Skip to main content

Present Continuous Tense for English Learners | How to Use it


Present Continuous

The present continuous tense - also called the present progressive tense - is widely used in English but often misused by learners.

It's mainly for actions happening right now, not for daily habits or routines - those use the Present Simple tense.

Also, it only works with action verbs, not with stative verbs.

  • Action verbs, or dynamic verbs, describe visible, deliberate actions like "run," "write," and "jump," which can be seen or measured.

  • Stative verbs describe states, not actions, and relate to thoughts, emotions, senses, and more. They don't involve physical actions and aren't used in continuous tense. Examples include "believe" and "love."

    • Below, we explain how and when to use the Present Continuous:

    Present Continuous for actions happening right now

    • What are you eating?
    • He is playing soccer in the park.
    • They aren't sleeping yet.

    Present Continuous for actions around the current time

    • I'm reading "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee.
    • Which project are you focusing on now?
    • He's training intensively for the upcoming marathon.

    Present Continuous for future plans and arrangements

    • We're meeting our new team members over lunch tomorrow.
    • She's flying to Paris next week for the fashion conference.
    • They're hosting the annual charity gala next month.

    Present Continuous | Common time phrases

  • currently, at the moment, now, today, tomorrow, this week

  • next week, this month, in the near future, shortly - (for future arrangements)

    • How to form the Present Continuous tense

    The Present Continuous tense is made by using the present tense of "to be" (am/is/are) + the main verb with "-ing" added.

    Here's how to use it in positive, negative, and question forms with all personal pronouns:

    Positive Form

    • I am reading. (I + am + reading)
    • You are watching. (You + are + watching)
    • He is eating. (He + is + eating)
    • She is writing. (She + is + writing)
    • It is raining. (It + is + raining)
    • We are learning. (We + are + learning)
    • They are playing. (They + are + playing)

    Negative Form

    • I am not sleeping. (I + am + not + sleeping)
    • You aren't (are not) going. (You + are + not + going)
    • He isn't (is not) coming. (He + is + not + coming)
    • She isn't (is not) singing. (She + is + not + singing)
    • It isn't (is not) working. (It + is + not + working)
    • We aren't (are not) staying. (We + are + not + staying)
    • They aren't (are not) leaving. (They + are + not + leaving)

    Question Form

    • Am I running? (Am + I + running?)
    • Are you sitting? (Are + you + sitting?)
    • Is he standing? (Is + he + standing?)
    • Is she dancing? (Is + she + dancing?)
    • Is it moving? (Is + it + moving?)
    • Are we studying? (Are + we + studying?)
    • Are they watching? (Are + they + watching?)

    Passive present Continuous

    The passive use of the present continuous is possible, but is rarely used.

    In the passive voice, we use the verb 'to be'. If you see 'is being' or 'are being', it might look odd, but there's a reason.

    We add 'ing' to the verb 'to be' when we use modals.

  • Passive subject + auxiliary verb be + to be + ing + past participle

    • The passive voice in the Present Continuous tense highlights actions being performed upon the subject by someone or something else.

    Here are three examples to illustrate this:

    • A new song is being listened to by teenagers all over the world.
    • The report is being reviewed by the committee as we speak.
    • Cookies are being baked by my grandmother for the school bake sale.

    Popular posts from this blog

    Cambridge 11 Test 1 Writing Task 1 | Writing Practice for IELTS

    How would you answer this Cambridge 11 Test 1 Writing Task 1 question? Task 1 Question How to Answer Task 1 Questions Sample Answer Cambridge 11 Writing Task 1 IELTS Writing Task 1 (Academic) tests your written communication skills - how well you can report/describe information. Cambridge 11 Writing Task 1 (Test 1) IELTS Writing Test Task 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The charts below show the percentage of water used for different purposes in six areas of the world. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words. International English Language Testing System How would you answer this IELTS 11 Writing Task 1 question about water used for different purposes? Writing Practice for IELTS Task 1: Sample Answer (useful vocabulary is highlighted ) The pie charts illustrates water usage in six different regions around the worl
    Read more

    Cambridge 11 Test 2 Writing Task 1 | How to Answer This Question

    How would you answer this Cambridge 11 Test 2 Writing Task 1 question: The charts below show the proportions of British students at one university in England who were able to speak other languages in addition to English, in 2000 and 2010? How to answer Cambridge 11 Test 2 Writing Task 1 Question This is a question that many people ask when they are doing IELTS exam prepartion . IELTS Writing Task 1 Structure If you want to do well in IELTS writing, it's important that you know how to answer Task 1 correctly! In this post, we will discuss some of the basics and give advice on how to write your answers for Task 1. IELTS writing Task 1 pie charts are an important part of the IELTS writing task. Pie charts have three main components: a title a description (including what the pie chart is showing) labels for each slice Pie Chart Task 1 Writing Tips Describing pie charts in the IELTS writing test Pie charts have three main parts: a title, desc
    Read more

    How To Answer Cambridge IELTS 8 Speaking Test 1 | IELTS Exam

    Cambridge 8 Speaking Test 1 How to give your opinion in English Here are some questions from Cambridge IELTS Book 8 Speaking Test 1 . They include the IELTS Cue Card Describe a time when you were asked to give your opinion in a questionnaire . A native English speaker gave these sample answers to show you what someone might say. Remember, you can answer these questions in many different ways. Cambridge IELTS 8 Speaking Test 1 Tips for IELTS Speaking Do NOT try to memorize full answers - this is unnatural and IELTS examiners are trained to identify memorized answers. Cambridge IELTS 8 Test 1 Speaking Questions & Answers Part 1 Topic | Neighbours How well do you know the people who live next door to you? I know them quite well because we’ve lived beside each other for a couple of years now. The people who live to the right of me, well, it’s a family wi
    Read more