The Present in -AS | Esperanto Grammar

The ending -as presents an action or state as actual and current in a broad sense. It covers what English divides between “I work” and “I am working,” and it also expresses habits and truths that remain valid. Context—not an extra auxiliary—selects the precise reading.

Building the present

Replace infinitive -i with -as. The form is identical with every subject.

Infinitive	Present	With different subjects
paroli	parolas	mi parolas, ili parolas
skribi	skribas	vi skribas, ŝi skribas
esti	estas	mi estas, ni estas
havi	havas	li havas, ili havas

Mi skribas mesaĝon al mia frato.

I am writing a message to my brother.

Mia frato skribas al mi ĉiun dimanĉon.

My brother writes to me every Sunday.

The same form skribas describes an event happening now in the first sentence and a repeated habit in the second. The surrounding phrases make the distinction clear.

💡

Do not ask whether English uses simple present or present progressive. Ask whether the Esperanto situation is presented as actual and current. If so, -as is normally the starting point.

What is happening now

Use -as for an action in progress at the moment of speaking. Time adverbs can make the reading explicit, but they are not grammatically required.

Ne eniru; mi duŝas min.

Don't come in; I'm taking a shower.

— Kion vi faras? — Mi serĉas miajn okulvitrojn.

— What are you doing? — I'm looking for my glasses.

English needs “am/is/are” plus an -ing form. Esperanto does not use esti this way. Mi estas serĉanta is grammatically possible as an explicit participial construction, but in ordinary conversation it is heavy and needlessly emphasizes the ongoing phase. Neutral usage is simply mi serĉas.

The present can also cover a larger current period even when the action is not occurring at the exact second of speech.

Ĉi-monate mi legas romanon de Trevor Steele.

This month I'm reading a novel by Trevor Steele.

The reading has begun and belongs to the current period; the speaker need not be holding the book while speaking.

Current states

States that hold now also use -as. English generally uses a simple present with stative verbs, but Esperanto does not need a separate rule: both actions and states take the same ending.

Mi konas bonan kafejon proksime de ĉi tie.

I know a good café near here.

La infanoj estas lacaj kaj volas iri hejmen.

The children are tired and want to go home.

Ĉu vi memoras, kie ni parkis la aŭton?

Do you remember where we parked the car?

Notice that English question support with “do” has no Esperanto counterpart. Ĉu marks a yes/no question, and memoras stays unchanged.

Habits and repeated events

An action repeated over an open current period takes -as. Frequency expressions distinguish this reading from an event happening now.

Ni kutime matenmanĝas je la sepa.

We usually have breakfast at seven.

Ŝi laboras hejme tri tagojn semajne.

She works from home three days a week.

Mi ne trinkas kafon vespere, ĉar tiam mi ne povas dormi.

I don't drink coffee in the evening because then I can't sleep.

The last sentence describes a standing practice and its regular consequence. Negation does not change the ending: place ne before the verb.

General and timeless statements

Use -as for definitions, natural regularities, calculations, and principles treated as valid beyond a single moment.

Plantoj bezonas lumon kaj akvon.

Plants need light and water.

Du kaj tri faras kvin.

Two and three make five.

Kiu multe promesas, ofte malmulte faras.

Someone who promises a lot often does little.

This “timeless present” still belongs to the same core: the statement is presented as currently valid, without a completed endpoint. The deeper range is covered in timeless and generic statements.

A state continuing from the past

When a situation began earlier and still continues, Esperanto commonly uses -as plus a duration phrase. English often uses the present perfect or present perfect progressive instead.

Mi loĝas ĉi tie jam kvin jarojn.

I have lived here for five years.

Ni atendas de la naŭa, kaj ankoraŭ neniu venis.

We have been waiting since nine, and still no one has come.

The -as form signals that the situation remains open now. Compare the minimal contrast:

Mi loĝas ĉi tie kvin jarojn.

I have been living here for five years and still do.

Mi loĝis ĉi tie kvin jarojn.

I lived here for five years and no longer do.

This contrast is more reliable than mechanically translating English “have lived” with a compound tense.

A marked planned-future use

In informal usage, one may encounter present -as for a scheduled or firmly arranged event when a future-time expression makes the intended time unmistakable. This is understandable and attested, but the foundational tense rule uses -os for an action that has not yet begun.

Morgaŭ mi veturas al Bruselo por konferenco.

Tomorrow I'm traveling to Brussels for a conference. (marked planned-present usage)

The sentence presents the trip as part of an established plan, but Morgaŭ mi veturos is the neutral, internationally clear formulation. Treat planned-future -as as a marked usage to recognize, not as the default model for future reference.

La trajno foriros morgaŭ je la sesa kaj alvenos antaŭ la naŭa.

The train will leave tomorrow at six and arrive before nine.

For the full choice, see planned future with the present.

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Use -os as the reliable default for future time. You may hear planned-future -as when a schedule is explicit, but it is a marked extension of the present rather than the foundational future form.

Performative and narrative uses

Some statements perform the act they name at the moment of speaking or writing.

Mi dankas vin pro via rapida respondo.

I thank you for your quick response.

Per ĉi tiu mesaĝo mi konfirmas vian rezervon.

With this message I confirm your reservation. (formal)

The second is (formal) administrative style. The confirmation happens through the utterance itself.

In vivid storytelling, a writer may switch from past -is to present -as so that a scene feels immediate. This is the historical present (literary or journalistic), not neutral tense sequencing.

Mi trankvile atendas la buson, kiam subite iu frapetas mian ŝultron.

I'm calmly waiting for the bus when suddenly someone taps my shoulder. (vivid narrative)

Keep a clear narrative viewpoint; random switching between -is and -as sounds uncontrolled. The narrative present page treats this stylistic choice in depth.

Common Mistakes

Copying the English progressive auxiliary

❌ Mi estas kuiras la vespermanĝon.

Incorrect — simple -as already expresses an action in progress.

✅ Mi kuiras la vespermanĝon.

I am cooking dinner.

Adding a third-person form

❌ Nun mi laboras, sed ŝi laboris ankaŭ.

Incorrect for the intended present meaning — -is is past, not a special form for ŝi.

✅ Nun mi laboras, kaj ŝi laboras ankaŭ.

Now I am working, and she is working too.

Using the past for a state that still continues

❌ Mi loĝis ĉi tie ekde 2022.

Incorrect if the speaker still lives here — -is normally presents the residence as past.

✅ Mi loĝas ĉi tie ekde 2022.

I have lived here since 2022.

Copying English do-support

❌ Ĉu vi faras bezoni helpon?

Incorrect — Esperanto does not insert an equivalent of English 'do' before the main verb.

✅ Ĉu vi bezonas helpon?

Do you need help?

Key Takeaways

-as is invariant across every person and number.
It covers actions in progress, current states, habits, and generally valid statements.
Esperanto does not require esti to translate the English progressive.
A situation begun in the past but continuing now normally remains in -as.
Planned-future -as is a marked, context-dependent extension; -os remains the neutral future form.

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