The Progressive: stare + gerund

To express what you are doing right now, you need two things: the correct form of stare and the main verb in the gerund. You form the gerund by dropping the infinitive ending and adding -ando (for -are verbs) or -endo (for -ere and -ire verbs).

Infinitive	Gerund	Example
parlare	parlando	Sto parlando. — I am speaking (right now).
prendere	prendendo	Sta prendendo un caffè. — He is having a coffee right now.
dormire	dormendo	Stanno dormendo. — They are sleeping (right now).

Note: stare conjugates according to the subject — the main verb stays unchanged in the gerund.

Drill: stare (you need it for every sentence)

Form the progressive

Choose the right form of stare and add the gerund.

Translate the scene

Marina describes what she sees on her walk.