¿estás leyendo?
In Spanish, 'are you reading?' can be translated as ¿estás leyendo?
This phrase is used to inquire whether someone is currently in the middle of the process of reading. If you want to specifically ask if someone is continuing to read or hasn't stopped yet, you can use ¿Sigues leyendo? to mean 'Are you still reading?'
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase estás leyendo is a literal translation of 'you are reading'. It is constructed using the verb estar (to be) and the gerund leyendo (reading) to express an action that is ongoing.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb changes depending on the subject. To ask a group of people if they are reading, use the plural form ¿están leyendo? To address someone formally using the 'usted' form, the phrase changes from ¿estás leyendo? to ¿está leyendo?
Did you know?
- The word leyendo shares an ancient ancestor with the English word 'collect'. Both stems trace back to the Proto-Indo-European root *leǵ-, which originally meant to gather or pick out, as reading is essentially picking out words from a page.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, if you ask ¿Estás leyendo? regarding a person's handwriting, people might actually use the verb leer to mean 'to decipher' or 'to make sense of' messy script.
- While ¿estás leyendo? asks if you are in the act of reading right now, a Spanish speaker will often use the simple present ¿lees? to ask if you are currently reading a specific book over several days.
Examples in context
- ¿Está leyendo el libro?Are you reading the book?
- ¿Está usted leyendo la revista?Are you reading the magazine?
- ¿Sigues leyendo el periódico?Are you still reading the newspaper?
- ¿Estás leyendo algo?Are you reading anything?
- ¿Estás leyendo ese libro?Are you reading that book?
- No te oigo, ¿estás leyendo?I can't hear you, are you reading?
Example conversation
Javier enters the living room and sees Lucía with a book.
- JavierHola Lucía, ¿estás leyendo?Hi Lucía, are you reading?
- LucíaSí, estoy leyendo una novela nueva.Yes, I am reading a new novel.
- Javier¿Te gusta la historia?Do you like the story?
- LucíaSí, es muy interesante.Yes, it is very interesting.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries leyendo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
