Present progressive, il presente progressivo
Uses: The present progressive is typically used to indicate that an action is in the process of happening. For example,
Sto mangiando, ti posso richiamare?
I am eating, can I call you back?
Stanno giocando fuori.
They are playing outside.
Stiamo parlando, può aspettare un attimo.
We are talking, can it wait a minute?
The difference in usage between the present indicative and the present progressive can be very subtle. For example,
Legge il giornale and sta leggendo il giornale can both mean “She is reading the newspaper” (right now).
The main advantage of the presente progressivo is that it can be used to underline/emphasize that an activity is happening or developing at the current time. (While using the present indicative has the advantage of expressing actions that get repeated frequently: “Legge il giornale ogni mattina.”)
Forms: The presente progressivo is a compound present tense. It is formed with the appropriate form of stare and the gerund of the verb.
The gerund (il gerundio) is very easy to form: -are verbs change their ending to –ando, and both –ere and –ire verbs change their ending to –endo. E.g.,
amare > amando
correre > correndo
dormire > dormendo
The formation of any verb in the present progressive would look like the following:
sto
stai
sta + -ando, -endo
stiamo
state
stanno
With reflexive verbs, the construction of the presente progressivo is simple: You have the option of placing your reflexive pronoun either before stare, or attached to the gerund.
For example,
Si sta addormentando/sta addormentandosi.
He/she is falling asleep.
Si sta alzando/sta alzandosi.
He/she is getting up.