Il tempo progressivo (Parliamo italiano p.

224-5)

Presente: Imperfetto:
sto leggendo stavo leggendo
stai leggendo stavi leggendo
sta leggendo stava leggendo
stiamo leggendo stavamo leggendo
state leggendo statvate leggendo
stanno leggendo stavano leggendo


Sto leggendo = I am reading. The action is IN PROGRESS.

Example: A friend phones you and says What are you doing? You reply I am
reading.

--Cosa fai? or Cosa stai facendo? = What are you doing?
--Sto leggendo. = I am reading.

Stavo leggendo = I was reading. The action WAS IN PROGRESS.

Example: Last night your friend phoned at 10pm but you didnt answer because
you were reading. Today he says to you What were you doing last night at
10:00? You reply I was reading.

--Cosa facevi ieri sera alle 10.00? or Cosa stavi facendo ieri sera alle 10.00? =
What were you doing last night at 10:00?
--Stavo leggendo. I was reading.

F.A.Q.

Q: Does the progressive tense always correspond to the -ing in English?
A: No. It corresponds to the -ing in English only when the -ing refers to an
action in progress: I am cooking, they are playing, we were watching a movie.

Q: How would I say something like Im studying a lot this semester?
A: You would use the present tense: Studio molto questo semestre.

Q: How would I say something like I like cooking or Cooking is my hobby.?
A: You would use the infinitive of the verb: Mi piace cucinare Cucinare il
mio hobby.