What is the Present Continuous Tense?
The Present Continuous Tense (also called Present Progressive) is used to describe:
- An action happening now or around now (at the moment of speaking)
- A temporary action
- A planned future arrangement
Formation
Affirmative Form
Subject + am/is/are + Verb-ing
| Subject | Verb “to be” | Verb + ing | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | am | playing | I am playing football. |
| He / She / It | is | reading | She is reading a book. |
| You / We / They | are | studying | They are studying English. |
Negative Form
Subject + am/is/are + not + Verb-ing
- I am not sleeping.
- He is not (isn’t) working.
- They are not (aren’t) coming.
Interrogative Form
Am/Is/Are + Subject + Verb-ing?
- Am I talking too fast?
- Is she watching TV?
- Are you listening to me?
Spelling Rules for Adding -ing
| Rule | Verb | Verb + ing |
|---|---|---|
| Most verbs: add -ing | play, read, eat | playing, reading, eating |
| Verbs ending in -e: remove -e then add -ing | write, make, come | writing, making, coming |
| Short verbs (CVC): double last letter + -ing | run, swim, sit | running, swimming, sitting |
| Verbs ending in -ie: change -ie to -y + -ing | die, lie, tie | dying, lying, tying |
Examples
Affirmative:
- I am writing an email right now.
- The baby is crying because he is hungry.
- We are preparing for the exam.
Negative:
- It is not raining anymore.
- I am not feeling well today.
- They are not playing in the garden.
Questions:
- What are you doing?
- Is your brother sleeping?
- Are they coming to the party?
Practice Exercises
- Complete with the Present Continuous:
- She __________ (read) a newspaper.
- They __________ (not/swim) in the pool.
- __________ you __________ (listen) to music?
- I __________ (study) for the test.
- Put the words in order:
- playing / the children / are / in the park
- not / he / is / his homework / doing
- Correct the mistakes:
- She are eating lunch.
- I is going to school.
- They not watching TV.
Summary
The Present Continuous Tense is used for actions happening now. Form: am/is/are + verb-ing. For negative, add not. For questions, invert the subject and the verb “to be”. Pay attention to the spelling rules when adding -ing.
مدونة التربية و التعليم في الجزائر – دروس، فروض، نتائج امتحانات مدونة التربية والتعليم في الجزائر | تحضير الدروس، فروض واختبارات، نتائج البكالوريا وBEM، مسابقات التوظيف، والتوجيه المدرسي للطلاب وأولياء الأمور.