The present continuous, or present progressive tense in English language is used to talk about actions that are currently in progress or plans about the future.
Conjugation
Rule 1: We form the present continuous with the auxiliary verb be and the present participle or -ing form of the main verb.
As the verb be is irregular, here is a table of conjugation of verbs in positive, negative and interrogative sentences in the present continuous tense.
| Person | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | I am singing. | I am not singing. | Am I singing? |
| he, she, it | He is singing. | She is not singing. | Is it singing? |
| you, we, they | You are singing. | We are not singing. | Are they singing? |
Note: We can also use contractions using the verb be in spoken and informal English. Here are the contractions for the present continuous tense:
| Long Form | Short Form in Use |
|---|---|
| am (not) | I'm (not) |
| are / are not | you're / we're not, we aren't |
| is / is not | he's / she's not, she isn't |
Usage
Rule 2: We use the present continuous tense to describe actions that are taking place at the time of speaking, i.e. now.
Rule 3: We use the present continuous tense to describe plans or arrangements that have been made for the near future.
Rule 4: We use the present continuous tense to describe actions that are only temporarily.
Rule 5: We use the present continuous tense to describe actions that are currently happening, but not exactly at the moment of speaking.
Rule 6: We use the present continuous tense to describe situations that are changing.
Quiz
1/4Complete the sentence. He ___ to a song.