# Spanish question: present tense
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-question-present-tense/579703
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 25, 2011, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-question-present-tense/579703 "2011-04-25T20:23:44Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2011, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-question-present-tense/579703/1 "2011-04-25T20:23:44Z")
I have a question about the present tense in Spanish. I am refreshing my Spanish skills with [Live Mocha](http://www.livemocha.com/sihp). But the Spanish they teach seems to be different than the Spanish I learned in college and at a language school in Mexico. For example, I was taught that to say “she is eating a bowl of grapes” would be:
Ella come un tazón de uvas.
But Live Mocha translates it as:
Ella se está comiendo un tazón de uvas.
In particular, I remember being taught that Spanish didn’t really use the “está comiendo” construction like we do in English. The present progressive? I don’t know what the tense is called in either English or Spanish. I know. Really helpful. 🙂 Just that the present is the present and “ella come” is the correct way to say it.
So, can someone shine a light on this for me? Which is correct? More to the point, which one is standard? I don’t know if the second version is more for Spain and the Spanish I learned was standard for Mexico? Can you tell me why the second translation is correct?
Also, why the use of “se”?
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### Author:  [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-question-present-tense/579703/2 "2011-04-25T20:48:36Z")
I would translate it to be without the “se.” Like this:
Ella está comiendo un tazón de uvas.
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### Author:  [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2011, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-question-present-tense/579703/3 "2011-04-25T20:52:43Z")
I believe that the “se” would make it reflexive - i.e.
Ella se está comiendo. = She is eating herself. (as in she is self-cannibalizing)
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### Author:  [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-question-present-tense/579703/4 "2011-04-25T20:59:57Z")
-endo/-ando correspond to the -ing ending in English. If you say “Ella come un tazón de uvas” it translates directly to “She eats a bowl of grapes.” I think it would be quite sufficient to use this construction in the present tense, but it doesn’t translate directly to “is eating.”
Disclaimer–very rusty high school Spanish education which ended 8 years ago.
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### Author:  [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2011, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-question-present-tense/579703/5 "2011-04-25T21:20:16Z")
No, I get that. My question is: I was taught that the -iendo form was incorrect, and that only the simple present is necessary. Is there a reason why this website would be teaching me to use the -iendo form?
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### Author:  [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2011, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-question-present-tense/579703/6 "2011-04-25T21:21:16Z")
> [@robcaro](#):
>
> I would translate it to be without the “se.” Like this:
>
> Ella está comiendo un tazón de uvas.
I know, right? That’s how I would translate it, too! I didn’t realize there was a reflexive with “comer”?
ETA: Except I wouldn’t use “está comiendo”.
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### Author:  [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2011, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-question-present-tense/579703/7 "2011-04-25T21:27:20Z")
never mind
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### Author:  [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-question-present-tense/579703/8 "2011-04-25T21:35:54Z")
> [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](#):
>
> I didn’t realize there was a reflexive with “comer”?
It’s used to say that she’s eating it “completely.” IOW, that she is enjoying it particularly, not just eating it as a matter of routine.
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### Author:  [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-question-present-tense/579703/9 "2011-04-25T21:40:29Z")
As to the OP’s question, Spanish does indeed use the progressive aspect to indicate the momentary nature of an action, but just not as much as English does.
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### Author:  [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2011, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-question-present-tense/579703/10 "2011-04-25T22:32:34Z")
Subscribing to hear what the native speakers say when they chime in.
My sense is that
comer = eating (general); comerse = eating, but kind of more specific, like the bowl in question is a portion and she’s planning on finishing it in the near future.
come = unmarked present
está comiendo = emphasizing the fact that she’s doing it right now.
If the implied question was “what is she doing?” I might reply “está comiendo un tazón de uvas.” If the question were “what is she eating?” I’d say “come un tazón de uvas.”
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### Author:  [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2011, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-question-present-tense/579703/11 "2011-04-25T23:13:54Z")
> [@guizot](#):
>
> As to the OP’s question, Spanish does indeed use the progressive aspect to indicate the momentary nature of an action, but just not as much as English does.
When would you choose one over the other?
> [@Dr. Drake](#):
>
> comer = eating (general); comerse = eating, but kind of more specific, like the bowl in question is a portion and she’s planning on finishing it in the near future.
Can you explain this further? I’m not following what you’re saying.
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### Author:  [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2011, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-question-present-tense/579703/12 "2011-04-25T23:27:51Z")
comerse means you eat all of something. Me come un pizza means explicity that I ate the entire pizza. Generally speaking it’s used to emphasize that you ate all or a lot of something.
The present progressive is limited to what someone is actually doing at that moment. For example, in English it’s fine to say “I am living in Chicago” whereas it isn’t fine to say “Estoy viviendo en Chicago”. Only use the present progressive when you want to say what the person is literally doing at that moment.
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### Author:  [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2011, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-question-present-tense/579703/13 "2011-04-25T23:46:32Z")
> [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](#):
>
> Can you explain this further? I’m not following what you’re saying.
What **treis** said above. The words are near-synonyms, but to me _comerse_ adds a nuance that puts a limit around the eating. “To eat up” is a good way of putting it, only without implying any greediness or gluttony.
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### Author:  [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2011, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-question-present-tense/579703/14 "2011-04-25T23:50:46Z")
me por error la pizza entera!
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### Author:  [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2011, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-question-present-tense/579703/15 "2011-04-25T23:54:52Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#):
>
> What **treis** said above. The words are near-synonyms, but to me _comerse_ adds a nuance that puts a limit around the eating. “To eat up” is a good way of putting it, only without implying any greediness or gluttony.
Ah, I get it.
Don’t think I’m going to use Live Mocha anymore. There’s an important distinction between comer and comerse that they didn’t even address, and in a beginner level “course” that’s not a good idea, IMO.
Anyone know a free online Spanish course that’s any good?
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### Author:  [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2011, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-question-present-tense/579703/16 "2011-04-26T00:08:19Z")
> [@treis](#):
>
> comerse means you eat all of something. Me come un pizza means explicity that I ate the entire pizza. Generally speaking it’s used to emphasize that you ate all or a lot of something.
>
> The present progressive is limited to what someone is actually doing at that moment. For example, in English it’s fine to say “I am living in Chicago” whereas it isn’t fine to say “Estoy viviendo en Chicago”. Only use the present progressive when you want to say what the person is literally doing at that moment.
And even though these two ideas are inherently contradictory with this particular example, it still makes sense because of the affective dimension I mentioned above.
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### Author:  [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2011, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-question-present-tense/579703/17 "2011-04-26T01:37:57Z")
> [@treis](#):
>
> comerse means you eat all of something. Me come un pizza means explicity that I ate the entire pizza. Generally speaking it’s used to emphasize that you ate all or a lot of something.
>
> The present progressive is limited to what someone is actually doing at that moment. For example, in English it’s fine to say “I am living in Chicago” whereas it isn’t fine to say “Estoy viviendo en Chicago”. Only use the present progressive when you want to say what the person is literally doing at that moment.
Although both Spanish and English have both simple present and present progressive, the Spanish simple present is used i n a number of circumstances where English prefers the progressive. For example, "Where’s John? " – “He’s going to the store” becomes _“¿Adonde esta Juan?” – “Va a la tienda.”_
The reflexive in _comerse_ is, I believe, an indirect object in function, carrying the meaning “for oneself” with often a connotation of “all for me”, “my own”, as in the “eat all of it” example **Dr Erake** gave.
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### Author:  [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2011, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-question-present-tense/579703/18 "2011-04-26T05:50:38Z")
> [@Polycarp](#):
>
> The reflexive in _comerse_ is, I believe, an indirect object in function, carrying the meaning “for oneself” with often a connotation of “all for me”, “my own”, as in the “eat all of it” example **Dr Erake** gave.
And so the function is not just to say “eat up” or “eat all of it.” After all, if she’s still eating, you don’t know if she’s necessarily going to finish them. The reflexive here emphasizes the subjectivity of her experience while eating at this moment, regardless of whether she finishes all the grapes.
A similar thing in English might be:
AL: _Whatcha doing there, Joe?_
JOE: _I’m having me a nice big juicy steak!_
Yes, Joe’s probably going to finish the whole thing, and, no, he probably isn’t going to share it with Al, but that’s not all there is to it.
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### Author:  [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2011, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-question-present-tense/579703/19 "2011-04-26T06:31:20Z")
The present continuous (progressive) tense, is not really a “tense” in Spanish. It is an “aspect” of the present.
These two tenses are used interchangeably.
In English 99% of the time you are obligated by the adverb (“usually” for example would be present simple and “today” would imply the use of the present continuous) to use one or the other and if you use one where the other goes it sounds weird.
In Spanish this is not the case. Where we use present continuous they can use either tense.
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### Author:  [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2011, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-question-present-tense/579703/20 "2011-04-26T06:43:13Z")
> [@bardos](#):
>
> In English 99% of the time you are obligated by the adverb (“usually” for example would be present simple and “today” would imply the use of the present continuous) to use one or the other…
I think 99% is way too high a figure for such a characterization. There are issues of simple semantics or non-referential uses of aspect that bring this number down.
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