When we want to talk about something that is happening right now, we use the present continuous tense.

Right now, you are reading. It is an action that is happening in the present. It is also an action that is not yet completed (you are still reading), so it is continuous. It is continuing to happen right now in the present.

To make the present continuous, we use a present tense conjugation of “to be” followed by the main verb of the sentence, and all we do is add ing to the end of the main verb.

  • [pronoun] + [to be-present] + [verb] -ing

Here is what the present continuous looks like with some examples:

Pronoun (person) To be (present) Verb -ing
I am do ing I am doing.
You are see ing You are seeing.
He / she / it is try ing She is trying.
We are laugh ing We are laughing.
You (pl.) are eat ing You are eating.
They are sleep ing They are sleeping.

Note: When the sentence is negative, the word “not” goes after “to be”. For example, “We are not laughing.” or “We aren’t laughing.”


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Exercises

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