuguese the plain present is the default and estar a is an emphasis laid on top of it, kept for the cases where « at this very moment » is the point.
The same pattern works in the past: estava a chover is « it was raining ».
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The verbs on this page, in every form: estar · ligar · fazer · chegar · trabalhar · ler · chover · aprender