Some English as an additional language learners may find it difficult to master all verb tenses in English. Learning verb tenses, however, is extremely important to express our ideas appropriately. Sometimes, the use of a verb tense instead of another completely changes the meaning we want to convey. That’s why you need to be aware of all verb tenses in English and what exactly they express in terms of time. Here, you’ll learn how to use the present continuous, also called present progressive, in a practical way. Keep reading!
In case you need to remember all of these tenses, check out this amazing overview of all verb tenses in English!
The present continuous is also called present progressive. This is the tense that emphasizes what is happening at the moment of speaking (now). It means that something has started, but has not finished. The person is in the middle of doing it.
Some examples are:
| I’m studying English |
| He’s reading a book |
| She’s taking a shower |
| We’re watching tv |
| You’re playing video games |
The formation of the present continuous
The present continuous or present progressive is formed by the verb be in the present (am, is, are) + the main verb in its -ing form (studying, reading, taking, watching, playing, etc.)
| SUBJECT PRONOUN | AUXILIARY VERB BE | MAIN VERB (-ING) |
| I | am | walking |
| You | are | calling |
| He | is | running |
| She | is | writing |
| It | is | sleeping |
| We | are | going |
| They | are | coming |
If you need to learn how to use the verb be in the present, click here!
Above, you can see the affirmative form of the present continuous or present progressive in English. There’s also its negative form:
| SUBJECT PRONOUN | AUXILIARY VERB BE | MAIN VERB (-ING) |
| I | am not | walking |
| You | are not | calling |
| He | is not | running |
| She | is not | writing |
| It | is not | sleeping |
| We | are not | going |
| They | are not | coming |
And its interrogative form (in which you must invert the auxiliary verb be with the subject pronoun:
| AUXILIARY VERB BE | SUBJECT PRONOUN | MAIN VERB (-ING) |
| Am | I | walking? |
| Are | you | calling? |
| Is | he | running? |
| Is | she | writing? |
| Is | it | sleeping? |
| Are | we | going? |
| Are | they | coming? |
Short answers
To answer questions in the present continuous or present progressive tense in English, we usually use short answers. They are:
| POSITIVE ANSWER | NEGATIVE ANSWER |
| Yes, I am | No, I’m not (No, I am not) |
| Yes, you are | No, you’re not (No, you aren’t/No, you are not) |
| Yes, he is | No, he’s not (No, he isn’t/No, he is not) |
| Yes, she is | No, she’s not (No, she isn’t/No, she is not) |
| Yes, it is | No, it’s not (No, it isn’t/No, it is not) |
| Yes, we are | No, we’re not (No, we aren’t/No, we are not) |
| Yes, they are | No, they’re not (No, they aren’t/No they are not) |
Timeline
The present continuous or present progressive represents something that is happening at the moment of speaking (now):
| past | NOW | future |
| – | I’m reading this article | – |
| – | You’re studying English | – |
| – | He’s watching tv | – |
| – | She’s taking a shower | – |
| – | It’s sleeping | – |
| – | We’re learning | – |
| – | They’re working | – |
Present continuous to talk about the future
We also use the present continuous to talk about plans or arrangements for the future. Some examples are:
| What are you doing tomorrow? |
| I’m going to work tomorrow |
| My sister’s going to Paris with her friends |
| My parents aren’t coming over tonight |
| My dog is going to the pet shop tomorrow |
Present continuous to talk about today, this week/month/year, etc.
If you want to emphasize that something is happening differently from the usual, that the situation is changing, you can use expressions such as today, this week/month/year, etc.
Some examples are:
| I’m working a lot today |
| He’s traveling to many cities this year |
| The company is selling much more this week |
| We’re sleeping a lot this month. We’re on vacation |
| They’re avoiding the press these days |
Present continuous to talk about what you’ve been doing
Another common use of this tense is to talk about something that someone has been doing but is not doing at the time of speaking. The person has started doing it but has not finished yet.
Some examples are:
| I’m reading the Harry Potter books. They’re really interesting |
| He’s studying very hard to learn Mandarin |
| She’s looking for a new car. She’s also selling her old one |
| We’re refurbishing our apartment |
| They’re building a new house in another neighborhood |
State verbs in the present continuous
We don’t normally find state verbs in the present continuous. However, some state verbs can be used in their progressive form. There’s a change in their meaning when this happens. Also, some verbs can express both a state and an action, depending on their tense. Compare the sentences below:
| PRESENT SIMPLE | PRESENT CONTINUOUS |
| I love New York (general) | I‘m loving New York (temporary) |
| Do you think I should move to a new apartment? (opinion) | Are you thinking of moving to a new apartment? (considering) |
| I regret that I let you go away (sorry) | I‘m regretting that I let you go away (increasing awareness of the situation) |
Present simple and present continuous to tell stories
Instead of using past tenses, we can use the present simple and the present continuous together to tell stories. It makes the story more vivid. Read the example below:
“So, I’m in the pub, I look at the door, and he‘s coming in. He‘s wearing black pants, a white t-shirt, and a black, leather jacket. He comes straight to me and asks if I’d like a beer. I’m trembling. I‘m almost losing my breath but I manage to say yes”.
If you want to master every aspect of English grammar, take a look at our awesome article on the best books to learn English grammar.
