Mastering the Present Continuous (Present Progressive) -English version

Introduction: What is the Present Continuous?

Welcome to our grammar guide! Today, we’re going to look at the Present Continuous (also called the Present Progressive).

This verb tense is very useful in English because it describes actions that are happening right now, at the moment of speaking. It’s perfect for talking about what you are doing, what your friends are doing, or what’s happening around you!

We use it to describe temporary actions, NOT habits or regular routines.

Form: How to build the Present Continuous

The Present Continuous is easy to form. You need two parts:

1. The verb TO BE (am, is, are).

2. The main verb + -ING (e.g., working, studying, eating).

Structure

Here is the basic structure for affirmative sentences:

Subject + am / is / are + Main Verb + -ing

Subject	TO BE	Main Verb + -ING	Example Sentence
I	am	watching	I am watching TV.
He / She / It	is	reading	She is reading a book.
We / You / They	are	cooking	They are cooking dinner.

Usage: When do we use the Present Continuous?

We primarily use the Present Continuous for:

• Actions happening now: Actions that are in progress at the time of speaking.

  • Example: "We are studying English right now."

• Temporary situations: Actions that are happening around the present time, but may not be happening exactly at this second.

  • Example: "I am living in London for six months."

• Actions with time expressions: We often use this tense with words like now, right now, at the moment, currently, today.

Examples: Daily Activities and Routines

Let’s look at how we use the Present Continuous to talk about everyday life.

1. Affirmative Statements (What we are doing)

These examples show daily activities that are happening right now.

• "I am drinking coffee."

• "My sister is doing her homework."

• "The dog is sleeping on the sofa."

• "We are having breakfast together."

• "They are working from home today."

2. Negative Statements (What we are NOT doing)

To make a negative sentence, we just add NOT after the verb TO BE.

Subject + am / is / are + NOT + Main Verb + -ing

• "I am not eating lunch yet."

• "He is not watching TV right now."

• "The students are not listening to the teacher."

• "We are not resting; we are cleaning the house."

3. Yes-No Questions and Short Answers

To ask a Yes-No question, we invert the subject and the verb TO BE.

Am / Is / Are + Subject + Main Verb + -ing?

• Is she studying?

  • Yes, she is.

  • No, she is not (or No, she isn’t).

• Are you working?

  • Yes, I am.

  • No, I am not (or No, I'm not).

• Are they having a good time?

  • Yes, they are.

  • No, they are not (or No, they aren’t).

• Is he eating breakfast?

  • Yes, he is.

  • No, he is not (or No, he isn't).

Conclusion

The Present Continuous is a fundamental tense for describing actions happening in the moment. Remember, if the action is in progress, use TO BE + -ING!

Keep practicing these structures with your own daily activities. What are you doing right now?