Breakdown of Aunque el proceso es lento, el idioma viene evolucionando.
ser
to be
el idioma
the language
venir
to come
lento
slow
aunque
although / even though
el proceso
the process
evolucionar
to evolve
Questions & Answers about Aunque el proceso es lento, el idioma viene evolucionando.
Why use viene evolucionando here instead of está evolucionando?
Using estar + gerund (está evolucionando) simply states what is happening right now: "it is evolving." By using venir + gerund (viene evolucionando), the speaker emphasizes that the evolution started in the past and has been gradually, continuously happening up to the present moment. This is why it translates so perfectly to "has been evolving."
Could we use va evolucionando instead? What would that change?
You could use va evolucionando, but it changes the timeline of the focus. Venir + gerund looks at the progress from the past accumulating up to right now. Ir + gerund (va evolucionando) looks forward, emphasizing that the language is evolving step by step from this point forward, or that the process is unfolding right before our eyes.
Can I translate "has been evolving" literally as ha estado evolucionando?
Doesn't aunque usually trigger the subjunctive? Why is it Aunque el proceso es lento with the indicative es?
Aunque takes either the indicative or the subjunctive depending on the message! You use the indicative (es) when you are declaring an acknowledged fact: "Although the process is (factually) slow." If you used the subjunctive (sea), it would sound hypothetical or dismissive: "Even if the process were slow."
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