Il tempo progressivo

Il tempo progressivo (Parliamo italiano p. 224-5)
Presente:
sto leggendo
stai leggendo
sta leggendo
stiamo leggendo
state leggendo
stanno leggendo
Imperfetto:
stavo leggendo
stavi leggendo
stava leggendo
stavamo leggendo
statvate 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 didn’t 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 “I’m 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 è il
mio hobby”.