Grammar › Verb Tenses › Present Continuous
Present Continuous
The present continuous (am/is/are + verb-ing) is for actions happening around now. Use it for:
- Actions happening right now — She’s reading a book.
- Temporary situations — I’m staying with friends this week.
- Future arrangements — We’re meeting tomorrow at six.
For habits and permanent facts, use the present simple instead (She reads every night). Some verbs (know, like, want) are not normally used in the continuous.
How to form the present continuous
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | subject + am/is/are + verb-ing | She is working. |
| Negative | subject + am/is/are + not + verb-ing | They aren’t listening. |
| Question | Am/Is/Are + subject + verb-ing? | Are you coming? |
Use am with I, is with he/she/it, and are with you/we/they. The main verb always takes -ing, and the verb be can never be left out.
When to use the present continuous
1. Actions happening now
Something in progress at this moment.
- She’s talking on the phone.
- Look! It’s raining.
⚠️ Typical error:
Look! It rains.→ For something happening at this moment, use the present continuous: It’s raining.
2. Temporary situations
True around now, but not permanent.
- I’m reading a great book at the moment.
- He’s living in Madrid this year.
⚠️ Typical error:
I read a great book at the moment.→ A temporary current situation takes the present continuous: I’m reading…
3. Future arrangements
Fixed plans, usually with a time or place.
- We’re meeting Sara tomorrow.
- They’re flying to Rome on Friday.
Questions and short answers
Put am/is/are before the subject: Is she working? Are they coming? For a wh- question, the question word goes first: What are you doing? Why is he crying? Short answers repeat be: Yes, she is. / No, they aren’t.
Signal words
| Word | Position | Example |
|---|---|---|
| now / right now / at the moment | usually at the end | He is studying right now. |
| today / this week / these days | at the end (or the start) | We are staying with friends this week. |
| tomorrow / on Friday / next week | at the end, with a plan | I am meeting Sara tomorrow. |
| Look! / Listen! | at the start | Look! It is snowing. |
Spelling of the -ing form
| Rule | Verb ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| add -ing | most verbs | working, playing |
| drop the -e, add -ing | verbs ending in -e | making, writing |
| double the last consonant | short verb ending in one vowel + one consonant | running, swimming, sitting |
| change -ie to -y | verbs ending in -ie | lying, dying, tying |
Stative verbs
Some verbs describe a state, not an action — feelings, opinions, senses and possession. They are not normally used in the continuous: know, like, love, want, need, believe, understand, prefer, own.
I am wanting a coffee.→ I want a coffee.She is knowing the answer.→ She knows the answer.
Common mistakes
1. Using the present continuous for habits. A regular routine takes the present simple, not the continuous. I’m going to the gym every day. → I go to the gym every day.
2. Using stative verbs in the continuous. State verbs (want, like, know, need) stay in the present simple. I’m wanting a coffee → I want a coffee.
3. Leaving out the verb ‘be’. The present continuous always needs am/is/are. She working now → She is working now.
✏️ Practice: Present Continuous
1. Be quiet! The baby ___.
2. They ___ TV at the moment.
3. Don’t worry, I ___ the answer.
4. I’m talking, but she ___ to me right now.
5. I ___ tennis every Sunday.
6. Look at the window. ___ Take an umbrella.
7. Choose the correct -ing form of ‘run’.
8. We ___ Sara tomorrow evening — we’ve booked a table.
9. Choose the sentence with the same meaning as: ‘I’m staying at a hotel until my flat is ready.’
10. Look — he ___ the door for us.
11. Fill in the gap
She ___ her hair at the moment. (wash)
Type two words.
12. Correct the mistake
I’m going to the gym every day.
Type the whole corrected sentence.
13. Correct the mistake
I’m wanting a coffee.
Type the whole corrected sentence.
✏️ Practice: Fill in the gap
Type the missing verb. Sometimes am/is/are is already there — then type only the -ing form. Twenty original sentences.
✏️ Practice: Put the words in order
Tap the words below to build each sentence in the right order. Twenty original sentences, mixing statements, negatives and questions.
✏️ Practice: Match the -ing form
Tap a base verb, then tap its correct -ing form. Watch the spelling: some double a letter, some drop an “e”, some change “ie” to “y”.
✏️ Practice: Beat the clock
15 seconds per question. Some of these need the present continuous — but a few need the present simple instead. Watch for stative verbs.
20 questions, 15 seconds each. The clock starts when you press Start.
✏️ Practice: Find the mistake
Each sentence has exactly one mistake. Tap the word you think is wrong. Twenty original sentences.
✏️ Level check: How well do you know it?
20 mixed questions — typing, word order, -ing spelling, multiple choice, and spot-the-mistake. One pass, then a breakdown of where you’re strong and where to go back and practise.
Frequently asked questions
When do I use the present continuous and when the present simple?
Use the present continuous for actions happening now or temporary situations (I’m working from home today). Use the present simple for habits and permanent facts (I work in a bank).
Can the present continuous talk about the future?
Yes — for fixed arrangements with a time or place: We’re meeting on Friday. I’m flying to Rome next week.
Why can’t I say ‘I am knowing’?
Verbs of state (know, like, want, believe, understand) describe conditions, not actions, so they aren’t used in the continuous. Say ‘I know’.
How do I spell the -ing form?
Add -ing to most verbs (work → working). Drop a final -e (make → making). Double the last consonant in short consonant-vowel-consonant verbs (run → running).
👩🏫 For teachers
CEFR objectives for “Present Continuous”:
- Can form affirmative, negative and interrogative present continuous sentences with am/is/are + -ing (CEFR A2).
- Can spell -ing forms correctly (drop final -e, double the consonant).
- Can choose the present continuous over the present simple for actions now, temporary situations and arrangements, and avoid it with stative verbs.
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