Present continuous

The present continuous tense is one of the continuous tenses in English. (Continuous tenses are: present continuous, past continuous, and future continuous.)

The present continuous (also called "present progressive") tense mainly describes actions that are in progress at the time of speaking.

Forms

Affirmative sentences

Affirmative sentences in the present continuous are formed using verb be (am / is / are) + base verb-ing.

• I am eating.
• She is eating.
• He is eating.
• It is eating.
• We are eating.
• You are eating.
• They are eating.

The short forms 'm, 's, 're can be used in informal situations and in speech.

Negative sentences

Negative sentences are formed by adding not (or the short form n't) to the verb be.

• I am not eating.
• She isn't eating.
• He is not eating.
• It is not eating.
• We aren't eating.
• You are not eating.
• They aren't eating.

Questions

Yes / No question are formed using Verb be (Am / Is /Are) + subject + base verb-ing.

Wh-questions begin with one of the wh-question words.

(Wh-question words are: what, where, when, why, who, which, whose, how.)

• Am I eating your pizza?
• Are you having fun?
• Is she sleeping now?
• Is it raining outside?
• Why is she crying?
• When are they coming?

Uses

Present continuous verbs are used to describe the following situations.

Actions happening now or around now

• I am fixing the broken chair right now.
• The baby is sleeping at the moment.
• She is taking a course in Spanish this semester.

Future actions

• We are getting married soon.
• He is seeing the dentist in the afternoon.
• They are moving to their new apartment next month.

Repeated actions

Adverbs like always are used in this structure to imply that the speaker is irritated or annoyed by the action, or that the action was unplanned or unexpected.

• She is always complaining about her children.
• He is forever losing his keys.
• I'm always meeting her in the hallway.

Changing or developing actions

• Prices are rising these days.
• Her hair is growing very fast.
• Nowadays, more people are using social media to promote their businesses.

Non-continuous verbs

Non-continuous (or state verbs) are a group of verbs that describe state rather than action. They are not used in the continuous form. Instead, the present simple tense is used instead.

• I don't understand these formulas.
• They know what has to be done.
• I believe we should revise the plans. (NOT am believing)

Some verbs can be used as state verbs and action (or dynamic) verbs, but with different meanings.

• The chef is tasting the food. (action verb)
• The food tastes great. (NOT is tasting; state verb)
• She is looking at you. (action verb)
• It looks gorgeous! (NOT is looking; state verb)
• I'm having lunch with my sisters. (action verb)
• I have two sisters. (NOT am having; state verb)