Present Perfect Progressive in Spanish
The Spanish present perfect progressive tense (el presente perfecto continuo), also known as the present perfect continuous, is used to talk about a continuous action that was initiated in the past and continues to happen in the present. It is used by Spanish speakers around the globe, but interestingly, it does not actually exist.
How to Form the Present Perfect Progressive Tense
In spite of the fact that the present perfect progressive is not officially recognized as a tense, you’ll often hear native speakers use it. It is formed by combining the auxiliary verb haber(to have) in the present with the past participle of estar(to be), followed by the gerund of the main verb.
Present Perfect Progressive Formula
haber in the present tense + past participle of estar + gerund
Let’s take a look at some examples!
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We call this type of construction a verbal periphrasis, which is a verbal construction made of two verb forms—a conjugated form and an impersonal form (an infinitive, a present participle, or a past participle). Click here to learn more!
Alternatives to the Present Perfect Progressive Tense
Although the present perfect progressive is widely accepted in conversation, it should be avoided in writing and in more formal contexts.
Let’s take a look at some alternatives!
Alternative #1
Instead of using the somewhat ungrammatical present perfect progressive, you can opt for the present perfect.
For example:
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Alternative #2
In some cases, when you want to talk about how long someone has been doing something, you can use one of the following time expressions:
Time Expression with Hacer
hace + time + que + verb in the present tense
Time Expression with Llevar
llevar in the present tense + time + gerund
For example:
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Click here to learn more about time expressions with hacer!
Tense about tenses in Spanish? Never fear! Read about other tenses in Spanish in these articles:
