The present continuous (also known as the present progressive) is a very common English verb form used to describe actions that are happening right now or during this period of time. About 5% of verbs in spoken English are in the present continuous tense.

Many English learners confuse it with the simple present tense. See this article about the difference between simple present and present continuous.

Read on to learn the rules and reasons for using and forming the present continuous, including lots of charts and examples!

Just to be clear, present continuous and present progressive are just different names for this same form. In some countries, one term is more common than the other, but continuous is more common overall.

USING THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE IN ENGLISH

The present continuous is used to show that an action is happening in the current moment or period of time. The action started before now, is happening right now, and will finish after now. See the illustration below.

It is important to recognize that this is very different from many other languages, in which the simple present is used to talk about actions happening right now. In English, the simple present is not used for actions that are happening now, but for actions that happen repeatedly. So we say:

We cannot say I read right now. And we say:

But we do not usually say I am reading every night.

More EXAMPLES OF THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

Here’s a bunch of examples of the present continuous to help you get a better idea of how we use it.

We can also use the present continuous to describe actions that are generally in progress at a particular time:

We also use it to show that a situation is not permanent:

And also for situations that are newly changing or developing:

Present Continuous for Future Plans

There is one more use of the present continuous that is a little different. We said that generally we use this tense to talk about the current moment, but we also use the present continuous to talk about future plans:

Forming the Present Continuous

Formula

To form the present continuous, we use the present form of the helping verb be and then the continuous (-ing) form of the main verb.

subject + am/is/are + VERBing

Conjugation

This table shows the complete conjugation of the verb work in the present continuous.

When adding -ing to C-V-C words, you should double the last consonant. When adding -ing to silent E words, drop the silent E.

Other Forms of the Present Continuous

Questions

To make questions in the present continuous, we already have the helping verb be, so all we have to do is move it to before the subject.

Negative Sentences

When forming a negative in the present continuous, not goes between the helping verb be (am, is or are) and the main verb.

The Passive Voice

To make a passive sentence in the present continuous, use be in the present continuous (am being, is being, or are being) and then the perfect form of the main verb.

Signal Words

If you use the present continuous, it is generally clear that the time is right now, so it is not necessary to use any signal words. But for emphasis, we can say right now, currently, at the moment, as we speak, for the time being. 

We can use the present continuous with always to talk about things that happen again and again, especially to show that we are annoyed by the repeated action:

To specify the time when the current action will end, use until. 

If you want to specify when the current action began, using since, do not use the present continuous:

The present perfect continuous is better for situations like this.

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