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Adesso sto asciugando i bicchieri.

Adesso sto asciugando i bicchieri.
I am drying the glasses now.
From Lesson 90:Present progressive (stare + -ando, -endo)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Adesso sto asciugando i bicchieri.

Why use sto asciugando instead of just asciugo?
The regular present tense (asciugo) can already mean both "I dry" and "I am drying". However, to emphasize that you are right in the middle of the action at this very moment, Italian uses the present progressive. It's built with the verb stare (here as sto) plus the gerund form of the action verb (asciugando).
How is the word asciugando formed?
It comes from the verb asciugare (to dry). To create the gerund (the "-ing" form) for verbs ending in -are, you drop the -are ending and add -ando.
Why is there an "h" in bicchieri?
The letter "h" forces the "c" to sound like a hard "k". The singular word is bicchiere (pronounced with a "k" sound). When it becomes plural (bicchieri), the "h" stays so the pronunciation remains hard, rather than changing to a soft "ch" sound before the vowel "i".
What is the singular form of i bicchieri?
The singular is il bicchiere (the glass). Since it is a masculine noun that ends in -e, its plural form naturally changes to end in -i.
Can I move adesso to the end of the sentence?
Yes, you can absolutely say Sto asciugando i bicchieri adesso. Time words like adesso (now) are very flexible in Italian. Putting it at the beginning of the sentence just adds a little bit more emphasis on the timing.

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