Present continuous

When we speak about something that is happening now, at the moment of speaking, we use the present continuous tense. It is sometimes called the present progressive.

For example

It's raining. = there is rain now

I'm having a shower. = I'm in the shower at the moment

How to form present continuous

We form the present continuous with the auxiliary verb to be in the present (am/is/are) and the main verb + -ing. ending

am/is/are + infinitive + -ing
I	am	doing starting reading
he she it	is
we you they	are

Examples

I am eating.

You are watching.

He is speaking.

She is explaining.

We are taking photos.

They are laughing.

We add not to am/is/are to make a negative sentence. And we put am/is/are before the subject to make a question. Let's take the verb "sing" as an example and make 3 types of sentences with I, you, he/she/it, we, they.

Positive	Negative	Question
I am singing	I am not singing	Am I singing?
You are singing	You are not singing	Are you singing?
He/she/it is singing	He/she/it is not singing	Is he/she/it singing?
We are singing	We are not singing	Are we singing?
They are singing	They are not singing	Are they singing?

We normally use the contracted form of am/is/are with pronouns. It helps speak faster: I'm cooking, you're shaving, he's listening, we're going, they're discussing.

The same is true for the negative form: I'm not going, you aren't helping, she isn't listening, we aren't arguing, they aren't growing.

If there must be a question word (why, what, how, where), it will start the interrogative sentence.

What are you singing?

Why is he leaving?

Short answers to questions in present continuous

We can avoid repeating the whole sentence when we answer a yes/no question.

Examples

Am I working hard now? Yes, I am.

Are you going home? Yes, you are.

Is he leaving? No, he isn't.

Is she wearing a hat? Yes, she is.

Is it snowing outside? No, it isn't.

Are we having fun? Yes, we are.

Are they having lunch? No, they aren't.

Mind that we don't use the contracted form in yes-answers: Yes, I am. Yes, you are. Yes, he is. But we usually use the short negative form in no-answers: No, I'm not. No, you aren't. No, he isn't.

Yes,	I	am.	No,	I'm not.	или	No,	he isn't. she isn't. it isn't.
	he she it	is.		he's not. she's not. it's not.
	we you they	are.		we're not. you're not. they're not.			we aren't. you aren't. they aren't.

Verb + -ing spelling rules

If the verb has one syllable and ends in a vowel + a consonant, then the last consonant doubles when we add -ing. Otherwise, the pronunciation will change.
swim → swimming
run → running
If the verb ends in a vowel + a consonant but has more than one syllable, then look which syllable is stressed. If it is the final syllable, we must double the consonant.
prefer → preferring
begin → beginning
If the verb ends in -l, then -l doubles. It does not matter which syllable is stressed.
travel → travelling
cancel → cancelling
If the verb ends in -e, we drop "e" when we add -ing.
come → coming
take → taking
If the verb ends in -ie, the letters "ie" change to "-ying" when we add -ing.
lie → lying
die → dying

How to use present continuous

We use the present continuous tense when:

the action is happening right now, at the present moment

You are reading this text.

What is he pointing at?

I'm not using the tablet, you can take it.

we mean a temporary situation or a tendency

Is Alice still working as a stewardess?

I'm trying to lose weight, so I'm not eating after 6 o'clock.

More and more people are giving up smoking.

speaking of plans, scheduled events

Are you coming to our party tomorrow?

Don't forget, we are meeting Mr Murray at 4 p.m.

with always, constantly to say that something happens too often and it's annoying

Why are you always wearing this ugly sweater?

He's always leaving things behind in taxis.

Pay attention

We don't use the present continuous with stative verbs. It is a special group of verbs that describe emotions (adore, care, hate, like, love etc.), intellectual processes (believe, think, know, remember, understand), possession (have, possess, belong). Even if we are talking about something happening now, we should put such verbs into the present simple, not continuous.

I'm going to the grocery store. Do you need anything?

Turn the music down. I don't understand what you are saying.

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