Chris usually wears glasses, but he isn't wearing them right now.
Form
The present continuous can be made with be and a verb in its "~ing" form:
Positive Sentences
| I | am / 'm | learning sleeping reading cooking working |
| You | are / 're | |
| He She It |
is / 's | |
| We They |
are / 're |
Negative Sentences
| I | am not / 'm not | learning sleeping reading cooking working |
| You | are not / 're not / aren't | |
| He She It |
is not / 's not / isn't | |
| We They |
are not / 're not / aren't |
Yes or No Questions
| Am | I | working? |
| Are | you | |
| Is | he / she / it | |
| Are | we / they |
Short Answers
| Yes, | I am. you are. he / she / it is. we / they are. |
| No, | I am not. you are not. he / she / it is not. we / they are not. |
Questions with Question Words
| How What Why etc. |
am | I | doing? |
| are | you | ||
| is | he / she / it | ||
| are | we / they |
Spelling of Verb~ing
Usually, we add ing to a verb:
- snow → snowing
- ring → ringing
- watch → watching
If a verb ends in e, remove it and add ing:
- make → making
- close → closing
- write → writing
Double the consonant and add ing if the verb ends with one stressed vowel and a consonant:
Consonant Letters:
- b
- c
- d
- f
- g
- h
- j
- k
- l
- m
- n
- p
- q
- r
- s
- t
- v
- w
- x
- y
- z
Vowel Letters:
- a
- e
- i
- o
- u
- run → running
- stop → stopping
- swim → swimming
If the vowel is not stressed, or there is more than one vowel, do not double the consonant:
- open → opening
- meet → meeting
Use
The present continuous is used to describe things that are happening now:
The dog is sleeping.
We are working.
What are you doing?
Why are you crying?
As we studied in Grammar 2-1, the present simple describes habits, routines, and facts. The time focus is all the time. The time focus of the present continuous is now. Compare:
Jake works a lot, but now, he's playing soccer.
Danielle usually wears a t-shirt and jeans, but now, she's wearing a dress.
We always eat inside, but today, we're eating outside.
It often rains in this city, but it isn't raining right now.
Certain verbs cannot be used in the present continuous. Use these verbs in the present simple even when you are describing something happening now:
- believe
- forget
- hate
- like
- love
- know
- mean
- need
- prefer
- remember
- understand
- want
Thank you. I understand now.
What do you need?
Do you remember me?
Exercise
Open the exercise to begin the activity. Follow the instructions in the document.