The present continuous tense (also called present progressive) is used for:
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Actions happening right now
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Activities or projects that are in progress
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Temporary events or situations
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Future plans
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Actions happening right now
Right now, Sarah is devouring the last chapter of a very interesting novel.
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Activities or projects in progress
She is reading lots of books at the same time. She doesn’t always finish them.
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Temporary events or situations
She is reading all day during the holidays, much more than she usually does.
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Future plans
Tomorrow, she is buying the sequel of her favourite novel at the local bookstore.
Some keywords and phrases are used to signal the present continuous.
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Actions happening right now |
Activities or projects in progress |
Temporary events or situations |
Future plans |
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The present continuous can be used for events that are usually not finished when another happens, or at a specific time.
For example:
Usually, Sarah’s parents are still working when she comes back home from school.
The present continuous can be used to describe an annoying habit, something someone is always doing and that can be irritating.
For example:
Sarah’s little brother, Kyle, is constantly trying to be the center of attention.
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I |
am 'm |
verb + ing |
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he/she/it |
is 's |
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we |
are 're |
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I |
am not 'm not |
verb + ing |
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he/she/it |
is not isn't |
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we |
are not aren't |
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am |
I |
verb + ing |
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is |
he/she/it |
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are |
we |