Present Continuous Tense

Present Continuous Tense
am singing

We often use the present continuous tense in English. It is very different from the simple present
tense, both in structure and in use.

In this lesson we look the structure and use of the present continuous tense, follwed by a quiz to
check your understanding:

• Structure: how do we make the present continuous tense?
• Use: when and why do we use the present continuous tense?
• Spelling: how do we spell verbs with -ing for the present continuous tense?

Present Continuous Tense Quiz

Continuous tenses are also called
progressive tenses. So the present
progressive tense is the same as the present
continuous tense.

How do we make the Present Continuous Tense?
The structure of the present continuous tense is:
subject + auxiliary verb + main verb
                    be base           + ing
Look at these examples:
 

How do we use the Present Continuous Tense?
We use the present continuous tense to talk about:

• action happening now

-:action in the future
Present continuous tense for action happening now
a) for action happening exactly now