The Present Continuous Tense in English

Greetings all.  I’m back again, and as I promised last time, I’m going to write a few words about the present continuous (progressive) tense.  This is an important tense because we use it in two different situations.  Unlike the simple past and the simple present tenses discussed earlier, this tense (and all the other tenses) uses a helping verb in both positive and negative statements, as well as in questions.

The first way that we use this tense is to talk about events that are happening right now – that is, events that are in process.  The other way we use this tense is to talk about FUTURE events or activities.  With this tense we employ the present tense of the verb “to be” as a helping verb and the present participle form of the main verb (this ends in – “ing”).

Examples showing the action is in progress now:

The sun is shining brightly right now.

The students are studying at the moment.

I am writing a blog at this time.

Susan isn’t listening to her teacher.

Examples talking about a Future events or activities:

Susan is playing tennis tomorrow.

What are you doing tonight?

Are you going to New York next week?

That’s a wrap for now.  In a future blog we’ll look at the past continuous tense.  Then we’ll talk about the importance of the integration process.

Share:

More Posts

Making your New Year’s Resolution Come True

Happy New Year!!!  It is 2023 and with every New Year comes New Year’s Resolutions. Nothing is impossible if you set your mind to doing it.  Throughout history there have been people that dared to dream big.  In doing so they made big accomplishments.  The telephone, automobile, and airplane all started with a dream.  Being

Used to; to be used to; to get used to 

Used to; to be used to; to get used to There is a set of similar expressions that can cause problems for students of English: used to; to be used to; to get used to….  The first one, “used to,” is used quite differently from the other two, which are related.  I think of them

Reasons to Study Online with CINCILINGUA

There are many reasons that someone trying to learn English as a Second Language should study Online with CINCILINGUA, but the main reason is because CINCILINGUA can help you improve your English in a short time. Are you too busy to travel to Cincinnati, Ohio USA to study with us in person?  Don’t worry!  Our

Scroll to Top

CHECK OUT A VIDEO OF ONE OF OUR LESSONS IN ACTION

Signup to see the free video.  You’ll gain insight into how our online immersion class is instructed.