Present continuous in English. Present Continuous is the present continuous tense in English. Rules for adding the ending -ing

Present is translated as "present" and tells us that the action is performed in this moment. Continuous is translated as "long / long" and says that the action began some time ago and is still going on.

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, on the other hand, simply shows the fact of this or that 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, but but in English they express a completely different meaning:

1) just the fact that I can drive a car: I have a license and I can drive it.

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

Now let's take a closer look at exactly what cases 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 still ongoing (is in progress).
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 major project- She is in the process of working on a project.

Affirmative sentences in Present Continuous Tense

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

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

For example

They are watch ing TV.
They watch TV.

I am drink ing tea.
I'm drinking tea.

He is smok ing now.
He is smoking now.

Rules for adding the ending -ing

There are several peculiarities when adding the ending -ing to verbs.

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

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

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

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

Exceptions: verbs ending in -x and - w:

mi x- mi xing- to mix;
flo w- flo wings- flow.

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

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

Words indicating time

The following words can help us determine what exactly is Present Continuous in front of us:

• 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 is on hiatus at the moment.

Verbs not used in Present Continuous Tense

Some English verbs are never used in this tense.

1. Verbs expressing feelings

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

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

2. Verbs expressing a mental state

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

Why are these verbs not used in Present Continuous?

As we have already discussed, this tense is used to emphasize that an 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, the verb must be able to last. For example: cook - you started cooking, cook now, finish after a while.

Returning to our exception verbs. We cannot start smell (sniff) or hear (hear) and end this process after some time. This is what we do all the time. We talk about what we can smell and hear. Likewise, forgetting, understanding or emotions cannot be processes, because otherwise it will turn out that these processes began sometime, now they last, and someday they will end.

Negative form in Present Continuous Tense

The 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 are not doing homework now.

She is not drive 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.

Interrogative form in Present Continuous Tense

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

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

Statement

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

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

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

A question and a positive answer (our “yes”) would look like this:

Negative answers (our “no”) would 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 sleeping now
He is sleeping now?

Yes, he is sleeping now.
Yes, he is sleeping now.

Is he sleeping now?
He is sleeping now?

No, he is not sleeping now.
No, he is 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 put in the first place in the sentence, and the further word order will be the same as in a regular question. The scheme is this:

Interrogative word + am/are/is + the one in question + verb + -ing?

Hello! If you are interested in the rules for the formation and use of time Present Continuous in English, then you've come to the right place! I will tell you what Present Continuous time is, I will explain the nuances of the formation and use of this time, and also for clarity, I will give many examples.

What is Present Continuous Tense?

Present Continuous Tense (Present Continuous) is a tense form of a verb that describes an action or state that is going on at the moment of speech. That is, Present Continuous Tense shows actions and states in progress! This is how it differs from the simple present tense (Present simple tense).

There is no analogue for Present Continuous Tense in Russian. It provides only one temporary form for the present tense, which expresses both shades of simple and long tense. Let's see this with an example:

• Present continuous: You are speaking Spanish - Do you speak Spanish Spanish. (Meaning you are speaking Spanish at the moment.)

• Present Simple: You speak Spanish. - You speak Spanish. (Meaning you can speak Spanish at all.)

As you can see, in Russian the same form of the verb conveys different shades of the present tense.

Rules for the formation of Present Continuous Tense

The Present Continuous is difficult. It is formed with an auxiliary verb to be in Present Simple Tense (am, are, is) and present participles of the main verb (verb ending -ing).

When forming the present participle (Present Participle), it is important to know the following rules:

• If the verb ends in an unpronounceable -e, then it goes down:

to drive e— driving
to give e- giving

• If the verb ends in a consonant after the stressed syllable, the consonant is doubled:

sit − si tt ing
to stop-sto pp ing
to forget-forge tt ing

• If the verb ends in -l preceded by a vowel, then -l always doubles (in the American version this rule not observed).

to travel-trave ll ing
to fulfil - fulfi ll ing

• If the verb ends in -ie, then -ie changes to -y:

to l ie—l y ing
to d ie- d y ing

Formation of the affirmative form:

• subject + to be in Present Simple (am, are, is) + Present Participle of the main verb (V + ing)

Formation of the interrogative form:

• to be in Present Simple (am, are, is) + subject + Present Participle of the main verb (V + ing)

Formation of the negative form:

• subject + to be in Present Simple (am, are, is) + negation of not + Present Participle of the main verb (V + ing)

Conjugation table of the verb to starve in Present Continuous Tense

I advise you to carefully study this table as a cliché, where you will then substitute other verbs.

Not all English verbs are used in the long tense. Verbs that denote desires, thoughts, states, feelings, as a rule, are not used in the Present Continuous form. More detailed list you can find such verbs in the article: Present Simple tense in English

Present Continuous Tense is used:

1. When expressing an action that is happening at the moment (now). Very often in such sentences there are circumstances of time by which the Present Continuous Tense can be accurately determined. For example:

• now - now
• at the moment - at the moment

• Don't you smell something is burning? "Don't you feel that something is on fire?"
• What are you talking about now? - What are you talking about now?

2. When expressing an action or state that lasts in the present tense (the action has already begun and has not yet ended), but not necessarily related to this moment of speech:

• Sorry but I can't lend you this book because I'm reading it myself. — I'm sorry, but I can't lend you this book, because. I'm reading it myself right now.
• I'm studying at the university. - I study at University.

3. When expressing any inclination or permanent habit (usually negative). In such sentences, the verb expresses impatience or disapproval and is often accompanied by adverbs:

• always - always
• constantly - constantly
• all the time - all the time

• She is always coming too late! She always comes too late!
• I'm constantly wearing with my teachers. I constantly argue with my teachers.

4. When expressing actions planned for the near future. In such sentences, verbs of motion are very often used:

• to come - go
• to move - move
• to leave - leave
• to stay - stay
• to return - return
• to start - start

and expressions:

• to have guests - have guests
• to give a party - make a party

• I am giving a birthday party tomorrow. Tomorrow I'm having a birthday party.
• They are leaving us this afternoon. They are leaving us tonight.

Note!

The combination of the verb to go in Present Continuous Tense with the infinitive form of another verb also expresses the intention to perform an action in the near future:

• why are you going to change your flat? Why are you going to change your apartment?
• I'm going to present him to my parents. “Seo is going to introduce him to my parents.

6. When expressing an action that takes place simultaneously with another action expressed in Present Simple Tense. That is, in subordinate clause time or condition after unions:

• when - when
• if - if
• in case - in case
• as long as - as long as
• while - while
• unless - if not

• Try not to make a noise when you are playing. − Try not to make noise when you play.

These were the basic rules about Present Continuous Tense. Use and improve in English!
I advise you to watch the following videos on the topic: "Real long tense in English"

You are currently reading this text. No, the author of the article does not fall into insanity, but simply used in the very first sentence what you have to translate into English in Continuous time. This is probably the simplest of all time. Because it is very easy to solve it: the verb in the form of Continuous / Progressive (long / continued) expresses only such an action that takes place in a certain period of time and has not yet ended.

For example: you are currently reading this sentence (Present Continuous). Yesterday, when you woke up, it was snowing outside (in the case of snow - Past Continuous). And in a couple of months you will be packing your suitcase for a trip to the sea (Future Continuous).

The only difficulty that only lazy people could find is the use of an auxiliary verb to form Continuous. And this verb to be . If you were a good student, then you have long known all its forms:

Am (for yourself, beloved)
Is (for someone else in the singular)
Are (for someone else, plural)
was (past tense for someone alone)
Were (past tense for several)
will be (in the future tense for everyone; you can also use shall for the first person)

Well, one more feature is the ing endings ( -ing). The so-called "ing" form - and there is Participle I.

1. Present Continuous(Present Continuous)

It is used to refer to an action that is taking place right now (at the moment of speech) or at the present time:
"Falling, falling, falling, falling leaves".

Markers:
now, still, at present, at the moment, while, meanwhile.

The affirmative form is formed with the help of a verb to be+ main verb with ending -ing:
I am reading. He is reading. You are reading.

Negative form: to be + not+ verb with -ing.
They are not reading.

Interrogative form:
Are they reading?

2. Past Continuous(Past Continuous)

Used to refer to an action that took place at a specific time in the past:
"The reeds rustled, the trees bent."

Markers:
still, while, during, for 3 hours/days/weeks, all day long yesterday, from … till …

Affirmative form: was/were+ verb with -ing.
I was eating all day long.

Negative form: was/were + not+ verb with -ing.
They were not playing.

Interrogative form: Was she playing?

3. Future Continuous(future continuous tense)

Denotes an action that will be performed at a certain period of time or moment in the future: "I will ride the bike for a long time."

Markers:
still, from … to …, meanwhile, for 3 hours/days/years, during.

Affirmative form: will/shall + be+ verb with -ing.
They will be laughing.

Negative form: will/shall + not+be+ verb with -ing.
I will not be crying.

Interrogative form: Will it be raining?

There are, of course, some more nuances of using Present Continuous, but by and large, on the little things, you can collect information for a couple more grammar volumes. For a start, what is described in this article is enough. To consolidate the material, we strongly recommend that you start polishing your knowledge by listening to a lesson about lasting times in a musically entertaining and exciting presentation. The most sophisticated music lovers and English lovers will like it!

Tenses of the English verb, as a rule, inspire sacred horror in all students. Still - there are as many as 16 of them! But the devil is not so terrible as he is painted. We will try to explain to you as simply as possible, especially since for a start you can limit yourself to 4 times. In today's post, we will analyze the Present Continuous Tense - Present Continuous Tense.

• To better understand the tenses of the English verb, it is not necessary to memorize their name. It will be enough to clearly know three things: 1) when the action occurs; 2) how the desired form of the verb is formed; 3) what is the auxiliary verb.

The Present Continuous Tense - Present Continuous Tense

As mentioned above, there are three main things to know.

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1. When does the action take place? The Present Continuous Tense denotes an action that is taking place at the moment of speech, directly now. That is, the action is indicated in the process, so this time is sometimes called Present Progressive Tense.

2. How is it formed? The present continuous tense form of the verb is formed with the verb to be (present tense) and . Simply put, am/is/are + verb ending ing.

Consider the example of the sentence "I am writing a letter." Before us is a sentence, the action of which is taking place at the moment - "I am now writing a letter." The verb-predicate is the word “I write”, and it is this word that we must put in the Present Continuous Tense. Since the subject is “I”, we therefore take the form of the verb “am”, and add the ending ing to the verb-predicate write. As a result, we get the sentence I am writing a letter.

3. What is the auxiliary verb? An auxiliary verb is needed to form the interrogative (?) and negative (-) forms of all tenses of the English verb and to form the affirmative (+) form of some tenses of the English verb. For the Present Continuous Tense, the auxiliary verb is to be, or rather, its forms am / is / are.

In the interrogative form, the auxiliary verb (Are you eating now?) is put in the first place. In the negative form, not is “attached” to the auxiliary verb (He isn’t sleeping now).

For clarity, we will conjugate our sentence “I am writing a letter” by faces in the affirmative, interrogative and negative form.

Please note that only the forms of the verb to be change depending on the person of the subject, the present participle (ING-th form of the verb) does not change.

Here is a translation of several sentences in the present continuous tense:

• We are drinking tea now
• I am not reading now - I am not reading now
• Are you currently working? are you working now?
• Is he playing now? is he playing now?
• She is not drinking coffee now - She is not drinking coffee now

Note: There are several English verbs that are not used in the present continuous tense, these are the so-called verbs of feelings and perception:

With these verbs - even if the action is happening at the moment - it is used:

• I'm tired. I want to go home.
• Do you know that girl? Yes, but I don't remember her name.
• You are speaking too fast. I don't understand.

Present Continuous seems incomprehensible to many students, because such an analogue in our mother tongue no. Let's see how the present long time is formed and in what cases it is used in order to make friends with it once and for all.

The present continuous (Present Continuous) in some textbooks is called Present Progressive - remember that these are the same thing. Most often, the Present Continuous describes an action that takes place over a period of time in the present. But this time has other functions as well. We will show you how to use it correctly depending on the specific situation.

If you want to learn more grammar topics, sign up with your future teacher.

Present Continuous time is formed according to the scheme:

In order not to make a mistake in writing a verb with the ending -ing, pay attention to the following rules:

• if the verb ends in a vowel -e, then it is omitted: bake - baking;
• when the verb ends in vowels -ie, they change to -y: tie - tying;
• if the verb ends in one consonant letter, before which there is a stressed vowel, then the consonant letter at the end is doubled: let - letting, begin - beginning, regret - regretting.

Affirmative sentence:

She is petting her dog now. - She is now strokes your dog.

In a negative sentence, the particle not is placed between the auxiliary and main verbs.

She is not (isn't) petting her dog now. - She is now does not iron your dog.

In an interrogative sentence, the auxiliary verb comes first, followed by the subject and the main form of the verb.

Is she petting her dog now? - She is now strokes your dog?

Below you can see how the Present Continuous is formed in affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences.

Cases of using Present Continuous

Consider examples of the use of Present Continuous, starting with the simplest and gradually moving towards more complex ones.

For beginner and intermediate levels

1. The Present Continuous is used to describe an action that is happening at the current time:

   Listen! The music is playing. - Listen! Music plays.
   Hush! The kids are sleeping. - Shh! Children are sleeping.

   In such a situation, marker words are often found: now (now), right now (at this very minute), at the moment (at the moment), at present (at present). These are some kind of pointers to the present continuous tense.

   Steve is watching TV at the moment. - Now Steve looks television.

2. The present continuous is used to describe ongoing actions in the present, even if they are not happening at the moment of speaking. That is, for some time we periodically perform this action:

   Jessica is learning French. - Jessica teaches French. (she has been studying French for a while now and will continue to learn it, but she is not busy learning French right now)

   In this situation, such present continuous marker words as now, these days, currently are also often found. They are translated "now", "currently".

   Pete is currently training to participate in the Olympics. - Pete currently training to participate in the Olympic Games. (he is currently training and will continue until the Olympics, but right now he is not in training)

3. Present Continuous is used to describe the changes that occur in a situation and the development process. In such constructions, the action is often conveyed by the verbs to get (become), to increase (increase / increase), to decrease (decrease / decrease), to rise (rise), to fall (fall), to start (start / begin), to change (change / change), etc.

   An average day temperature is slowly increasing. - average temperature gradually increases.
   The petrol is getting cheaper day by day. - Fuel every day getting cheaper.

4. The present continuous can be used to indicate events in the near future, but only if it concerns planned actions. The future in such sentences is indicated by time, days of the week or the words tomorrow (tomorrow), next week (next week), next month (next month), next year (next year).

   Cris is buying a new phone tomorrow. - Tomorrow Chris will buy new phone. (he has already chosen a model, put money on the phone)
   We are flying to India next week. - Next week we we fly to India. (the trip is already planned, the tickets are bought, the trip will definitely take place)

   Speaking about the near future, we often use verbs of motion: to go (to go), to leave (to leave), to come (to come). These verbs show that the action will be performed immediately or in the near future.

   I don't feel well. I am going to bed. - I do not feel myself well. I I'm going sleep. (I will take this action immediately)
   I "m coming in 5 minutes. Can you meet me up? - I I will come In 5 minutes. Will you meet me? (I'm already on my way and I'll be right back.)

5. Present Continuous helps to express dissatisfaction or irritation when using it with the words constantly (constantly), all the time (all the time), always (always). This is how we show that some regular or frequently occurring action causes negative emotions.

   Susan is always leaving her coffee mug in the sink. - Susan constantly leaves your coffee cup in the sink. (action is performed regularly, and the speaker is unhappy with this situation)

6. There are verbs that are not used in Present Continuous. It's about about verbs of state (stative verbs), which express feelings and thought processes: to know (to know), to forget (to forget), to notice (to notice), to understand (to understand), to recognize (to learn), to remember (to remember) , to love (to love), to hate (to hate), to want (to want), to need (to need), to believe (to believe), to hear (to hear), etc.

   I know which bus to take to get home. - I I know which bus to take to get home. (knowledge is my state, not action)

For high level

The present continuous tense in English can also be used in the following situations:

1. There are verbs that in one sense are state verbs and cannot be used in the present continuous tense, and in another sense act as action verbs and can be used in Present Continuous. Let's look at examples:

   to think - consider, believe (state) and to think - reflect (action)
   to see - see (state) and to see - meet, see (action)
   to have - to have (state) and to have as part of a stable expression, for example, to have breakfast (have breakfast), to have a good time (have a good time)

   I think it is a nice jacket. - I I think that this is a good jacket. (it's my opinion)
   What are you thinking about? - what are you talking about think? (Currently)

   The use of the Present Continuous form with some state verbs (to attract - to attract, to like - to like, to love - to love) is possible when the speaker wants to emphasize the temporality of his feelings.

   Usually I don't like music festivals, but I am loving this one. - I usually do not like music festivals, but this one is me love. (the speaker emphasizes that he likes this particular festival now.)

   We use some verbs that describe thought processes (to realize - to realize, to understand - to understand, to regret - to regret), we use in Present Continuous to emphasize that we have just begun to think about something and have not yet formed our final opinion.

   I "m realizing how wrong I was. - I began to understand how was wrong.

   Verbs that describe physical sensations (to feel - to feel, to hurt / to ache - to hurt) can be used both in Present Simple and Present Continuous without much difference in meaning.

   I am feeling sad today. = I feel sad today. - I'm sad today.
   my head is teaching. = My head ache. - I have a head hurts.

2. We can also use the static verb to be in Present Continuous if we want to emphasize that a person’s behavior is uncharacteristic for him.

   He is being weird after he lost his job. - He acting strange after he lost his job. (i.e. it usually behaves differently)

3. We can use the Present Continuous and Present Simple tenses together to make our story sound more dynamic. In this case, the action in the Present Simple takes place against the background of the action in the Present Continuous, interrupting it and creating a sense of suddenness.

   two guys are walking through a game park and they come across a lion that has not eaten for days. - Two boys go through the wild animal park, when they suddenly stumble on a lion that hasn't eaten in days.

How not to confuse Present Continuous and Present Simple

It is worth considering the most common situations in which one time from the Present group can be mistaken for another:

1. Present Continuous is used to describe situations and actions that the speaker considers temporary. Present Simple describes situations that the speaker perceives as permanent.

   Linda is working at the ice cream shop during summer. - Summer Linda works in an ice cream shop. (when summer ends, Linda will no longer work at this place)
   Sam works as a manager at the ice cream shop. - Sam works manager at an ice cream shop. (this is his regular job)

2. If we are describing repetitive actions that are related to the present moment, we use the Present Continuous. And if they are not connected with the present moment, we use Present Simple.

   I "m speaking with my mom a lot these days. - AT recent times I often I say with mom on the phone. (there is a connection with the current moment)
   I speak with my aunt who lives in New York twice a year. - Twice a year talking with his aunt who lives in New York. (no connection to the present moment)

3. The Present Continuous describes an action that is happening at the present moment. Present Simple is used to describe facts that remain true at any given time.

   Kathy is speaking with her father at the moment. - Now Katy He speaks with his father. (she is speaking at the present time, the conversation will be over)
   Kathy speaks English. - Katy He speaks in English. (she can speak English, this statement remains a fact at any given time)

We suggest taking a test to consolidate the rules for using Present Continuous.

Test on the topic "Present Continuous - Present Continuous in English"