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Sentence explanations

1. ¿Qué estás haciendo?

   What are you doing?

   ¿Qué

   what

   estás

   are you

   haciendo

   doing

   More detail

   ¿Qué asks for the thing or activity being identified: “what.” The accent marks it as an interrogative form. In a direct question, it appears as ¿Qué ...?; compare the unaccented linker que in a statement such as Creo que viene (“I think that he/she is coming”). estás is the present-tense second-person singular form of estar, used here with tú. On its own, estar can refer to a state or location; with a gerund, it forms the progressive pattern estar + gerund for an action in progress. Example: ¿Estás estudiando? — “Are you studying?” haciendo is the gerund of hacer (“to do; to make”). It is an irregular gerund: hacer becomes haciendo. Here it means “doing” and combines with estás in the progressive construction. Example: Estoy haciendo la tarea. — “I am doing my homework.” Together, ¿Qué asks which activity, while estás haciendo expresses that the activity is in progress for the person addressed: “What are you doing?” This is a direct, everyday question using the familiar singular tú form.

2. Estoy comiendo ahora.

   I am eating now.

   Estoy comiendo

   I am eating

   ahora

   now

   More detail

   Estoy comiendo combines estoy, the first-person singular present form of estar (“I am”), with comiendo, the gerund of comer (“to eat”). In this construction, estar marks an action in progress, so estoy comiendo means “I am eating” at the relevant moment. The gerund is formed here by changing comer to comiendo; it is not a finite verb that changes for the eater. Compare estoy bebiendo agua (“I am drinking water”), where bebiendo comes from beber. ahora means “now” and locates the ongoing action in the present moment. It can be placed elsewhere when the intended emphasis allows it, for example: Ahora estoy comiendo. — “I am eating now.” Together, estoy comiendo + ahora gives “I am eating now.” The subject is understood as the speaker because estoy is the first-person singular form of estar.

3. Estoy bebiendo agua.

   I am drinking water.

   Estoy

   I am

   bebiendo

   drinking

   agua

   water

   More detail

   Estoy is the first-person singular present form of estar, “to be.” Here it means “I am” and forms the progressive construction with the following gerund. The same form appears in Estoy comiendo and Estoy preparando: estar agrees with the person who is doing the action, so estoy is used for “I.” bebiendo is the gerund of beber, “to drink.” The pattern estar + gerund presents an action as in progress: Estoy bebiendo = “I am drinking.” Compare Bebo agua = “I drink water” or “I am drinking water” in a broader, non-progressive sense; Estoy bebiendo agua focuses on the activity in progress now. agua means “water.” It is a singular feminine noun in Spanish. Its grammatical gender is relevant for forms that agree with it, such as adjectives: agua fría = “cold water.” The noun itself does not indicate a particular quantity here; the sentence simply refers to water. Together, Estoy + bebiendo gives “I am drinking,” and agua supplies what is being drunk. The complete utterance therefore means “I am drinking water.”

4. Estoy preparando la cena.

   I am making dinner.

   Estoy

   I am

   preparando

   preparing

   cena

   dinner

   More detail

   Estoy is the first-person singular present form of estar (“to be”). Here it works with a gerund to describe an action in progress: estoy + gerund. The same pattern appears in Estoy bebiendo agua and Estoy limpiando mi habitación. preparando is the gerund of preparar (“to prepare”): preparar → preparando. The ending -ando is used here because preparar is an -ar verb. With estar, it presents the preparing as ongoing. Example: Estoy preparando el desayuno. — “I am preparing breakfast.” cena is a feminine noun meaning “dinner” here. The complete noun phrase is la cena, with la as the definite article. cena can also refer to the meal as a general concept; in this sentence, la cena means dinner as the meal being prepared. Together, Estoy preparando la cena means “I am making dinner.” The structure is estar in the present + gerund + object: literally, “I am preparing dinner,” with the progressive meaning that the action is happening now.

5. Estoy limpiando mi habitación.

   I am cleaning my room.

   Estoy

   I am

   limpiando

   cleaning

   mi

   my

   habitación

   room

   More detail

   Estoy is the first-person singular present form of estar (“to be”). Here it is the auxiliary in the progressive pattern estar + gerundio, which describes an action in progress: estoy limpiando = “I am cleaning.” Other forms change with the subject, for example estás limpiando = “you are cleaning” and están limpiando = “they are cleaning.” Limpiando is the gerund of limpiar (“to clean”). The ending -ando is used here because limpiar is an -ar verb. The gerund combines with estar to express an ongoing activity; it is not the ordinary simple-present form. Example: Estoy leyendo. — “I am reading.” Mi is the singular possessive meaning “my.” It agrees in number with the possessed noun, not with the possessor: mi habitación is singular, while mis habitaciones is plural. Mi does not change for the gender of the noun. Habitación is a feminine noun meaning “room.” Its plural is habitaciones. In this sentence, mi identifies the room as belonging to the speaker, and the noun is the object of limpiando. Together, estoy limpiando marks an action currently in progress, and mi habitación identifies what is being cleaned and whose room it is. The whole utterance therefore means “I am cleaning my room.”

6. Me estoy duchando.

   I am taking a shower.

   Me

   myself

   estoy

   I am

   duchando

   showering

   More detail

   Me is a first-person singular reflexive object pronoun: it refers back to the speaker as the person undergoing the action. In this sentence, it makes the showering reflexive. The form me is used with the first-person singular; it does not change for masculine or feminine gender. Compare the reusable pattern me + verb for an action done to oneself. Estoy is the first-person singular present form of estar, “to be.” Here it is the auxiliary in the progressive construction estar + gerundio, which presents the action as in progress now. Other useful forms include estás for “you are” and está for “he/she/you formal is.” Example: Estoy leyendo. — “I am reading.” Duchando is the gerund of duchar, used here with the reflexive pronoun to express “showering oneself.” The useful base construction is ducharse, “to shower.” In me estoy duchando, the reflexive marker is placed before the conjugated auxiliary, while the gerund remains duchando. Example: Me estoy vistiendo. — “I am getting dressed.” Together, me + estoy + duchando forms Me estoy duchando: the speaker is currently showering. The reusable pattern is me estoy + gerundio for “I am currently [doing something to myself].”