Present Continuous (I’m eating)

We make the Present Continuous with the present tense of be and the –ing form of a verb:

Positive Sentences
I am/’m working.
You/we/they are/’re
He/she/it is/’s
Negative Sentences
I am not/’m not working.
You/we/they are not/aren’t
He/she/it is not/isn’t
Questions
Am I working?
Are you/we/they
Is he/she/it
Short Answers (Positive)
Yes, I am.
you/we/they are.
he/she/it is.
Short Answers (Negative)
No, I am not/‘m not.
you/we/they are not/aren’t.
he/she/it is not/isn’t.

-ing forms
  INFINITIVE -ing FORM
With most verbs we add -ing: go
ask
going
asking
With verbs that end with a consonant + -e, we delete the -e and add -ing: take
hope
live
queue
taking
hoping
living
queuing
With verbs that end with -ie, we change -ie to -ying: lie
die
lying
dying
With verbs that end with one vowel + one consonant (e.g. run, swim, jog), we double the consonant: get
run
swim
jog
getting
running
swimming
jogging

But note that we do not double the consonant,

  1. when it is a y or w (e.g. stay)
  2. when the last syllable is not stressed (e.g. VISit, LISten, WONder):
stay
buy
borrow
draw
visit
listen
wonder
staying
buying
borrowing
drawing
visiting
listening
wondering
But note also that we double the l at the end of verbs, when the last syllable is not stressed (e.g. TRAvel): travel travelling


We use the Present Continuous for actions in progress at the time of speaking:

Present Continuous - It's Snowing

Present Continuous - I am watching TV


We use the Present Continuous for an action that has started, that has not finished, and that will continue in the future. The action is not in progress at the time of speaking, but we often say at the moment:

Present Continuous - We're Painting the Flat at the Moment


We use the Present Continuous for a temporary action or situation that is different from a person’s normal habits:

  • A: Can I speak to Roger, please?
  • B: No, he’s not at work. He’s doing a training course in London this week.

We use the Present Continuous to talk about changes and trends. This often goes with nowadays, these days, etc.

  • The earth’s climate is getting warmer.
  • These days, more and more people are watching streaming services like Netflix and HBO.
  • Sales of smartphones are increasing every year.

We can use the Present Continuous with always to say that something happens too often:

  • Rachel is always complaining.
  • I’m always losing my smartphone.
  • My son is always playing computer games.

PRACTICE

Now it is time to practise what you have learned.

  • For each Practice Test, read the instructions carefully.
  • Complete the exercise and press 'Check' to get your results.
Practice Test A

Practice Test B

Practice Test C

Practice Test D

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Nigel Bailey

Nigel is a qualified Teacher of English as a Foreign Language and has been teaching in Poland since 2003. He has been teaching over the Internet since 2008 and has taught more than 1,000 students in this way.

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