Continuous present continuous tense. Present Continuous. Example sentences with translation. Present Continuous in the affirmative form: I am talking

Present Continuous - the present continuous tense of the English language, means
action taking place at the present moment; an action that is a continuous process taking place at the moment of speech; future planned action. When we talk about such an event, we usually use the words now(Now), at the moment(At the moment), currently, presently(currently), etc. The action is incomplete.

Affirmative form

Affirmative form present tense is formed from the auxiliary verb " to be" in the corresponding person of the present tense ( am, is, are) and the semantic verb in the ing form ( V-ing), which follow the subject.

I am watching TV now -
I'm watching TV now

I am(=I"m) eat ing. -
I eat.

She is reading at the moment -
She is reading at the moment

Not reading a book. -
He is reading a book (now).

We are working now -
We are working now.

We/you/they are(=we"re/you"re/they"re) sing ing. -
We/you/they sing.

The water is boiling. Can you turn it off? -
The water is boiling at the moment. Turn it off.

Currently I am working on a very exciting project. -
Currently I'm working on a very interesting project.

We can't come right now because we are watching TV. -
We can't come right now because we watch TV.

Interrogative form

To ask a question in the present continuous tense, you need to use a verb "to be" before subject, a semantic verb in the form " -ing" should after the subject.

Am I reading now? -
I am reading now?

Is he reading a new book? -
Is he reading a new book?

Are we waiting for a bus? -
Are we waiting for the bus?

Are we playing basketball? -
Are we playing basketball now?

Are children enjoying the party? -
Do the children enjoy the holiday?

Is she speaking to her mother? -
Is she talking to her mother?

Is Mary sleeping?
Yes, she is. (She's sleeppin.)
No, she is not. (No, she is not sleeping)
No, she"s not. (She"s not sleeping)
No, she isn't (She isn't sleeping)

Special questions in the Present Continuous

Where is Mary sleeping?
On the sofa. (She's sleeping on the sofa)

Why are you watching TV?
Because I like this program. (I"m watching TV because I like this program)

Negative form

The negative form is formed by posing the negation " not" after the auxiliary verb.

They are not playing football now.
They don't play football now.

They are very busy.
They are very busy.

Compare with the present indefinite:

They don't play football at all. - They don't play football at all.

Interrogative-negative form

In interrogative-negative form the particle not is placed immediately after the subject or before the subject, forming a shortened form of the auxiliary verb and particle:

Am I not working?
Is he not working? (Isn't he working?)
Are we not working? (Aren't we working?)

+ She is standing.
- She is not standing.
? Is she standing?
Yes, she is. No, she is not. (No, she isn't.)

Present Continuous to express actions taking place at the moment of speech

- What are you writing? - I am writing a letter to a friend of mine.
- What are you (now) writing? - I am writing (now) a letter to my friend.

They are not working. They are on their holidays. - They don't work (now). They are on vacation.

If at the moment the fact of the action itself is more important for the speaker than the process, then Present Indefinite is used rather than Present Continuous:

Why don't you answer? - Why don’t you answer?

Stop talking! Why don't you listen? - Stop talking! Why aren't you listening?

If at the moment of speech two simultaneous processes occur, then all three options for transmitting these actions are possible: both in Indefinite, one in Indefinite - the other in Continuous, both in Continuous:

Do you hear what he says? = Do you hear what he’s saying? = Are you listening to what he’s saying?
Do you hear (listen) what he says

Present Continuous tense markers

English verbs in the Present Continuous used c
temporary markers:
still- still,
now- Now,
at present- currently,
at the moment- At the moment,
meanwhile- Meanwhile,
while- Bye

Moreover, the presence of words denoting the moment of speech: now, at this moment, etc. is possible, but not at all necessary.

I am sitting at my table and writing. -
I'm sitting at the table and writing. (Now)

The bus is coming. -
The bus is coming.

It is raining. -
It's raining. (At the moment)

Mary, what are you doing? -
Mary, what are you (now) doing?

You are not listening to me. -
You don't listen to me.

Verbs that are not used in the Continuous:

(verbs of feelings)verbs of senses:
feel - feel,
hear - to hear,
notice - to notice
see - to see,
smell - smell,
sound - to sound,
taste - try.

I hear a siren. Do you here it too

(verbs of need and need) needs and wants:
need - to need,
wish - to wish,
want - want.

I want an apple

(tastes and dislikes) likes and dislikes:
dislike - not to love,
hate - to hate,
like - like,
love - to love,
prefer - to prefer.

(knowledge) knowledge:
forget - to forget,
know - to know
realize - realize
understand - to understand.

The Present Continuous is formed using the verb to be and the -ing form of the verb

To express a long-term action taking place in the present period of time, although not necessarily at the moment of speech, for example:

I am learning to drive. -
I'm learning to drive a car. (currently)

He is studying at school. -
He goes to school. (currently)

My husband is working on an invention. -
My husband is (currently) working on an invention.

Not is writing a new play. -
He is writing a new play. (not right now, but at this point in life)

That firm is carrying on negotiations for the purchase of ore. -
This company is negotiating the purchase of ore.

to express future action

The Present Continuous is also used to express future action:

To express a planned future action (the actor expresses both the intention to perform the action and the confidence in its completion, since there is an agreement, plan, tickets, etc.), especially with verbs denoting movement or action. In this case, time adverbials are almost always used. This form is typical of the colloquial style, while Present Indefinite is typical of the formal style.

Such constructions often contain the words today, this week and even tomorrow

We are leaving tomorrow at 6.

I"m going to visit my aunt this evening -
I decided to go to my uncle this evening.

1) To express a planned future action (the actor expresses both the intention to perform the action and the confidence in its completion, since there is an agreement, plan, tickets, etc.), especially with verbs denoting movement or action. In this case, time adverbials are almost always used. This form is typical of the colloquial style, while Present Indefinite is typical of the formal style.

I'm leaving tomorrow. -
I leave tomorrow.

We're flying to Paris in the morning. -
We fly to Paris in the morning.

We are dining out on Saturday. -
We dine out on Saturday.

He is taking his examination on Friday. -
He is taking an exam on Friday.

2 To express a future action in adverbial subordinate clauses of condition and time introduced by conjunctions of condition (if if, in case in case, etc.) or time (before before, until (till) until... not, while in while, while, when when, etc.), for example:

If I am sleeping when he comes, wake me up, please. -
If I'm sleeping when he comes, please wake me up.

colloquial abbreviations:

Abbreviations used in colloquial speech:

I am= I"m
He (she, it) is = He"s (she"s, it"s)
We (you, they) are=we"re (you"re, they"re)
am not="m not
is not= isn"t="s not
are not=aren"t="re not

He's working.
He isn't working. = He's not working.
Aren't they working?

If we talk about the popularity of using tenses in English, the group Simple will undoubtedly take first place. However, this group alone will certainly not take you to London, and therefore it is necessary to expand the capabilities of the language. The second most popular group of times, the Continuous group, can perfectly help with this. Like all other groups, it contains past, present and future tenses. Today we will focus on the Present Continuous Tense (pronounced present continuous tense) or the present continuous tense, examining how this tense is formed.

Present Continuous Tense (also Present Progressive Tense) or present continuous tense is the tense of the English language, responsible for actions that occur in the present time at the time of conversation.

At the initial stage of language learning, this tense is often confused with the Present Simple. Yes, in both the first and second cases it concerns the present, but the difference between these times is colossal. To avoid getting into trouble with the use of these tenses, let's take a closer look at the Present Continuous tense in English.

The formation of the Present Continuous is based on the use of auxiliary and semantic verbs. The auxiliary verb is to be in the present tense. Depending on the person and number, this tense can have 3 forms:

Participle I or the present participle is used as a semantic verb. To form the present participle in the active voice, you do not need to separately remember the rules for regular and irregular verbs. It is enough just to take any verb in the infinitive form, remove the preposition to and add the ending –ing.

When adding an ending, it is worth considering certain nuances:

• If a word ends in –e, this letter is omitted:

A verb cannot be formed in this way if there are two –e in the word. In this case, the standard rule applies:

• If a word ends in –ie, this combination of letters is replaced with –y:

The exception is words ending in –x and –w, which are not doubled:

If a word ends with a consonant –r, that letter must be doubled unless there is a diphthong before it:

Doubling the consonant –l at the end is possible if the stress falls on the last syllable and the –l is preceded by a short vowel:

In British English, –l is doubled even if the stress is not on the last syllable.

Please note that words that end in –ing are not always present participles. Nouns and adjectives are often expressed using these words:

Present Continuous: sentence forms

Now let's look at how sentences are formed using auxiliary and semantic verbs:

Affirmative form of Present Continuous

The affirmative form of the Present Continuous contains direct word order. In such a sentence, after the subject there are auxiliary and semantic verbs. Affirmative sentence scheme:

The sentences above are used in the active voice, where the action is performed by the subject. However, sometimes situations arise in which it is necessary to show that the action is directed at the object/person itself. In such cases, the passive voice is used, for the formation of which it is necessary to use three verbs: the same auxiliary verb to be in the present tense, the verb to be in Participle I (being) and the past participle (or Participle II):

Everything is clear with the first two, but Past Participle has its own characteristics. It contains two forms of formation, the choice of which depends on the regularity or irregularity of English verbs. Thus, the past participle of regular verbs is formed by adding the ending –ed. Irregular verbs do not obey this rule: each of them has a singular form, so you just need to try to remember such verbs.

Such sentences often use the preposition by, which shows who did the action. Examples:

The rule also applies to sentences in the passive voice:

The auxiliary verb in the affirmative and negative forms is often shortened in speech and writing like the Present Simple tense:

Abbreviating am not in the negative form as amn’t is, as a rule, not accepted. This form of negation for the Present Continuous can be found in Scotland and Ireland.

Question form Present Continuous

The interrogative form in the Present Continuous tense is constructed based on the type of question:

• General and alternative questions bring the auxiliary verb forward before the subject:

This question is answered briefly using an auxiliary verb:

This question requires a complete answer:

When using two or more semantic verbs, the auxiliary verb is used once at the beginning.

• A special question for the Present Continuous must contain a question word that comes before the auxiliary verb.

A complete answer is also needed here:

A short answer is required here, similar to the answer to the general question:

These were all the rules for forming the Present Continuous, with the help of which you can easily compose a grammatically correct sentence.

Present Continuous: use

Present Continuous or present continuous tense is used constantly in speech. Let's consider all cases of using the Present Continuous.

1. The present continuous tense in English is used to indicate actions that are ongoing at the time of conversation. Often in this case, the indicator words now (now) and at the moment (at the moment) are used:

Don't confuse Present Simple and Continuous:

1. Present Continuous Tense is also used when talking about actions that are happening now, but not specifically at this moment.

1. The use of the Present Continuous is possible with the adverbs always / constantly (constantly), again and again (every now and then), all the time (all the time). Such sentences differ from sentences in the Present Simple in that they usually imply the speaker's irritation regarding some habit. As a Russian analogue, the adverbs here can mean “always doing something”:

1. The use of Present Continuous Tense is possible in cases where the speaker knows or assumes that the action will not last long. In such sentences there are words for / during (during), until / till (until / until).

The second part of the sentence in this construction is usually used in the Present Simple.

1. The Present Continuous is used when talking about planned actions in the future. In this case, preference for this time can be given only when the action is definitely decided to be carried out. Sentences may contain satellite words: tonight, today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, this (next) week / month / year (in this (next) week / month / year).

Translation of such constructions is usually carried out in the present tense, although, in essence, this does not change anything even in the Russian language: it is clear that the action is not being performed now.

1. The present continuous tense in English is also used to express actions that will happen in the near future, using verbs of motion. These include: go (go), come (come), leave (leave), move (move), take off (take off), land (land), return (return), move (move).

The translation is also in the present tense, although the future is implied.

1. Present Continuous or Progressive Tense is used when talking about actions that change gradually. Often for this case, words in English are used that imply this change: change (change), increase (increase), decrease (decrease), improve (improve), rise (rise), grow (grow), fall (fall), begin / start (begin), become / get (become):

1. Present Continuous is used when emphasis is placed on unusual behavior of a person that is not observed:

1. However, the above cases do not always apply. So, for example, exceptions to the rules in Present Continuous Tense are state verbs or state verbs, with which the Continuous tense cannot be used, since they themselves imply action. Such an action usually cannot be observed with the eyes. These include verbs responsible for:

• emotions (love - to love, hate - to hate, adore - to adore, respect - to respect);
• processes of mental activity (think - think, believe - believe, assume - believe);
• perception (feel – to feel, hear – to hear, see – to see, notice – to notice);
• ownership rights (have - to have, belong - to belong, possess - to have, own - to own);
• desires (wish - to dream, want - to want, desire - to desire);
• other (succeed - to succeed, need - to need, find - to seek, fail - to fail).

The Present Simple tense is used with these verbs.

However, there are certain situations where a stative verb can be used as a continuous verb. This is possible if:

• a word from the list of state verbs has another meaning:
• see (to see) can be used to mean “to meet” or “to examine”:

• appear (seem) meaning “to perform on stage”:

• have in stable expressions

1. The Present Continuous is also used to contrast something new with something old:

1. The Present Continuous is used in subordinate clauses to show that some actions continue during others. To do this, the Present Continuous is used in the subordinate clause, and the Present Simple is used in the main part. In such constructions the words when (when), if (if), in case (in case), as long as (yet), unless (not yet) are often found:

• In order to show one continuous action against the background of another, the conjunction while (while), expressing subordinate adverbs of time, can be used. Both parts use the Present Continuous tense:

Today we learned what the Present Continuous is and in what situations it is used. Present Continuous grammar is not very difficult, so you will quickly master this tense by practicing all the uses mentioned.

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Present Continuous is the present continuous tense in English, its main meaning is a continuous action taking place at the present moment.

Present Continuous – all the most important things

This image provides the most basic information about the Present Continuous. Read more below.

Present Continuous education scheme: rules and examples

Let's look at how the continuous present tense is formed in an affirmative, negative and interrogative sentence.

1. Present Continuous in the affirmative form: I am talking

In the affirmative form, the Present Continuous is formed using a verb and a verb with the ending – ing, in this case only the verb changes to be. Examples are given in the table:

Examples:

Are you talking to me? -Are you talking to me?

Is this device working properly? – Does this device work correctly?

Meaning of Present Continuous: When is the continuous simple tense used?

Present Continuous is used in the following cases.

• A long-term action occurs now, that is, at the moment of speech.

Example sentences:

I am going to a swimming pool. – I’m going to the pool (I’m going now).

I am working. – I am working (at the moment).

Compare how the meaning changes if the verb is in:

I go to a swimming pool. – I go to the pool (in general, regularly, but not at the moment).

I work. – I’m working (in general, not at the moment).

• A long-term action takes place in the present period of time.

That is, not in the literal sense now (that is, at this second), but in a broader sense, for example, during this day, this month.

I am reading the book “War and Peace” . – I am reading the book “War and Peace” (not at the moment, the book is in the process of reading).

He is writing a new song. – He is writing a new song (not right now, but in some real period of time).

• To express an action that will happen in the near future.

That is, to express the intention to perform this action or the confidence that it will certainly happen.

You are going with me - You are coming with me (meaning: you will come with me).

I am leaving the town in 24 hours – I’m leaving the city in 24 hours (I’ll leave).

• A repetitive action with a negative connotation.

This case is rarely mentioned in educational literature, but it should be mentioned because it is characteristic of colloquial speech. Present Continuous with words like always, constantly(meaning “constantly”, “all the time”) expresses some unpleasant, irritating action that occurs regularly.

He is constantly talking. I hate it. - He talks all the time. I hate it.

I don't like them because they are always complaining. – I don’t like them because they constantly complain.

In essence, the meaning is like y - a repeated regular action, but here we are talking about an annoying, unpleasant action.

Verbs that are not used in the Present Continuous

Some verbs expressing perception, feelings, emotional state are not used (as a rule) in Continuous tenses, because they cannot express a continuous action. These include verbs.

Present is translated as “present” and tells us that the action is being performed at the moment. Continuous is translated as “long/long” and indicates that the action began some time ago and is still ongoing.

Present Continuous is a long time. We use it when we want to say that something is in progress. For example, I am swimming, that is, I am in the process of swimming. Present Simple simply shows the fact of one or another action without a process. Let's look at examples.

1. Present Simple

I drive a car.
I drive a car.

2. Present Continuous

I am driving a car.
I'm driving.

In Russian, these two sentences are translated almost identically, n But in English they express completely different meanings:

1) the simple fact that I know how to drive a car: I have a license and I can drive it.

2) I'm driving: I've been driving a car for some time now and now I'm still driving the car, that is, I'm in the process of driving.

Now let's take a closer look at the exact cases in which we use Present Continuous.

Using Present Continuous Tense

The simple continuous tense is used in several cases.

1. When we talk about an action that is happening now (at the moment).

That is, the action began some time ago and is now still ongoing (in process).
Example: “She is dancing” - she is in the process of dancing; “Children play with toys” - they are in the process of playing.

2. An action that is currently being performed, but not necessarily at the moment.

By this we emphasize the process of its duration.
Example: “He is studying at the university” - he is in the process of studying; “She's working on a big project” - she's in the process of working on a project.

Affirmative sentences in Present Continuous Tense

An affirmative sentence is formed using the auxiliary verb to be in the present tense (am, are, is) and the ending -ing, which is added to the verb denoting action.

The one in question + am/are/is + verb + -ing.

For example

They are watch ing TV.
They are watching TV.

I am drink ing tea
I'm drinking tea.

He is smoke ing now.
He smokes now.

Rules for adding the ending -ing

There are several things to consider when adding -ing endings to verbs.

• If the verb ends in -e, then the letter e we remove and add to the verb -ing:

danc e- danc ing- dance;
mov e-mov ing-; move.

• If the verb is short, we double the last consonant:

si t-si ting- sit;
ba n-ba nning- forbid.

Exceptions: verbs ending in -x And - w:

mi x-mi xing- to mix;
flo w-flo wing- leak.

• If the verb ends in -ie, then we replace this ending with -y:

l ie-l ying- lie;
t ie-t ying- tie.

Words indicating time

The following words can help us determine that this is the Present Continuous:

• now - now;
• at the moment - at the moment.

Let's look at examples.

They are running now.
They are running now.

I am eating now.
I am eating now.

We are working at the moment.
We are working at the moment.

She is having a break at the moment.
She's on a break at the moment.

Verbs not used in Present Continuous Tense

Some English verbs are never used in this tense.

1. Verbs expressing feelings

The Present Continuous does not use verbs that are associated with the senses (sight, hearing, touch, etc.).

• hear - to hear,
• smell - smell,
• feel - feel, etc.

2. Verbs expressing mental state

• forget - forget,
• know - to know
• understand - to understand, etc.

3. Verbs expressing emotions and desires

• love - to love,
• want - want,
• like - like, etc.

4. Verbs expressing possession of something

• have - to have,
• possess - to possess, etc.

Why aren't these verbs used in the Present Continuous?

As we have already seen, this tense is used to emphasize that the action is in progress: we started doing it some time ago, we are doing it now, but after some time we will finish doing it.

To be used in our continuous tense, a verb must be able to last. For example: to cook - you started cooking, you are cooking now, after some time you will finish.

Returning to our exception verbs. We cannot start smelling (smelling) or hearing (hearing) and finish this process after some time. This is what we do all the time. We are talking about the fact that we can smell and hear. Likewise, forgetting, understanding, or emotions cannot be processes, because otherwise it turns out that these processes began once, are now continuing, and will end someday.

Negative form in Present Continuous Tense

Negation is constructed as an affirmative sentence, only the negative particle not is added to our verb to be.

The one in question + am/are/is + not + verb + -ing.

Examples

We are not do ing our homework now.
We don't do homework now.

She is not driv ing at the moment.
She is not driving at the moment.

I am not listen ing music now.
I don't listen to music now.

Question form in Present Continuous Tense

To ask if someone is doing something right now, we put the verb to be first.

Am/are/is + the one in question + verb + -ing?

Statement

I am read ing the book.
I am reading a book.

You are swimm ing in a pool.
You are swimming in the pool.

She is clean ing her room now.
She is cleaning the room now.

The question and a positive answer (our “yes”) will look like this:

Negative answers (our “no”) will look like this:

Examples

Are are they playing tennis?
They are playing tennis?

Yes, they are.
Yes, they are playing.

Are are they playing tennis?
They are playing tennis?

No, they are not.
No, they don't play.

Is he sleepingnow?
He is sleeping now?

Yes, he is sleeping now.
Yes, he's sleeping now.

Is he sleeping now?
He is sleeping now?

No, he is not sleeping now.
No, he's not sleeping now.

Special questions in Present Continuous Tense

When we ask a question with the following question words:

• what - what;
• where - where;
• who - who;
• which - which one;
• why - why.

These words are placed first in the sentence, and the further order of words will be the same as in a regular question. The scheme is like this:

Question word + am/are/is + the person in question + verb + -ing?

All the information we absorb not only finds a place in our head and memory, but is also transformed into images. To make this process faster and more efficient, you can use tables and diagrams.

The Present Continuous tense helps to pay attention to what is happening now, at the time of conversation or not far from it. You can perceive information both in text and in tables. Which method is right for you, decide for yourself. Let's structure all the information about the present continuous tense and try to “push” it into a table.

Education

A clearly presented table will help you understand and compare the features education this time. In order not to clutter up the space and not to scatter attention, let’s consider construction of various proposals in the present continuous table using the example of to swim. Denial and questions at this time are quite easy to understand and remember.

Use

How and when to use these forms poses the greatest challenge. Everything can be structured and understood. Table present continuous according to application cases time in speech.

But not everything is so rosy and simple, many Verbs in the Present Continuous go beyond the usual ones. Exceptions are:

Some of these verbs have special uses, which you can read about in more detail in our other page.

Having studied all this material and done a bunch of exercises, you can move on to understanding the passive voice. Present Continuous Passive is built according to the following scheme:

Passive voice requires additional, more careful study. And this table will be a support, a cheat sheet for the formation of the passive voice in the present continuous tense.

The easy, concise and accessible material presented in the table will help you quickly master all the material.