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present continuous

Present Continuous tense

Present Continuous

The Present Continuous (also called the Present Progressive) is usually the second tense that we learn when learning English. We use the Present Continuous to talk about ongoing events (happening at the time of speaking) or about events in the near future. In this tense, we use the present participle with the verb “to be”.

Present Continuous

Affirmative sentences in Present Continuous

In the Present Continuous, we form sentences by using the verb to be and the present participle form of the main verb (verb-ing).

Subject + to be + verb-ing + the rest of the sentence
I am working right now.

It’s important to remember that the verb to be has to be appropriately conjugated according to the subject of the sentence.

You are working right now.
He is working right now.

Negative sentences in Present Continuous

We form negative sentences by adding not between to be and the main verb.

Subject + to be + not + verb-ing + the rest of the sentence
I am not working right now.

Questions in Present Continuous

We form questions by the inversion of to be.

To be + subject + verb-ing + the rest of the sentence
Am I working right now?
The Usage of Present Continuous

We use Present Continuous to talk about:

+ activities happening at the moment of speaking
Is Adam studying at the moment?
Anna is cleaning her room now.
+ plans for the near future
Lisa is getting married next week.
We are meeting at 5 p.m.
+ recurring annoying behaviors
I’m always forgetting my keys.
He’s always burning the toasts.
+ longer actions in progress now
I’m reading the whole Harry Potter series.
I’m studying to be an engineer.
+ temporary situations
I’m watching a lot of TV these days.
She’s working in a restaurant until summer.
+ something changing
My English proficiency is improving.
His stamp collection is getting bigger.
Non-continuous verbs

Non-continuous verbs are verbs that are rarely used in continuous tenses. These verbs include abstract verbs (e.g. want, need, cost), possession verbs (e.g. belong, own), emotion verbs (e.g. like, love, hate, dislike, envy). With these verbs, we usually use the Present Simple.

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