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How to Say "by drinking" in Spanish

The Spanish word forby drinkingis bebiendoA1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.

English → SpanishA1
Verb formA1
adverbial use, describing the manner of an action
A simple illustration of a figure drinking liquid from a large blue glass.

Examples

Estamos bebiendo jugo de naranja.

We are drinking orange juice.

Mi perro estaba bebiendo agua del inodoro. ¡Qué asco!

My dog was drinking water from the toilet. How gross!

Llegó a la cima de la montaña bebiendo mucha agua y descansando poco.

He reached the top of the mountain by drinking a lot of water and resting little.

The Continuous Action

This form is used to show an action that is in progress. You almost always use it with a form of the verb estar (to be), like 'Estoy bebiendo' (I am drinking).

Forming '-ing' Words

For verbs that end in -ER or -IR, you replace the ending with '-iendo'. Since beber ends in -ER, it becomes bebiendo.

Forgetting 'Estar'

Mistake:Using 'Yo bebiendo' to mean 'I am drinking'.

Correction: You must include the verb *estar* to show continuous action: 'Yo **estoy** bebiendo'. The gerund cannot stand alone.

Using the Simple Present Instead

Mistake:Saying 'Yo bebo café ahora' (I drink coffee now) when you mean 'I am drinking coffee now.'

Correction: While sometimes acceptable, Spanish prefers the continuous form for actions happening *at this moment*: 'Estoy bebiendo café ahora'.

Related Translations

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