The present continuous is one of the main ways we talk about current and future events in English. We use it to talk about:
an action that is happening “right now”
an action that is “in progress” but is not happening at the moment you speak
a present day plan for a future action
In English, there is a big difference between the present continuous and the present simple, so it is important to use the correct form of the verb:
- Present continuous:I am dancing.The action is happening right now or currently.
- Present simple:I dance.The action happens often.
In this post, we’ll be looking at how to form the present continuous, and then we’ll get down to the details about when we use it. Ready to find out just how we English speakers talk about what we are doing? Let’s get started!
How to form the present continuous?
Here is the rule for making the present continuous:
present participle
(verb + -ing)
The present continuous has two pieces:
An auxiliary verb (or “helping verb”):
In all continuous tenses the auxiliary verb is be. In the present continuous, the auxiliary verb is in the present tense.
Subject be Short form
(“contraction”)Iam-’myou / we / theyare-’rehe / she / itis-’sA main verb, which carries the meaning
In all continuous tenses, the main verb is always in its present participle form:
Present Participle = root + -ing
This works for all verbs, even irregular verbs (e.g. being, having, bringing…)
How to form sentences with the present continuous?
We form sentences with the present continuous just like we form all sentences in English:
Affirmative sentences
subject
auxiliary
main verb
You are washing the dishes.Question
auxiliary
subject
main verb
Am I reading a novel?Are they sleeping?What is she doing?Negative Sentence
subject
auxiliary
notmain verb
I am not cleaning my room.You are not studying.She isn’t playing tennis.
When to use the present continuous?
There are three main times when you can use the present continuous in English:
to talk about something that is happening right now
to talk about something that is in progress (but not happening right now)
to talk about a plan for the future (especially the near future)
Let’s go through the three main uses!
To talk about something going on right now
We often use the present continuous to talk about something that is happening while you are speaking. Let’s listen in on Susan talking to her mother on the phone:
Besides talking on the phone, here are some other situations where you can find the present continuous to talk about something happening “right now”:
during live radio news or sports broadcasts:
- The Lions are running down the field!
in a story or novel told in the present tense:
- “Robin Hood is fighting like a demon, now! He is completely surrounded!”
when someone describes a thought or feeling that cannot be seen from the outside:
- I’m feeling a little tired. Do you mind if I sit down?
when a teacher explains a process:
- Now I’m adding the eggs to make the cake very fluffy.
To talk about something that is in progress
You can also use the present continuous to talk about an action that is in progress but that you are not doing right now. These are actions that happen for a long time — and you might take a break in the middle — but someone is still working on them. For example:
- Peter’s working on a report this week, but now he is cooking.
- She’s reading a bit of her book for her English class every night.
- We are studying the present continuous this semester.
As you can see, we expand the present moment to include more time with expressions like: this week / every night / this semester
One important note: the present continuous is still for things that are only temporarily happening. If something always or generally happens, you should use the present simple instead.
To talk about a future plan
You can use the present continuous to talk about a future action that you have planned in advance. Usually this is not only for an event you are certain will happen, but also something that is an official plan, so other people probably know the plan as well.
Let’s look at Mark talking about his plans for moving:
Here we see that Mark is talking about many things that he is not doing right now, but will be doing very soon. He is describing a current plan about a future time.
He uses time expressions like this afternoon / later / tonight / next month, to show that he is talking about the future!
Check out our post on using the present continuous and the present simple to talk about the future for more examples!
Summing up
The present continuous is a very easy compound verb to make. You’ve seen:
(auxiliary)
present participle (root + -ing)
(main verb)
The present continuous is used mainly to talk about:
actions that are happening right now, while you are speaking
actions that are in progress → these days, this week, this month
future actions that are currently planned, often for the near future → this afternoon, later, tonight, next month
If you want to practice some of these uses, why not check out the English present continuous activities we’ve prepared for you?
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