Progressivo brasileiro: estar + gerúndio

Progressivo brasileiro: estar + gerúndio means “To say what is happening now, Brazil uses estar + -ndo (estou fazendo)”. The gerund ends in -ando for -ar verbs, -endo for -er verbs and -indo for -ir verbs: falar → falando, comer → comendo, partir → partindo. Formation: estar (conjugado) + verbo em -ndo — falando · comendo · partindo

To say what is happening now, Brazil uses estar + -ndo (estou fazendo)

A2

Formation

estar (conjugado) + verbo em -ndo — falando · comendo · partindo

Explanation

The gerund ends in -ando for -ar verbs, -endo for -er verbs and -indo for -ir verbs: falar → falando, comer → comendo, partir → partindo. Combine it with estar: eu estou falando, ela está comendo, nós estamos partindo. This is the single most recognisable difference between Brazilian and European Portuguese, since Portugal says estar a + infinitive (está a falar). Interestingly, Brazil is the conservative side here: estar + gerund is the older, classical Portuguese construction, and estar a + infinitive is the later European innovation. For Spanish speakers this is good news — it matches estoy hablando almost exactly.

Examples

Ela está dançando na sala.
She is dancing in the living room.
Nós estamos estudando para a prova.
We are studying for the test.

Note

Avoid the padded form vou estar transferindo for a simple vou transferir — Brazilians call it gerundismo and consider it call-centre jargon.

FAQ

Progressivo brasileiro: estar + gerúndio — what does it mean and how is it used?

To say what is happening now, Brazil uses estar + -ndo (estou fazendo). The gerund ends in -ando for -ar verbs, -endo for -er verbs and -indo for -ir verbs: falar → falando, comer → comendo, partir → partindo. Combine it with estar: eu estou falando, ela está comendo, nós estamos partindo. This is the single most recognisable difference between Brazilian and European Portuguese, since Portugal says estar a + infinitive (está a falar). Interestingly, Brazil is the conservative side here: estar + gerund is the older, classical Portuguese construction, and estar a + infinitive is the later European innovation. For Spanish speakers this is good news — it matches estoy hablando almost exactly.

Progressivo brasileiro: estar + gerúndio — how do you form it?

estar (conjugado) + verbo em -ndo — falando · comendo · partindo

Progressivo brasileiro: estar + gerúndio — any usage notes?

Avoid the padded form vou estar transferindo for a simple vou transferir — Brazilians call it gerundismo and consider it call-centre jargon.

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