Present continuous tense which is used to talk about actions or activities that are happening right now. It tells us what’s going on now. You can use it when you’re talking about something that’s happening at this moment or something that’s planned to take place soon. To make this tense, you just add -ing to the verb, and you might also need to add a form of TO BE Like AM, IS, or ARE. So, it is quite easy to understand and helps describe things that are happening when we are speaking.
Present Continuous Tense Formation and Examples
What is Present Continuous Tense?
The Present Continuous Tense is a verb form that is used to talk about an ongoing action or state that is happening at the moment of speaking. We can use this tense when we want to describe activities and actions that are continued at the time of speaking. This tense is formed by using the present tense form of the verb to be (am, is, are) followed by the present participle (-ing form) of the main verb.
For Example:
- I am writing an email.
- She is reading a book.
- They are playing soccer.
The Present Continuous Tense can also be used to describe plans or actions that have been already planned or arranged:
- We are meeting our friends tonight.
- He is flying to Paris tomorrow morning.
Structure:
The structure of the Present Continuous Tense is:
Subject+ am/is/are+ present participle (-ing form of the verb)
- Subject:
This is the person or thing that is performing the action and described by the verb. The subject can be a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase. - am/is/are:
These three forms come from ‘to be’ that indicate the tense. AM is used with the first person singular (I), IS is used with the third person singular (he, she, it), and ARE is used with the second person singular and all plural subjects (you, we, they). - present participle (-ing form of the verb):
This is the –ing form of the main verb, which describes the ongoing action. Remember it is always added at the end of a verb to show that any action is happening or continuing.
Below are some examples to make your understanding more effective:
- I am writing a letter to my friend.
- She is reading a very sad story.
- They are playing cricket in the street.
- We are going to invite our friends.
- He is speaking English in the meeting.
How Present Continuous Tense is Formed?
To form the Present Continuous Tense, we need to follow the below mentioned particular structure.
(Subject+ am/is/are +present participle (-ing form of the verb)
Here’s how you conjugate the verb TO BE (am/is/are) based on the subject:
| Subject | HV |
| I | am |
| He, She, It | is |
| We, You, They | are |
Then, add the present participle (-ing form) of the main verb.
Here are examples:
Present Continuous Positives:
if we want to make positive sentences we simply need to use the first form of a verb + ing, to show that an action is happening at the time of speaking.
- I am walking.
- You are reading.
- He is eating.
- She is sleeping.
- It is raining.
- We are studying.
- They are talking.
Present Continuous Negatives:
Making Negative sentences is quite simple. We just need to add NOT after the helping verb
( IS, AM ARE).
- I am not walking.
- You are not reading.
- He is not eating.
- She is not sleeping.
- It is not raining.
- We are not studying.
- They are not talking.
Present Continuous Questions:
We can make interrogative sentences by putting the helping verb (IS, AM, ARE) at the beginning of a sentence.
- Am I walking?
- Are you reading?
- Is she sleeping?
- Is it raining?
- Are we studying?
- Are you playing?
- Are they talking?
Present Continuous Tense Rules:
| Subject | Verb | Object |
| I | am writing | a letter |
| You | are reading | a book |
| He | is cooking | dinner |
| She | is singing | a song |
| It | is raining | outside |
| We | are studying | for our exams |
| You | are playing | soccer |
| They | are watching | a movie |
| The dog | is barking | loudly |
| The children | are laughing | in the playground |
| The teacher | is explaining | a lesson |
| My parents | are traveling | abroad |
| The company | is launching | a new product |
| The sun | is shining | brightly |
| I | am learning | to play the guitar |
| You | are wearing | a blue shirt today |
| She | is speaking | on the phone |
| The cat | is sleeping | on the couch |
| We | are having | dinner at a restaurant tonight |
| The birds | are chirping | in the trees |
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