Present Continuous

Present Continuous

Form

 subject + am/is/are + main verb  (verb + ing)

The structure of the present continuous tense is:

subject	+	auxiliary verb	+	main verb
		be		base + ing

Look at these examples:

	subject	auxiliary verb		verb+ING
+	I	am		speaking	to you.
+	You	are		reading	this.
-	She	is	not	staying	in London.
-	We	are	not	playing	football.
?	Is	he		watching	TV?
?	Are	they		waiting	for John?

Meaning

1. We use present continuous to talk about something that is happening at the time of speaking. The action is not finished.
   • He is speaking to John.
   • What is she doing?
2. We use present continuous to talk about temporary situations.
   • I 'm living in London at the moment.
   • Why is she moving house?
3. We use present continuous to talk about changing situations.
   • You're getting taller and taller every day.
   • The weather's getting warmer.
4. We use present continuous to talk about repeated actions around the time of speaking.
   • I'm seeing Jane a lot these days.
5. We use present continuous with words such as always to talk about things that happen repeatedly (sometimes to say that something is irritating or annoying).
   • She's always complaining about how difficult her life is.
6. We use present continuous to talk about future arrangements.
   • I'm meeting my father at the airport at 5 o'clock tomorrow.
7. When we are talking about how someone looks or feels, we can use present continuous or present simple.
   • How are you feeling? / How do you feel?
   • Jenny is looking really good today? / Jenny looks really good today.