levantando

Levantando is the present participle (gerund) of levantar in Spanish and Portuguese, used to express ongoing action related to lifting, raising, or getting up. The form shares its origin with the Latin levare, meaning to lift or elevate, and is used to form progressive tenses and ongoing actions in both languages.

In Spanish, levantando commonly appears with estar to form the present progressive: Estoy levantando la caja (I am lifting the box). It can also appear with verbs like seguir, continuar, or ir to indicate gradual progression: está lloviendo y la gente va levantando el ánimo (people are gradually lifting their spirits). The gerund can function in descriptive phrases to convey continuous action in narration.

In Portuguese, levantando serves a similar role. It is used with estar to express ongoing activity: Estou levantando a caixa (I am lifting the box). It also occurs with seguir, continuar, or ir for gradual development: vai levantando poeira (dust keeps rising). In Brazilian Portuguese, the gerund often appears in colloquial speech as part of progressive constructions, sometimes replacing other forms of continuous aspect.

Related terms include levantación (note: in Spanish, levantamiento is the noun for act of lifting or uprising) and levantarse/levantar-se, the reflexive forms meaning to get up. Levantando thus functions as a versatile gerund across both languages, with usage centered on ongoing physical lifting, rising, or activation in both literal and figurative senses.