Present Continuous Tense or Present Continuous Tense. Present Continuous - rules and exercises

Dear readers of the English Voyage blog! Today you will learn to use another English verb tense. In the grammar tables below we will look at the formation of the affirmative, interrogative and negative forms Present Continuous (Progressive). After the tables and useful video, you will be able to independently translate Russian sentences into English using the present continuous tense. If you do not confuse the forms and translate sentences with am, is, are without errors, then you will remember the formation of tense easily.

To get started, watch this video tutorial carefully. Here they calmly and in detail talk about the construction and use of the Present Continuous. At the end - an exercise (don’t be too lazy to do it:).

Time Present Continuous used:

to describe the action taking place at the moment of speech. For example: She is singing a song now. She's singing the song now.

to describe a temporary action that occurs not at the present moment of speech (at the same minute, second), but in the present period of time. For example: I am working on the project. I'm working on a project. (This does not mean at this moment, but over the course of a limited present period, which will soon end).

to describe repeated actions that cause irritation or disapproval of the speaker. Especially with adverbs like always, constantly, repeatedly, which are translated, as a rule, into Russian with the word "forever." For example: You are always shouting at me! You're always yelling at me!

Marker words(read the article for more details about marker words) for the Present Continuous: now, at the moment, this week, today. For the future - tomorrow, next week.

Time Present Continuous NOT used with State verbs - verbs that describe a state of mind, body or mind, as well as ongoing relationships. State verbs include the following English verbs: appear (in the meaning of “seem”), assume - to believe, be - to be, believe - to believe, consider, belong - to belong, consider (in the meaning of "to consider"), consist - to consist, contain - to contain, cost - to cost, depend - depend, detest - to disgust, envy - to envy, equal - to be equal, exist - to exist, expect - to expect, feel (in the meaning of “to cause a sensation”, “to be touched” and “to count”), fit - to fit, forget - forget, hate - to hate, have (in the meaning of “possess”), hear - to hear, include - to include, know - to know, lack - not to be enough, like - to like, look (in the meaning of “look”), love - to love, matter - to have meaning, mean - to mean, need - to need, owe - to owe, own - to own, possess - to have, prefer - to prefer, realize - to realize, remember - to remember, see (in the meaning of “perceive with sight”, “understand” ), seem - to appear, smell (meaning “to smell”), taste (meaning “to have a taste”), tend - to have a tendency, think (meaning “to count”), understand - to understand, want - to want, wish - to desire , weigh (meaning “to weigh”). We will look at state verbs in more detail in future posts.

THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS (PROGRESSIVE) TENSE

Affirmative form

Structure			Examples
I	am	V+ing	I am listening to music. I listen to music.
	is		He is listening to music. He listens to music. She is listening to music. She listens to music. It is getting dark. It's getting dark.
	are		We are reading. We are reading. You are reading. You are reading. They are reading. They are reading.
Pay attention to the preposition to after the word listen which should be consumed Always after this verb. The omission of to after listen is

Question form

(yes/no questions – general questions) ?

Structure			Examples
Am	I	V+ing?	— Am I reading? Am I reading? - Yes, I am./No, I’m not.
Is			— Is he reading? Does he read? - Yes, he is./No, he isn’t. — Is she reading? Does she read? - Yes, she is./No, she isn’t. — Is it getting dark? Is it getting dark? - Yes, it is./No, it isn’t.
Are			—Are we coming back? Are we going back? - Yes, we are./No, we aren’t. -Are you coming back? Are you going back? - Yes, you are./No, you aren’t. —Are they coming back? Are they coming back? - Yes, they are./No, they aren’t.

Question form

(WH-? – special questions) ?

Negative form

Structure			Examples
I	am not	V+ing	I am not dancing. (= I’m not) I don’t dance.
	is not		He is not singing. (= He isn’t) He doesn’t sing. She is not having dinner. (= She isn’t) She doesn’t have dinner. It is not raining now. (= It isn’t) It’s not raining now.
	are not		We are not working. (= We aren't) We don't work. You are not laughing. (= You aren't) You are not laughing. They are not looking at me. (= They aren't) They don't look at me.

Before you say a sentence, think about the verb. If this is a state verb, then instead of the Present Continuous you need to use the Present Simple. For example, “I love pizza” - “I love (like) pizza.”

So, today we looked at the formation of the Present Continuous. If you have any questions on the topic or need additional explanations, write in the comments. I will be happy to answer all questions. Expect new articles in the section.

Continuous Tense s, "to continue"- continue, last. The very name of this group of tenses indicates that their main grammatical meaning is duration, the process of action.

Band times Continuous also called Progressive Tenses , and in Russian they are called continuous or long time. Verb used in the form Continuous means that an action is taking place at some specific moment. This point may be clear from the context or is often indicated by additional words - an exact indication of the time (hour), another action, etc. somehow concretizing this moment. Depending on the time of occurrence of the action, they are distinguished:

Present Continuous- present continuous (present continuous),

Past Continuous- past continuous (past continuous),

Future Continuous- future continuous (future continuous).

Scene 1 discusses examples of the use of tense The Present Continuous Tense.
Scene 5 contains examples of the use The Past Continuous Tense.
In scene 29 comparison in the use of tenses Future And Future Continuous.

Continuous Tense formed by an auxiliary verb "to be" and the fourth main form of the verb (present participle - Present Participle). The only part of the predicate that can be modified is the auxiliary verb. "to be".

Band times Continuous in the active voice. Brief table.

Continuous (Progressive) (process At what time?
Past	Present	Future
Affirmative sentences
was Ving were Ving	am Ving is Ving are Ving	will be Ving
Negative sentences
wasnot Ving werenotVing	am notVing is notVing are notVing	will not be Ving
Interrogative sentences
Was ...Ving? Were ... Ving?	Am...Ving? Is...Ving? Are...Ving?	Will ... be Ving?

Band times Continuous in the active voice. Table with examples.

Continuous (Progressive) (process- action in progress) At what time?
Past	Present	Future
Affirmative sentences
I/He/She/It was Ving We/You/They were Ving	I am Ving (I " m) He/She/It is Ving (He " s/She " s/It " s) We/You/They are Ving (We "re/You "re/They "re )	I/He/She/It/We/You/They will be Ving I "ll be/He "ll be/She "ll be/It "ll be We "ll be/You "ll be/They "ll be
He was playing yesterday at 9 o’clock. He was playing yesterday at 9 o'clock. He played yesterday at 9 o'clock. I was writing yesterday from 6 till 7. I was writing yesterday from 6 to 7. I wrote yesterday from 6 to 7.	He is playing football right now. He is playing football right now. He's playing football right now. I "m writing letter. I am the letter writer. I am writing a letter (now).	He will be playing tomorrow at 3 o'clock. He will be playing tomorrow at 3 o'clock. He will play tomorrow at 3 o'clock. I "ll be writing when you come. I'll be writing when you come. I'll write when you come.
Negative sentences
I/He/She/It was not Ving (wasn't ) We/You/They were not Ving (weren't )	I am notVing (I "m not) He/She/It is not Ving (He "s not/She "s not/It "s not) (isn't) We/You/They are notVing (We "re not/You "re not/They "re not) (aren't)	I/He/She/It/We/You/They will not be Ving (won'tbe)
He was notplaying when you came. He wasn't playing when you arrived. He wasn't playing when you arrived. I wasn'twriting yesterday at 8 p.m. I wasn't writing at 8pm yesterday. I didn't write at 8 pm yesterday.	He is not playing football now. He is not playing football now. He doesn't play football now. I" m not writing letter. I am not a letter writer. I'm not writing a letter (now).	He won't be playing football tomorrow from 6 till 7. He won't be playing football tomorrow from 6 to 7. He won't play football tomorrow from 6 to 7. I will not be writtening when you come. I won't be a writer when you come. I won't write when you come.
Interrogative sentences
Was I/he/she/it Ving? Were we/you/they Ving?	Am I Ving? Is he/she/it Ving? Are we/you/they Ving?	Will I/he/she/it/we/you/they be Ving?
Was he playing football yesterday from 6 till 7? He was playing football yesterday from 6 to 7? Did he play football yesterday from 6 to 7? Were you writing when did I come? Were you writing when I arrived? Did you write when I arrived?	Is he playing football? Is he playing football? Is he playing football now? Are you writing now? Are you a writer now? Are you writing now?	Will I be writteningtomorrowat 7 p.m.? Will I be writing tomorrow at 7pm? Will I write tomorrow at 7 pm? Will he be playing football tomorrow from 6 till 7? Will he be playing football tomorrow from 6 to 7? Will he play football tomorrow from 6 to 7?
Time Markers - Time markers
yesterday at 3 p.m., yesterday from 6 till 7, when you came...	now, right now, at the moment, currently	tomorrow at 3 p.m., tomorrow from 6 till 7, when you come

Conventions used in the table:

Ving- The fourth form of the verb. Present participle ( Present Participle or Participle I) and gerund ( Gerund).

to be + Ving- “to be a doer”

In order to better understand the grammatical essence of continuous tenses, let's use literal translation each component:

I am working
I am working
I am working

Not working
He is working
It works

We are working
We are working
We are working

She was working
She was working
She worked

They were working
They were working
They worked

I shall be working
I'll be working
I will work

You will be working
You will be working
you will work

From these examples it is clear that the second component of continuous tenses - the present participle - gives the entire verb a sign of duration of action. It is on the basis of the duration of action that these times are contrasted to the times of the group Indefinite. Latest used to express ordinary, repeatedly repeated actions. Compare:

Where is Ivanov?
Where is Ivanov?

Not is working in his study now.
He is now working in his office.

Ivanov usually works in his study.
Ivanov usually works in his office.

Forms in Russian Continuous translated by verbs of the imperfect form of the present, past or future tense (according to the tense of the auxiliary verb).

The interrogative and negative forms of continuous tenses are formed according to the rule of the verb "to be":

I am working.
Am I working?

He was working.
Was he working?

He was not working.

Verbs that do not represent action as a process are not used in the form Continuous.

The main ones are: to accept, to belong, to contain, to consist, to depend on, to deserve, to hope, to hear, to know, to like, to mind, to please, to possess, to prefer, to resemble, to recognize, to result, to see, to understand:

I understand what you are saying.
I understand what you are saying.

I see your drawing and I like it.
I see your drawing and I like it.

Present is translated as “present” and tells us that the action is performed in at the moment. Continuous is translated as “long/long” and indicates that the action began some time ago and is still ongoing.

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 simply shows the fact of one or another 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, n But in English they express completely different meanings:

1) the simple fact that I know how to drive a car: I have a license and I can drive it.

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

Now let's take a closer look at exactly in which 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 now still ongoing (in process).
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 a big project” - she's in the process of working on a project.

Affirmative sentences in Present Continuous Tense

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

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

I	am
You
We	are	playing
They		swimming
She		cooking
He	is
It

For example

They are watch ing TV.
They are watching TV.

I am drink ing tea
I'm drinking tea.

He is smoke ing now.
He smokes now.

Rules for adding the ending -ing

There are several things to consider when adding -ing endings to verbs.

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

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

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

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

Exceptions: verbs ending in -x And - w:

mi x- mi xing- mix;
flo w-flo wing- leak.

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

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

Words indicating time

The following words can help us determine that this is the Present Continuous:

• 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'm eating now.

We are working at the moment.
We are working at the moment.

She is having a break at the moment.
She's on a break at the moment.

Verbs not used in Present Continuous Tense

Some English verbs are never used in this tense.

1. Verbs expressing feelings

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

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

2. Verbs expressing mental state

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

Why aren't these verbs used in the Present Continuous?

As we have already seen, this tense is used to emphasize that the 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, a verb must be able to last. For example: to cook - you started cooking, you are cooking now, after some time you will finish.

Returning to our exception verbs. We cannot start smelling (smelling) or hearing (hearing) and finish this process after some time. This is what we do all the time. We are talking about the fact that we can smell and hear. Likewise, forgetting, understanding, or emotions cannot be processes, because otherwise it turns out that these processes began once, are now continuing, and will end someday.

Negative form in Present Continuous Tense

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.

I	am
You
We	are		playing
They		not	cooking
She			swimming
He	is
It

Examples

We are not do ing our homework now.
We don't do homework now.

She is not driv 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.

Question form in Present Continuous Tense

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

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

Am	I
	you
Are	we	playing?
	they	cooking?
	she	swimming?
Is	he
	it

Statement

I am read ing the book.
I'm reading a book.

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

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

The question and a positive answer (our “yes”) will look like this:

Question	Short answer (contains the verb to be)	Full answer (constructed as an affirmative sentence)
Am I read ing the book? Am I reading a book?	Yes, I am. Yes, I read.	Yes, I am read ing the book. Yes, I'm reading a book.
Are you swimm ing in a pool? Do you swim in the pool?	Yes, you are. Yes, you are swimming.	Yes, you are swimm ing in a pool. Yes, you are swimming in the pool.
Is she clean ing her room now? Is she cleaning the room now?	Yes, she is. Yes, she cleans.	Yes, she is clean ing her room now. Yes, she is cleaning the room now.

Negative answers (our “no”) will look like this:

Question	Short answer (contains the verb to be + not)	Full answer (constructed as a negative sentence)
Am I read ing the book? Am I reading a book?	No, I amnot. No, I don't read.	No, I am not read ing the book. No, I'm not reading a book.
Are you swimm ing in a pool? Do you swim in the pool?	No, you arenot. No, you don't swim.	No, you are not swimm ing in a pool. No, you don't swim in the pool.
Is she clean ing her room now? Is she cleaning the room now?	No, she isnot. No, she doesn't clean.	No, she is not clean ing her room now. No, she's not cleaning the room now.

Examples

Are are they playing tennis?
Do they play tennis?

Yes, they are.
Yes, they are playing.

Are are they playing tennis?
Do they play tennis?

No, they are not.
No, they don't play.

Is he sleepingnow?
Is he sleeping now?

Yes, he is sleeping now.
Yes, he's sleeping now.

Is he sleeping now?
Is he sleeping now?

No, he is not sleeping now.
No, he's 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 placed first in the sentence, and the further order of words will be the same as in a regular question. The scheme is like this:

Question word + am/are/is + the person in question + verb + -ing?

	am	I
		you
What	are	they	reading?
Where		we	playing?
Why		she	cooking? Reinforcement task Now for some practice. Translate the following sentences into English. Be careful, hidden among them are sentences that belong to the Present Simple. 1. She is flying on a plane at the moment. 2. Are you studying now? Yes, I'm studying. 3. She walks to work. 4. It’s not raining now. 4. Do they go to school? No, they don't study. 5. I'm painting a picture now. 6. He doesn't fly by plane. 7. The cat is lying on the table. 8. What are they reading? They read new magazines. 9. My friend understands physics. As always, leave your answers in the comments below the article.

Present Continuous Tense is one of the tense forms of the English language, which has no analogues in Russian. Its exact name is translated as present continuous (continuous), and this already contains the essence of this time: it is used to describe the situation occurring at a given moment in time.

The present continuous tense in English has many features of use, and due to the fact that in the Russian language there is no division of tenses into long or regular ones, it can cause some difficulties for those who study English.

So, we can give two examples that reflect this situation:

· I’m speaking English - I speak English (meaning the fact that I speak English right now)
· I speak English - I speak English (meaning that I always speak English).

In the second example, the tense Present Indefinite (Simple) is used to show the regularity and constancy of the action. In the first case, the Present Continuous is used to emphasize that the situation is happening in a given specific time period.

Education Present Continuous

It is important to understand not only how the Present Continuous is formed, but also why it happens this way. The basis of this tense is the auxiliary verb to be, the three forms of which in the present tense, as is known, are am (for the pronoun “I”), is (“he”, “she”, “it”) and are (“we” , “you”, “they”). In addition, the tense construction includes a verb form called Present Participle, or Participle I, which ends in –ing. Thus, the present continuous tense in English, or rather, the Present Continuous formula is as follows:

Am
Is + V-ing
Are

Questions and denials

Interrogative sentences

This temporary form differs in that no auxiliary words like do and does are used here, as is the case with Present Indefinite. In this case, the scheme is simple: the verb to be in the required form is placed first, followed by the subject, and then the rest of the construction:

· Are you going to school now? – Are you going to school now?
· Is he watching a new film at the moment? – Is he watching a new film now?

But here you should also pay attention to the fact that, like any other tense, the Present Continuous has different types of questions. And if the above-described sentences relate to general questions, then, for example, special questions in the Present Continuous (the question does not apply to the subject here) are formed using a special question word, which comes first, and the further order is exactly the same:

· Where is he going? -Where is he going?
· Why are they running so fast? -Why do they run so fast?

Question to the subject

in present, the continuum has a certain peculiarity: in the first place is the interrogative pronoun who, asking a question about an animate object, or what (about an inanimate object). In Russian, a question to the subject begins with the words who or what.

Examples of what a question to a subject looks like in the Present Continuous:

· Who is making such a strange noise? -Who makes such a strange noise?
· What is flying over that house? -What is flying over that house?

Negative sentences

They do not carry any complexity at all: the particle not is simply added to the verb to be in the required form. Here are some example sentences that illustrate negation in the Present Continuous:

· I’m not walking with my friend now – I’m not walking with a friend now
· They are not talking to their chief at the moment - At the moment they are not talking to their boss.

Rules for writing verb forms in the Present Continuous

Present continuous grammar requires compliance with certain rules for writing certain verbs used in the continuous form:

1. If the last vowel of the verb is an unpronounceable –e, then it will not be written:

to drive – driving
to describe – describing
to dance – dancing

2. There are also situations where consonant doubling occurs:

· if the last consonant of the verb is preceded by a short stressed vowel sound, then this consonant will be doubled:

to stop – stopping
to cut – cutting
to forget – forgetting

· in the event that the last consonant is –l, preceded by a vowel, then this –l will also be doubled:

to tell – telling
to travel – travelling
to spell – spelling

Note: The rule of doubling –l is not typical for American English.

3. In the case when the verb ends in the letter combination –ie, then it is replaced with –y:

to die – dying
to lie – lying

Note: if the verb ends in –y, then in this case the ending –ing is simply added to it:

to fly – flying
to cry – crying

Cases of using the Present Continuous

The use of Present Continuous is typical for the following situations:

1. In order to show long lasting effect,

happening at a specific moment in time. Time present continuius, also called Present Progressive Tense often carries with it some so-called markers, the presence of which in the text, as a rule, indicates that the time will be exactly like that. Such indicator words and constructions are usually now, at the moment. But at the same time, it is important to remember that when talking about the present moment, you should not focus on the fact that the action is performed at one specific moment and only now. If in Russian we use words like now or now, in English we use the Present Continuous in a broader sense:

· John, you are talking nonsense - John, you are talking nonsense
· Jack and Mary are in London now. Mary is studying English – Jack and Mary are now in London. Mary is studying English.

At the same time, there are also such examples Present Continuous, when this tense is used to show a certain state or quality characteristic of a person at a particular moment in time:

· You are being a nuisance - you are in the way;
· You are being bitter - you are sorry.

Note: if we're talking about about actions taking place in the present tense, but describing not the process, but the very fact of the action, it is customary to use the tense Present Indefinite:

· Why don’t you answer, Emily? – Why don’t you answer, Emily?
· Your defend him despite all his misdeeds - You protect him, despite all his misdeeds

2. In a situation where there are two actions in one sentence,

and one of them shows regularity, and the other – process, then in the first case it should be used the Present Indefinite Tense, and in the second – the Present Continuous Tense:

· You never talk while you are working – You never talk when you work
· She always dreams while she is walking – She always dreams while she walks

3. To express the future

In English, the Present Continuous can express not only the present, but also. This is typical for situations when we are talking about actions that were decided and planned in advance, and the chance of their implementation is close to one hundred percent:

· I am leaving tomorrow at sunset - I’m leaving tomorrow at sunset
· They are coming to us on Sunday - They will come to us on Sunday

The construction to be going to deserves special attention, which is translated into English as going to do something and is also used to express intentions for the future. Its difference from the Present Continuous is that, as a rule, the exact time is not indicated here:

· I am going to visit you - I’m going to visit you
· She is going to come - She is going to come

Note: the Present Continuous rule provides for the use of this tense exclusively in such situations, and not the Future Indefinite, where decisions aimed at the future are usually spontaneous and only probable.

4. With “constantly, always, ever”

With the Present Continuous, those sentences are usually used, situations in which are aimed at demonstrating those actions that are always continuous and never stand still. In this case, special hints often appear in the form of adverbs constantly, always, ever:

· The population of the Earth is always increasing – The population of the Earth is constantly increasing
· The Sun is ever shining – The sun always shines

5. Irritation

Often there are such sentences in the Present Continuous, in which the speaker expresses the idea of ​​irritation and negative emotions towards another. Here the same satellites are also usually used - the adverbs always, constantly:

· You are always grumbling! -You're always grumbling!
· She is constantly complaining! “She’s always complaining!”

Verbs not used in Continuous

English, like, perhaps, any other language, has its own strict laws. If we are talking about Present Continuous Active, then it is extremely important to remember that not all verbs can form the Present Participle form and be used to indicate a process. Below are categories of verbs that are not used in the Continuous and cannot form the –ing or so-called form:

· verbs of sensory perception (see, hear, smell, etc.);
· verbs, the essence of which is to express desire and intention (wish, intend, want, etc.);
· verbs illustrating mental activity(think, suppose, believe, etc.);
· verbs showing feelings and emotions (love, hate, like, etc.);
· verbs displaying abstract relationships (have, belong, possess, etc.).

But even in these cases there are exceptions: for example, the verb of sensory perception to see in its direct meaning see has no right to stand in Continuous. But, acting, for example, in the role phrasal verb(to see off - to see off) or being part of some structure (to see the sights of - to see the sights), has every right to form the –ing form. This means that all verbs that are not used in the Continuous can be used in one way or another for a long time, and such situations with them are formed and sound quite natural:

· I’m thinking of tomorrow’s meeting – I’m thinking about tomorrow’s meeting
· What are you doing? – I am having breakfast – What are you doing? I'm having breakfast

Thus, even such a relatively simple time has many nuances that must be taken into account. The Present Continuous has simple rules of use, but each of them has its own characteristics, and once you understand them, it will be much easier to use this tense in speech.