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Grammar: Present continuous with PowerPoint

By Danica Krapez

Teaching English in computer classes or using multimedia. Introducing the present continuous tense.

Materials: You will need Microsoft PowerPoint. The presentation will also play in your web browser - just click your mouse to move from slide to slide.

Grammar: Present continuous with PowerPoint: Worksheet

Grammar: present continuous with powerpoint: teacher's notes.

• Lesson Plan / Teacher's Notes
• Pre-Intermediate
• Up to 30 mins
• Whole Class

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Present Continuous Tense: How to Use It, With Examples

Published by

Olivia Drake

If you are learning English, you will likely come across the present continuous tense. This verb tense is used to describe actions that are happening now or are currently in progress. It is essential to understand how to use the present continuous tense correctly, as it is a fundamental tense in English grammar.

On this page:

Structure of the Present Continuous Tense

The present continuous tense is formed using the verb “to be” in the present tense and the present participle of the main verb. The structure of a present continuous sentence is as follows:

Subject + am/is/are + verb (present participle)

For example:

• She is cooking dinner.
• They are studying English grammar.
• He is watching TV.

Uses of the Present Continuous Tense

1. Actions Happening Now The present continuous tense is commonly used to describe actions that are happening now or at the present moment. For example:

• I am drinking coffee right now.
• She is talking to her friend on the phone.
• They are playing soccer in the park.

2. Temporary Actions or Situations The present continuous tense can also be used to describe temporary actions or situations. For example:

• She is staying with her sister for a few days.
• They are working on a project together.
• He is living in the city for the summer.

3. Ongoing Actions The present continuous tense is also used to describe actions that are currently in progress and are expected to continue in the near future. For example:

• The company is expanding its operations in Asia.
• She is studying for her final exams.
• They are planning a vacation for next month.

4. Future Plans The present continuous tense can be used to describe future plans, particularly when discussing arrangements or scheduled events. For example:

• I am meeting my friends for dinner tonight.
• They are flying to New York next week.
• She is attending a conference in London next month.

5. Annoying or Repetitive Actions The present continuous tense can also be used to describe annoying or repetitive actions that are currently happening. For example:

• He is always interrupting me when I am speaking.
• They are constantly playing loud music.
• She is forever checking her phone.

When to Use the Present Continuous Tense?

Remember to use “to be” in the present tense (am, is, are) followed by the present participle (-ing form) of the main verb.

Use the present continuous tense to describe actions happening right now, ongoing actions, future plans, and temporary situations.

When Not to Use the Present Continuous Tense?

The present continuous tense is a verb tense used to describe actions that are happening right now or actions that are ongoing. However, there are certain situations when it is not appropriate to use the present continuous tense.

1. States and Conditions

The present continuous tense should not be used to describe states and conditions that are not temporary. For example, instead of saying “I am believing in myself,” you should say “I believe in myself.” This is because beliefs are not temporary and are ongoing, rather than in the process of happening right now.

Incorrect: I am believing in myself. Correct: I believe in myself.

2. Habits and Routines

The present continuous tense should not be used to describe habits and routines. Instead, use the simple present tense. For example, instead of saying “I am going to the gym every day,” you should say “I go to the gym every day.” This is because going to the gym is a habit or routine that is ongoing, rather than in the process of happening right now.

Incorrect: I am going to the gym every day. Correct: I go to the gym every day.

3. Non-Continuous Verbs

The present continuous tense should not be used with non-continuous verbs, also known as stative verbs. These verbs describe a state or condition, rather than an action. For example, instead of saying “I am understanding the problem,” you should say “I understand the problem.” This is because understanding is a state or condition, rather than an action that is happening right now.

Incorrect: I am understanding the problem. Correct: I understand the problem.

4. Completed Actions

The present continuous tense should not be used to describe completed actions. Instead, use the past simple tense. For example, instead of saying “I am finishing my homework,” you should say “I finished my homework.” This is because finishing the homework is a completed action, rather than an ongoing action.

Incorrect: I am finishing my homework. Correct: I finished my homework.

Present Continuous and Stative Verbs

When it comes to stative verbs, which describe a state of being or a condition that is ongoing rather than an action in progress, the use of the present continuous tense can be a bit tricky.

Stative verbs typically describe things like emotions, mental states, senses, and physical conditions. Examples of stative verbs include “like,” “hate,” “love,” “prefer,” “believe,” “know,” “understand,” “feel,” “see,” “smell,” “taste,” “seem,” “appear,” and “have.”

In general, stative verbs are not typically used in the present continuous tense because they describe a state of being or a condition that is ongoing rather than an action in progress. However, there are some cases where the present continuous tense can be used with stative verbs to describe a temporary change in the state of being.

• “I am feeling sick today.” (describing a temporary physical condition)
• “She is seeming more confident lately.” (describing a temporary change in someone’s demeanor)
• “He is having trouble with the new software.” (describing a temporary difficulty with a task)

In these examples, the present continuous tense is being used to describe a temporary change in the state of being or condition, rather than a permanent or ongoing state. It’s important to note that the use of the present continuous tense with stative verbs is generally less common and should be used with caution. In most cases, it is best to use the simple present tense when describing stative verbs, as this more accurately reflects the ongoing nature of the state of being or condition.

Here are some common stative verbs that do not use the present continuous:

• Like: I like ice cream. (Not: I am liking ice cream.)
• Believe: I believe in aliens. (Not: I am believing in aliens.)
• Understand: I understand the instructions. (Not: I am understanding the instructions.)
• Know: I know the answer. (Not: I am knowing the answer.)
• Want: I want a new car. (Not: I am wanting a new car.)
• Love: I love my family. (Not: I am loving my family.)
• Prefer: I prefer tea to coffee. (Not: I am preferring tea to coffee.)
• Dislike: I dislike horror movies. (Not: I am disliking horror movies.)
• Own: I own a house. (Not: I am owning a house.)
• Belong: This book belongs to me. (Not: This book is belonging to me.)

It’s important to note that while these verbs do not typically use the present continuous tense, there may be some situations where they can be used in this way. For example, “I’m liking this new ice cream flavor” may be acceptable in some dialects or contexts, although it is not considered standard English.

Common Construction in the Present Continuous Tense

The present continuous tense is a verb tense used to describe actions or processes that are currently in progress or ongoing. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “to be” in the present tense (am, is, are) and adding the present participle form of the main verb (-ing).

Here are some common constructions in the present continuous tense:

• I am studying for my exam.
• He is playing soccer with his friends.
• They are cooking dinner in the kitchen.
• I am not watching TV right now.
• She is not working on the project at the moment.
• We are not drinking coffee at this time.
• Are you listening to me?
• Is she singing a song?
• Are they playing a game?
• What are you doing?
• Why is he wearing a hat?
• Where are they going?
• No, she isn’t.
• Yes, they are.
• I’m (I am) running late.
• She’s (she is) dancing in the living room.
• They’re (they are) watching a movie.

It is important to note that the present continuous tense can also be used to talk about future plans or arrangements, as in “I am meeting my friend for lunch tomorrow.”

Common Dynamic Verbs that USE the Present Continuous

The present continuous tense is commonly used with dynamic verbs, which express actions or processes that are ongoing or in progress at the time of speaking. Here are some common dynamic verbs that use the present continuous tense:

Work: “I am working on a new project this week.” Run: “She is running in the park every morning to stay fit.” Study: “They are studying for their final exams at the library.” Drive: “He is driving to work in his new car.” Cook: “My mom is cooking dinner for us tonight.” Sing: “The choir is singing a beautiful song at the concert.” Play: “My friends and I are playing basketball in the park.” Write: “She is writing a novel about her life experiences.” Dance: “The couple is dancing gracefully at their wedding reception.” Paint: “He is painting a portrait of his girlfriend in his studio.”

These are just a few examples of dynamic verbs that are commonly used with the present continuous tense. Remember, dynamic verbs express actions or processes that are ongoing or in progress at the time of speaking, and the present continuous tense is the perfect way to describe them.

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Present Continuous Tense – A Complete ESL Lesson Plan

The present continuous tense (also known as the present progressive tense) is used to talk about actions that are happening now or are unfinished. 

Examples include eating, singing, reading, running, dancing, etc. This page is an ESL lesson plan to teach the present continuous tense to beginner students. 

The games and activities in this lesson plan are mainly aimed at young ESL students. These activities can, however, be adapted to teach older beginner learners. 

Download all the materials you need for this lesson in the box below. Check out the bottom of the page for additional games and activities to teach the present continuous (progressive) tense to beginners.  

Materials for this lesson:

• Pass The Ball Game Music
• Song on YouTube

Teaching The Present Continuous Tense to Beginner ESL Students

Introduction and warm up.

To warm up and introduce the present continuous tense to students, start off by listening to a fun song.  This song  by the Silly Billy Band is perfect for this lesson and kids find it very funny. 

Play the song and ask students to listen for all the words ending with ‘ ing ‘. After the song, ask students what present continuous words they can remember and write them on the board. 

Next, put these words in context. The present continuous tense describes actions that are taking place at the time of speaking. So, the best and easiest way to demonstrate this to students is to act out the present continuous verb as you are saying it. For example, pick up a book and pretend to read it and say ‘ I am reading.’ 

Do the same with the other present continuous verbs from the song. As you are saying and acting out the sentences, ask the students to do the same. 

Your students will soon gain a basic understanding of the function of present continuous verbs. To introduce the basic structure of the key sentences, play the song one more time. Pause the song after each action and ask students what he/she is doing.

Practice Key Words And Sentences

Using these  present continuous flashcards , practice the keywords by showing the flashcards and asking students to repeat after you. Then, ask students to try to say the words on their own. Then ask students to look closer at the flashcards and ask them if they see a boy or a girl. 

Explain to students that use ‘he’ to refer to boys and ‘she’ to refer to girls. Practice asking and answering ‘What is he/she doing?’ using the flashcards. Once students have practiced the key expressions enough, it’s time for a fun game to practice some more. 

Activity 1: Pass The Ball Game – What is he/she doing?

This Pass the Ball Game, and many other ESL classroom games can be found on our  YouTube Channel .

Pass the ball is a great classroom game to practice the present continuous tense. If you’re not familiar with pass the ball, it is an extremely fun classroom game that can be used with any target language. 

Students pass the ball to the music, and when the music stops, the student with the ball must do something (answer a question from the teacher, for example). To teach the present continuous tense with this game, when the music stops, the student with the ball must come to the front. 

Then show that student a flashcard (for example, ‘running’), and then that student must act out the word. The teacher can then ask the other students, ‘What’s he/she doing?’. 

If you would also like to teach ‘What are they  doing?’ then when the music stops, the student with ball comes to the front and does not look at the flashcard. The teacher shows the rest of the class the flashcard, and then all the students must act out the word together. The teacher would then ask the student at the front of the class, ‘What are they doing?’ and the student will try to guess. 

To make sure this activity runs smoothly, make sure to tell students to PASS the ball and not to THROW the ball. Also, you may want to show students the direction in which to pass the ball around the class. 

Activity 2: Board Game – Race Around The World

This  board game  is best played in pairs and is designed to get your students to make a dialogue using present continuous verbs with their partners. 

In this game, students will ‘race around the world’. One student will go clockwise, and one student will go anti-clockwise. To play, students should put their erasers where it says ‘start’ and then play rock, scissors, paper. 

The winner can move their eraser on square. Then the students should have a dialogue based on the the picture in that square. For example, one student will ask, ‘What is he doing?’ and the other student will look at the picture and answer, ‘He is eating.’. 

Alternatively, to make this game more fun, one student can ask ‘What are you doing?’ and the other student must answer and act out the sentence (for example, ‘I am dancing.’). The first student to make it all the way around the world is the winner. For many more printable board games on many topics,  click here . 

Activity 3: Level Up Game – What are you doing?

This final activity is a fun speaking game to practice the present continuous tense. To play this game, you must first place one of the  present continuous flashcards  in each of the 4 corners of the room. 

Tell students that each corner of the room is a different level and has a different action. For example, level 1 is dancing, level 2 is eating, level 3 is jumping, and level 4 is swimming. 

To start, all students must go to the level one corner and must do the action assigned to that corner. In this example, level 1=dancing, so all students at level one must dance. 

While dancing, they must meet a friend and ask ‘What are you doing?’ and they will answer, ‘I am dancing.’ After having a dialogue, they should play rock, scissors, paper. 

The winning student can advance to level 2 (eating), and the losing student must stay at level 1 (dancing). Then the students at level 2 should act out eating and meet another level 2 friend and make a dialogue. The level 1 students should continue dancing and meet another level 1 friend and make a dialogue. 

Again, after the dialogue students will play rock, scissors, paper, and the winner will advance to the next level. Once a student advances through all 4 levels, they get a point (or sticker) from the teacher and start again at level 1. After about 5 or 10 minutes, stop the game and the student with me most points is the winner.

To make sure this game runs smoothly, be sure to model how to do the activity several times before starting. Also, as there will be many students moving around the classroom, make sure to tell students not to run / push, etc. 

At the end of the lesson, review the keywords from the lesson. A great way to do with present continuous verbs is to act out some of the words and ask students to guess what you are doing. Or, to make it more fun for kids, invite some students up to the front to act out the actions and ask the other students, ‘What is he/she doing?’.

Related Resources

• Present Continuous Board Games
• Online Present Continuous Quiz
• Present Continuous Review Quiz
• Present Continuous Hidden Picture Game
• Present Continuous Worksheets

• Verb Tense Intro.
• Types of Verbs
• Active/Passive
• Simple Present

Present Continuous

• Simple Past
• Past Continuous
• Present Perfect
• Present Perf. Cont.
• Past Perfect
• Past Perfect Cont.
• Simple Future
• Future Continuous
• Future Perfect
• Future Perfect Cont.
• Would Always
• Future in the Past

The present continuous (also called present progressive) is a verb tense which is used to show that an ongoing action is happening now, either at the moment of speech or now in a larger sense. The present continuous can also be used to show that an action is going to take place in the near future. Read on for detailed descriptions, examples, and present continuous exercises.

Present Continuous Forms

The present continuous is formed using am/is/are + present participle . Questions are indicated by inverting the subject and am/is/are . Negatives are made with not .

• Statement: You are watching TV.
• Question: Are you watching TV?
• Negative: You are not watching TV.

Present Continuous Uses

Use the present continuous with normal verbs to express the idea that something is happening now, at this very moment. It can also be used to show that something is not happening now.

• You are learning English now.
• You are not swimming now.
• Are you sleeping ?
• I am sitting .
• I am not standing .
• Is he sitting or standing ?
• They are reading their books.
• They are not watching television.
• What are you doing ?
• Why aren't you doing your homework?

USE 2 Longer Actions in Progress Now

In English, now can mean different things: this second, today, this month, this year, this century, and so on. Sometimes, we use the present continuous to say that we are in the process of doing a longer action which is in progress; however, we might not be doing it at this exact second.

Examples: (All of these sentences can be said while eating dinner in a restaurant.)

• I am studying to become a doctor.
• I am not studying to become a dentist.
• I am reading the book Tom Sawyer.
• I am not reading any books right now.
• Are you working on any special projects at work?
• Aren't you teaching at the university now?

USE 3 Near Future

Sometimes, speakers use the present continuous to indicate that something will or will not happen in the near future.

• I am meeting some friends after work.
• I am not going to the party tonight.
• Is he visiting his parents next weekend?
• Isn't he coming with us tonight?

USE 4 Repetition and Irritation with Always

The present continuous with words such as always or constantly expresses the idea that something irritating or shocking often happens. Notice that the meaning is like simple present , but with negative emotion. Remember to put the words always or constantly between be and verb+ing .

• She is always coming to class late.
• He is constantly talking . I wish he would shut up.
• I don't like them because they are always complaining .

Present Continuous Tips

Remember non-continuous verbs / mixed verbs.

It is important to remember that non-continuous verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for mixed verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using present continuous with these verbs, you must use simple present .

• She is loving this chocolate ice cream. Not Correct
• She loves this chocolate ice cream. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as always , only , never , ever , still , just , etc.

• You are still watching TV.
• Are you still watching TV?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

• Right now, Tom is writing the letter. Active
• Right now, the letter is being written by Tom. Passive

More About Active / Passive Forms

Present Continuous Exercises

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The Present Continuous Tense: a Lesson Plan    

This lesson introduces the Present Continuous Tense to beginning ESL students. It requires 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours, and gives practice with reading and writing, as well as listening and speaking.

Preparation

Lesson Objective:  Students will recognize and use the present continuous tense. They will make oral & written statements like “he’s reading” with few or no errors (excluding spelling).

Materials needed:

1. large pictures (and/or multiple copies of a picture like Side by Side 1, 3rd ed. Pg.17) of people performing different common actions: talking, reading, walking, etc.

(Most ESL texts and picture dictionaries have at least some suitable pictures. If your class isn’t using a textbook, you can also find free pictures online. Check clip art, speech therapy action pictures, crowd scenes, etc.)

Some possibilities:  

>>> Highlights Hidden Pictures, B&W printable; including ‘ New Neighbors :’ they’re moving; the men are carrying a table, a child is looking out the window, etc.  . There are other good ones like ‘A Day at the Fair’ or ‘Farmers’ Market.’  

>>>  Discovery Ed Clipart  has kids doing things...  

2. half a class set of stories with related pictures. (Our class used Side by Side 1 , pg. 22-23, but any similar story with pictures would work.)

You can use this letter about camping if you like. Or you could make one yourself based on a picture you can reproduce and your students’ needs.)  

3. per group of 3-4 students: one picture dictionary. Alternative: a picture scene (from a magazine?) with a lot of people doing things.  

This needs to be a different scene or scenes than #1, but the sources above would still work. Even better, because there is more going on, is Where's Waldo ? 

The first one (at the beach), with one section enlarged, could generate possible sentences like these: "They’re riding horses" (or walking, or building with sand.) "The boy with _____ is walking." "The girl is wearing shorts," etc.

Our class used the New Oxford Picture Dictionary pg.90-91 (and sometimes pg.96-97 for verb names.)  

Planning & Problem-solving 

When to teach this lesson (based on recently taught lessons):  

Students should be familiar with pronouns & present tense ‘to be’, including contracted forms. They also need basic classroom vocabulary and commands including listen, talk, read, write, open, close, pick up, stand up, sit down.  Students should be from cultures that allow group competitions (or see problem 3.)

Anticipated problems & solutions:  

Problem 1:   Students still have very limited vocabulary.

Solution: pre-teach needed vocabulary (before reading). Provide a picture dictionary with more vocabulary for the final competition. 

(If picture dictionaries are unavailable, pre-teach the verbs & other words in the picture for the competition. Try to choose a picture with limited new vocabulary besides what was in the reading.)

Problem 2: There is not a lot of time in this lesson to teach the spelling rules for forming the present continuous tense. However, it would reinforce students’ learning to think of and write sentences using the tense. 

Solution: assure students it’s OK to concentrate on good sentences and not worry about spelling for now.  Note that they will get the spelling rules soon. (Englishclub.com has a good worksheet for the spelling rules. You might need to help some beginners with parts of it. Look it over, considering how much your students understand.) 

Alternative solutions: 1. write the verbs they are likely to need on the board. 

2. If the class has students who fret if they can’t do everything accurately, pre-teach the competition picture vocabulary. For example, the picture dictionary gives verbs only in the base form on pages 96-97. You might teach the gerund forms: running, riding a bicycle, surfing, throwing, etc.

3. If students ask about the spelling changes, mention that sometimes there’s a minor spelling change. Dropping a final ‘e’ before adding ‘-ing' is a simple & reliable rule.

Problem 3: Some students do not like competition, due to either personality or culture. 

Solution:  Convert the evaluation activity from a competition to a whole-class collaboration. See the end of the lesson.

Introducing the Present Continuous Tense

Introduction (5 min.)                                               

Tell your students “Stand up.” Say & write on the board “You are standing.” Repeat with several other known commands to the class or various individuals. In each case, ask what he, she, or they are doing. Write it on the board: “You’re sitting,” he’s reading,” “she is writing,” “I’m talking,” etc.

Announce “Today we will practice the present continuous tense.”  

Presentation (10-15 min.) 

Point out the rule: We form the present continuous tense with the verb “to be” and an active verb with an “-ing” ending. (Write on the board: “Present continuous tense: be + ing.”) The present continuous tense tells what is happening right now. Show sentences from the Introduction as examples.  

Ask comprehension questions: What am I doing? (Write the correct answers students give on the board.)  What is ____ doing? (a student who is taking notes.)  Is this in the present continuous tense? (Write a gerund on the board by itself.)  (No) That’s right. Is this better? (Add “he is.”)  

Have students open Side by Side 1 to pg. 17, or pass out similar picture sheets. (You could also hold up big pictures, or draw on the board and mime the actions.) Pre-teach any new vocabulary for the pictures you will use later.

Ask comprehension questions (“In picture 2, is she sleeping?” [No] “What IS she doing?” etc.)

Practice and Evaluation

Guided Practice 1 (5 min.) 

Demonstrate by miming an activity and asking,  “What am I doing?” Then have students mime various activities to their partners and ask that. (During the demo, write it on the board). The partners guess, then take their turns at miming.

Practice 2 (15-25 min.)  

Students hear, read, and tell or read aloud one or two simple stories to become more familiar with the present continuous tense.

1. Have students open Side by Side 1 to pg.22 or pass out the picture story/stories you will use.  Elicit the location of each story from students. Then ask comprehension questions to make sure they understand ‘in the park,’ ‘at home,’ ‘at the beach,' etc. 

2. Read the (first) story out loud while students read along.  Ask what various people in the story are doing.

3. Students in pairs read the story to each other.

4. Ask for a volunteer to model telling the story (by describing the picture) without reading it.  

5. Partners take turns telling the story to each other (with the speaker covering the text.)  

When you give instructions, point out that the student does not need to tell the story exactly as written. What's important is to use the correct verbs to describe the actions.   

Ask: if your partner says “the boy is playing the guitar,” is that OK? [yes.]  If your partner says “the girls studying,” is that right? [no.]  What’s the right way to say it? [“The girls ARE studying” or “Sally & Patty ARE studying.”]  Partner should correct if the tense isn’t formed correctly— as in the reading. 

6. If using pg. 22, repeat steps 1-5 with the 2nd story.

Practice 3 (15-20 min.)

Have student pairs write a short story about activities in a different picture. (They could tell about the  Side by Side 1 pg.23 picture “At the beach” or a similar picture. They'll use the pre-taught vocabulary.)  Circulate to help and to check tense use.

Evaluation (25 min.)  Group Competition:

Student groups write present continuous tense sentences about a picture with lots of activity.

1. Divide students into groups of 3 or 4. (Try to make groups as evenly matched as possible, with more and less proficient students in each.)  

2. Have students open their texts or picture dictionaries to a picture with a lot of activities. For example, in the New Oxford Picture Dictionary try pgs. 90-91 to describe actions at the beach. As an alternative, pass out copies of an appropriate picture to each group. 

You can also suggest they can refer to pg. 96-97 for more action verbs they can use with ‘’to be’ by adding ‘ing’ to the end of the verb.  

3. Demonstrate what student groups should do: Write a sentence describing one of the activities in the picture on the board. (If they copy this they will all have at least one sentence!)

Then each group makes a list of sentences describing what people are doing in the picture. (During demo point out that students should take turns making up the sentences, but one may write them all if the group prefers.) The group with the most correct present continuous tense sentences “wins.”

Circulate to observe, then call ‘time’ and collect and check the sentences.  All sentences count if they have the correct present continuous form. Note spelling and other errors for later but for now only announce the winning group.  

If competition is a problem for your students , have each group make as many sentences as they can. Then compile them into a class list, with groups taking turns adding new statements to the list.

___________________________

If your students enjoy working in groups, check out the Clothing Vocabulary lesson below. It’s also a lot of fun, and may work even better if competition is a problem where you teach.

Related Pages to Check:

Adult students really enjoy this lesson on clothing vocabulary , preparing, then taking turns ‘shopping’ at their classmates’ stores.

Games are so useful in ESL classes! Get free printable puzzles, vocabulary matching games, and inexpensive packets of games to practice irregular verbs.

Pdfs with grammar games &  exercises for verb tenses (especially irregular past tense verbs), practice with sentence structure, etc.

Home >  ESL Lesson Plans > Introducing the Present Continuous Tense.

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Present Progressive Tense in English Grammar

When to use the english present progressive tense, how to conjugate the english present progressive tense, contractions.

• Lingolia Plus English

What is the English Present Progressive Tense?

The present progressive , also known as the present continuous tense, is formed with the verb be and the present participle or -ing form of the main verb. We use this tense to talk about actions that are in progress at the time of speaking and temporary actions. We can also use the present progressive to talk about future arrangements and plans.

Learn how to conjugate verbs in the present progressive tense and get tips on its usage with Lingolia’s English grammar lesson. Then test your grammar skills in the exercises.

James is travelling around Australia. He is staying at a youth hostel in a little Australian town. The town is becoming more and more popular because of its beautiful beaches.

James is meeting his friend Brad in town tonight. Brad is working there as a tour guide over the summer.

James is in the town centre now. Look! James is taking a picture of another tourist.

We use the present progressive tense to describe:

• actions that are taking place at the present moment, i.e. now Example: Look! James is taking a picture of another tourist.
• predetermined plans or appointments that have been made for the near future Example: He is meeting his friend Brad tonight.
• actions that are only happening temporarily Example: James is travelling around Australia. Brad is working there as a tour guide over the summer.
• actions that are currently happening, but not at the moment of speaking Example: He is staying at a youth hostel.
• situations that are changing Example: The town is becoming more and more popular because of its beautiful beaches.

There are four present tenses in English grammar. Besides the present progressive, there is the simple present , the present perfect and the present perfect progressive .

Learn about the differences between English present tenses on Lingolia’s English Tense Comparison page:

• Tense comparison simple present – present progressive
• Tense comparison simple present – present perfect progressive
• Tense Comparison present perfect – present perfect progressive

Learn more about the progressive aspect and other progressive tenses on Lingolia’s tenses timeline .

Signal Words: English Present Progressive Tense

Signal words can help us decide which tense to use. The signal words for the present progressive are:

• at the moment
• now, just now, right now

To conjugate verbs in the present progressive we use the conjugated form of the auxiliary verb be. Be is irregular (see the table below). The main verb is conjugated in the -ing form or present participle , it is the same for all people. The table provides and overview of the conjugation of verbs in positive, negative and interrogative sentences in the present progressive tense.

Present Participle – Spelling Rules

Generally, the present participle is formed by adding -ing to the base infinitive form of a verb. However, there are a few exceptions:

• An -e at the end of the word is removed, but - ee, -oe and -ye remain unchanged. Example: com e – coming (but: agr ee - agr ee ing)
• The final consonant is doubled in words that have a short stressed vowel before the final consonant. However, -w, -x and -y are not doubled Example: sit – si tt ing (but: fi x –fi x ing)
• An -l as the final consonant after a vowel is always doubled in British English but not in American English. Example: trav el – trave lli ng (British), trave l ing (American)
• An -ie at the end of the word is replaced by a -y . Example: l ie – l y ing

Contractions are a combination of certain pronouns , verbs and the word not . They are mostly used in spoken and informal written English. The table below provides an overview of contractions in the present progressive using the verb be .

Contractions in written English

In written English, the contracted form of are can only be used after pronouns and not after nouns or names.

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Present Continuous Tense

Jan 04, 2020

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Present Continuous Tense. Preparation. Present Continuous Tense We use the present continuous tense to talk about things that are happening around the time we are doing, thinking or talking about them.

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Presentation Transcript

Preparation Present Continuous Tense We use the present continuous tense to talk about things that are happening around the time we are doing, thinking or talking about them.

We form the present continuous tense with the present tense of be and a verb ending in ing.

The table shows how we form the –ing form of a verb. + ing walk Most verbs walking Verbs ending in e -e +ing come coming Verbs ending in ie lying -ie + y + ing lie Short verbs ending in a vowel + a consonant Double the consonant + ing run running

Look at the picture and the words on the following page and say what the people in the picture are doing.

What is Albert doing? He is eating. What is Carol doing ? She is cooking.

What are Stephanie and Joey doing ? They are building sand castles.

What are Peter, Tony and Michael doing ? They are playing football.

What are Sam and Nancy doing ? They are swimming.

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Understanding the present continuous tense

Hailer Padilla MontesFelipe Perez Perez Dina Rivera Mancilla

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Overview of present continuous tense.

• Using the present continuous tense for actions that are not happening at the moment of speaking.
• Forgetting to use the present participle form (-ing) of the main verb.
• Using the present continuous tense for actions that are habitual or permanent.

*The present continuous tense is used to describe an action that is happening now or at the moment of speaking. *It can also be used to describe an action that is happening around the present moment, but not necessarily at the exact moment of speaking. *The present continuous tense is formed by using the verb 'to be' followed by the present participle (-ing) form of the main verb. *Examples: 'I am currently studying for my exams.' 'She is watching TV right now.'

Forming the Present Continuous Tense

*I am currently studying for my exams. *She is working on a new project at her job. *They are playing soccer in the park right now. *He is always talking about traveling the world. *We are currently living in New York City.

Examples of Present Continuous Tense

*Talking about current activities: "I am currently studying for my exams." *Describing temporary situations: "He is staying with us until he finds a new apartment." *lking about future plans: "We are going on vacation next week." *Describing ongoing changes: "The weather is getting colder and the leaves are falling."

Using Present Continuous Tense in Everyday Life

*Using the present continuous tense for actions that are not currently happening.*Forgetting to include the auxiliary verb 'be'*Confusing the present continuous tense with the simple present tense.*Using the present continuous tense for future actions