O Present Continuous or Present Progressive (in Portuguese, present continuous or progressive) is a tense used to indicate actions that are currently in progress.; at the time of speech.
It is used to talk about temporary situations, ongoing actions that are taking place.
as the sentences with Present Continuous refer situations that occur at the time of speech, it is common to observe the use of adverbs of time in the sentences.
Some commonly used tense adverbs are now (now), at the moment (at the moment) and at present (in the present; at the moment).
Examples:
- She is talking to her mom now. (She is talking to her mother now.);
- Are they studying at the moment? (Are they studying at the moment?);
- She is American, but she's living in Canada at present. (She is American but she is currently living in Canada.)
In Portuguese, the Present Continuous Tense (Continuous Present Indicative Mode) corresponds to our gerund and to endings: -walk (walking, taking, finding); -endo (eating, burning, doing); and -going (managing, falling, smiling).
Formation of the Present Continuous
O Present Continuous it's composed by a main verb and an auxiliary verb.
The verb is used to be at the Simple Present (simple present) as an auxiliary and to the main verb, the ending -ing.
That is, in the phrasal construction, this verb tense follows the following pattern of formation:
Subject + verb tthe baby + verb with -ing + complement
Example:
she is watching TV. (She's watching TV.)
Negative form
In the negative form, add the not after the verb to be, that is, the construction of negative sentences is done as follows:
Subject + verb to be + not + verb with -ing + complement
Example:
she is not watching TV. (She is not watching TV.)
Interrogative form
In interrogative form, the auxiliary verb to be appears at the beginning of the sentence. The structure pattern of interrogative sentences is as follows:
Verb to be + subject + verb with -ing + complement
Example:
Is she watching TV? (She's watching TV?)
Examples (Examples)
- Affirmative form (affirmative form): theyare studying for the test. (They are studying for the test.)
- Negative form (negative form): They are not studying for the test. (They are not studying for the test.)
- Interrogative form (interrogative form): Are they studying for the test? (Are they studying for the test?)
Attention! (Pay Attention!)
In the affirmative phrases, we can use the contracted forms of the verb to be:
I am – Im
you are – you’re
he is – he's
she she is – she's
it is – it's
you are – you’re
we are – we’re
they are – they’re
In the negative sentences, we can use the contracted forms of the verb to be + not, but that doesn't happen with the am (first person singular):
I am not
you are not – You aren't
she is not – she isn’t
he is not – he isnt
It is not – It isn’t
we are not – we aren't
you are not – You aren't
they are not – they aren't
NOTE: in more formal texts, whether academic or scientific, the contracted forms are not used.
rules of Present Continuous
Check below some rules for using the Present Continuous:
1. When the main verb ends in –and and it is preceded by a consonant, the vowel is removed and the -ing.
Examples:
- to dance (to dance) - dancing
- to take (take, take) - taking
- to make (to do) - making
- I'm eating (come, arrive) - coming
Exception: verb to be - being
Attention! (Pay Attention!)
It is not very common to use state verbs, such as verbs agree (to agree), need (to need), believe (believe), know (to know), like (like), etc. at the Present Continuous.
2. When the verb ends with –ie, this ending is replaced by –y and add -ing.
Examples:
- die (die) - dying
- Lie (to lie) - lying
3. When the verb is monosyllable or disyllable and follows the pattern of consonant+vowel+consonant (CVC), the last consonant is doubled.
Examples:
- to swim (swim) - swimming
- to travel (travel) - crossbarlling
- to cut (cut) - asstting
- to run (run) - running
- to sit (to sit) - yestting
Exception 1: when the last consonant is w or x, it is not bent.
Examples:
- to snow (to snow) - snowing
- to fix (to repair) - fixing
Exception 2: if the stressed syllable is the first, the final letter is not doubled. Add only the –ing.
Examples:
- open (Open) - opening
- happen (to happen) - happening
Present Simple x Present Continuous
Check out some differences between the Simple Present it's the Present Continuous.
Simple Present
O Simple Present, also called Present Simple, describes a usual action and current occurred in the present.
The phrases negative and interrogatives are built with auxiliary verbs of and does.
| Affirmative form | negative form | interrogative form |
|---|---|---|
| i love | I do not love | Do I love? |
| you love | you do not love | Do you love? |
| He/she/it loves | He/she/it does not love | Does he/she/it love? |
| we love | we do not love | Do we love? |
| you love | you do not love | Do you love? |
| they love | they do not love | Do they love? |
in sentences affirmatives, these helpers are only used for short answers.
Example:
"Do you have a brother?" "Yes, I of."
Present Continuous
describes a action that is taking place in the present, that is, at the moment of speaking. It is formed with the auxiliary verb to be and a main verb.
| Affirmative Form | Negative Form | Interrogative Form |
|---|---|---|
| i am loving | I am not loving | Am I loving? |
| you are loving | you are not loving | Are you loving? |
| He/she/it is loving | He/she/it is not loving | Is he/she/it loving? |
| we are loving | we are not loving | Are we loving? |
| you are loving | you are not loving | Are you loving? |
| they are loving | they are not loving | Are they loving? |
Learn more about English verbs:
- Verbal Tenses in English
- Regular and Irregular English Verbs (Exercises)
- Modal Verbs
- Simple Past
- Past Continuous
- Simple Future
- Present Perfect Continuous
- Simple Past: exercises with commented feedback (easy level)
Video (Video)
Watch the video below with a summary about the Present Continuous.
Be sure to check the articles that the All Matter prepared to help you rock your English studies.
- Past Continuous exercises with commented feedback
- how to learn english alone
- Passive voice (exercises with commented feedback)
- object pronouns
- Present Perfect (exercises with commented feedback)
- Countable and Uncountable Nouns
- The 10 most used conjunctions in English
Exercises (Exercises)
1. Which alternative is incorrect?
a) I am being evil with my son.
b) Do I being evil with your son?
c) Am I being evil with my son?
d) I am not being evil with my son.
Alternative b: Do I being evil with your son?
The verb "do" is auxiliary to Simple Present and not Present Continuous.
2. Write the following sentence in negative and interrogative forms: I am making my own meal.
Negative Form: I am not doing my own meal.
Interrogative Form: Am I doing my own meal?
3. conjugate the verb to die (die) in the Simple Present and in the Present Continuous:
Simple Present
I die
you die
He/she/it dies
we die
you die
they die
Present Continuous
i am dying
you are dying
He/she/it is dying
we are dying
you are dying
they are dying
For more exercises on the Present Continuous, See too: Present Continuous Exercises
