To talk about actions that happen constantly or repeatedly—things someone is always doing—use the verb vivir followed by a gerund.
While vivir means "to live," adding a gerund (an -ando or -iendo verb) implies someone spends all their time doing that action. It translates to "is constantly doing" or "is always doing."
| My friend is constantly complaining because he is a hypochondriac. | Mi amigo vive quejándose por hipocondríaco. |
| He constantly suffers from a different illness every week. | Él vive padeciendo una enfermedad diferente cada semana. |
Using Reflexive Verbs
When using a reflexive verb with this structure, you can attach the pronoun directly to the end of the gerund. Remember to add an accent mark to maintain the correct stress (for example, automedicando becomes automedicándose).
| My friend is constantly self-medicating out of fear. | Mi amigo vive automedicándose por miedo. |
Exaggerating Habits
This structure is especially useful for complaining about someone else's habits or exaggerating how often an action happens.
| That hypochondriac is constantly looking up his symptoms in the search engine. | Ese hipocondríaco vive buscando sus síntomas en el buscador. |
| Because of that discomfort, he is constantly using the thermometer all day. | Por ese malestar, vive usando el termómetro todo el día. |
| Now he is constantly saying that he suffers from a terrible itch. | Ahora vive diciendo que padece una picazón terrible. |
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