Present Progressive (Continuous) Tense

  1. The affirmative present continuous tense
  2. The negative present continuous tense
  3. The interrogative present continuous tense
  4. When to use the present continuous tense

 

The affirmative present continuous tense:

The present continuous tense is conjugated according to the pronoun as follows:

1. I + am +the infinitive+ (-ing)

For example: I am going to the cinema.

2. He, she, it + is +the infinitive+ (-ing)

For example: he is going to the cinema.

3. We, you, they + are +the infinitive+ (-ing)

For example: they are going to the cinema.

 

The negative present continuous tense:

As in the previous section, the negative is also divided into three cases according to the pronoun as follows:

1. I + am + not + the infinitive+ (-ing)

For example: I am not going to the cinema.

2. He, she, it + is + not +the infinitive+ (-ing)

For example: he is  not going to the cinema.

3. we, you, they + are + not +the infinitive+ (-ing)

For example: they are  not going to the cinema.

 

The interrogative present continuous tense:

How to make questions using the present continuous tense:

Am/is/are + the subject (noun/ pronoun) + the infinitive+ (-ing)…?

For example:

1. I am watching TV now.

The question: Am I watching TV now?

The answer: Yes, I am. Or: No, I am not.

2. The football players are playing at the moment?

The question: Are they playing at the moment?

The answer: Yes, they are. Or: No, they are not.

3. My mother is cleaning the house now.

The question: Is your mother cleaning the house now?

The answer: Yes, she is. Or: No, she is not.

Note: questions made with question words (how, when, where, why, etc,) are constructed as follows:

Question word + am/ is/ are + the subject (noun/ pronoun) + the infinitive+ (-ing)…?

For example:

My mother is cleaning the house tomorrow.

The question: When is your mother cleaning the house?

The answer: She is cleaning the house tomorrow.

 

When to use the present continuous tense?

How do you know it is a present continuous tense?

1. To express actions that are happening now (while speaking) and in this pattern, there are words that indicate easily to the tense such as:

Now, at the moment, in the present time, Look, listen, Be quiet, watch out, look out.

For example:

listen! Dad is calling for you.

You cannot meet my father now. He is sleeping.

2. To express actions in the present time.

For example:

My brother is studying law at university.

3. To express future actions that are planned and arranged.

For example:

We are having a party next week. Everything has been planned.

 

Note:

There are verbs that are not used with the present continuous tense. They are the feelings, senses, realizing and possessing verbs such as:

Like, dislike, love, hate, see, know, hear, understand, taste, prefer, suppose, imagine, own, possess, be, hope, want, etc.

However, if they are used with the present continuous tense, they express another meaning than their original meaning.

For example: Rose is seeing her grandpa today. In this sentence, (seeing) means visiting.

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