estar + gerund (progressive)

What it is

estar + gerund describes something in progress: happening right now (Tô trabalhando, I’m working) or around now, during a temporary period (Tô morando em Campinas, I’m living in Campinas for now). It is the Brazilian way to say "I’m doing": everywhere in speech, fully standard in writing, and used even more often than estar + gerundio in Spanish.

How to form it

Take estar in the present and add the gerund. In speech, estar is almost always tô, tá, tão.

The gerund replaces the -r of the infinitive with -ndo:

• The gerund never changes: ele tá falando, elas tão falando.
• Irregular verbs have regular gerunds: fazer → fazendo, ir → indo, vir → vindo, ter → tendo, ler → lendo, ver → vendo, sair → saindo, dormir → dormindo, pedir → pedindo. Only pôr → pondo looks odd.
• The stress falls on the ending: fa-LAN-do, co-MEN-do, a-BRIN-do.
• In many regions people drop the d in speech (falano, comeno). Write -ndo.
• Negatives and questions need nothing special: Não tô entendendo. O que você tá fazendo?

When to use it

• O que você tá fazendo?What are you doing?right now
• Tá chovendo em Manaus.It’s raining in Manaus.weather in progress
• Tô morando em Campinas.I’m living in Campinas (for now).a temporary period
• A gente tá estudando muito este mês.We’re studying a lot this month.these days
• Tô chegando!I’m almost there!on my way

Tô chegando and Tô indo are everyday chunks: "I’m almost there" and "I’m on my way, I’m off". Brazilians text Tô chegando! even when they have only just left home.

Contrasts and traps

• Eu estou a trabalhar ✗ is European Portuguese. In Brazil it is always the gerund: tô trabalhando. Recognise the European form, but don’t use it.
• Habit or now? Meu avô fala três línguas (an ability) / A professora tá falando (right now). Routines take the simple present: Todo dia eu acordo às seis.
• Home or for now? Moro em Recife (it’s where I live) / Tô morando em Recife (for the time being).
• Plans take ir + infinitive: Amanhã vou viajar. Avoid vou estar + gerund for a single action (vou estar enviando o arquivo): Brazilians mock it as call-centre talk, "gerundismo". Say vou enviar.
• Verbs like gostar, achar and entender work in the progressive too, for an impression that is still forming: Tô gostando do curso (I’m enjoying the course so far).
• The progressive always uses estar, never ser: Tô trabalhando, not sou trabalhando.

If you speak Spanish

The construction is the same, but the gerunds are simpler. -er verbs end in -endo and -ir verbs in -indo, with no stem changes and no -iendo: comendo, abrindo, saindo, dormindo, pedindo, lendo, indo. Watch the verbs that change group: escribir → escrever → escrevendo, vivir → viver → vivendo. And use the progressive freely: Brazilians say Tô morando em Campinas where you might just say vivo en Campinas.