In English we use the present continuous tense to talk about things that are happening right now or around now, for temporary situations and to describe changes. Another reason to use present continuous is for definite future arrangements. We usually know exactly when the arrangements are happening and they are often the type of arrangements we can write in a diary. There is a suggestion that more than one person is aware of the event, and that some preparation has already happened. In English we often use time phrases such as now, at the moment, at this time, currently, today and this week with the present continuous.
Notes for use of present continuous :
It is not possible to use state verbs in continuous forms. State verbs are generally those which relate to thoughts, senses, emotions, relationships, states of being and measurements such as like, love, hate, own, know, contain, believe and understand. Only action verbs can be used in the present continuous.
Generally, we take the infinitive of the verb and simply add '-ing' to make the continuous form. For example;
work --> working
go --> going
cook --> cooking
study --> studying
listen --> listening
If the verb ends in 'e', we drop the 'e' before adding '-ing'. For example;
come --> coming
take --> taking
phone --> phoning
If the verb ends in a vowel + consonant, we double the last consonant. For example;
swim --> swimming
sit --> sitting
plan --> planning
If the verb has more than one syllable, we double the consonant at the end only if the last syllable is stressed. For example;
prefer --> preferring
begin --> beginning
regret --> regretting
If the last syllable of a verb is not stressed, we do not double the last consonant. For example;
visit --> visiting
happen --> happening
develop --> developing
In British English, verbs ending in 'l' double the 'l' before '-ing' whether the last syllable is stressed or not. For example;
travel --> travelling
cancel --> cancelling
If the verb ends in a 'y' or a 'w', we do not double it when we add '-ing'. For example;
stay --> staying
play --> playing
sew --> sewing
We do not double the consonant if the verb has two vowels before the last consonant. For example;
boil --> boiling
explain --> explaining
In English we also do not double the consonant if the verb ends in two consonants. For example;
help --> helping
start --> starting
The table below shows the different forms of present continuous :
Example Verb : Go | I | You / We / They | He / She / It |
Positive | I'm going ... | ...'re going ... | ...'s going ... |
Negative | I'm not going ... | ... aren't going ... | ... isn't going ... |
Questions | Am I going ...? | Are ... going ...? | Is ... going ...? |
Short answers | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | Yes, ... are. / No, ... aren't. | Yes, ... is. / No, ... isn't. |
Present Continuous Example Sentences :
Positive Examples of Present Continuous:
Negative Examples of Present Continuous :
Question Examples of Present Continuous :
In English we also use the present continuous with 'always' to indicate the action we are describing is annoying for us because it is done too often.
Examples of Present Continuous with Always:
Present continuous example sentences | |
---|---|
Excuse me!? Can you explain why I am being stupid now? | Entschuldige!? Kannst du mir bitte erklären weshalb ich jetzt dumm bin? |
What old lady are you talking about? | Von welcher alten Dame sprichst du? |
I'm turning the oven fan on. | Ich mache das Gebläse im Ofen an. |
Calm down, dude, I am just teasing you. | Bleib ruhig Alter, ich mache nur Spaß. |
Hello, am I speaking to Mr. Jones? | Hallo, spreche ich mit Herrn Jones? |
Okay, I'm leaving my bag here. | Okay, ich lasse meine Tasche hier. |
I have no idea what they are talking about! | Ich habe keine Ahnung was gemeint ist! |
What 500 times? Aren't you overexaggerating? | Wie 500 Mal? Übertreibst du nicht? |
What!? Why is he doing that? | Was!? Warum macht er das? |
I'm just calling about the house for rent in Angel. | Ich rufe nur wegen dem Haus an das in Angel vermietet wird. |
Yes, I am coming! | Ja, ich komme mit! |
I was mentioning how happy he is sitting here, mate. | Ich habe nur gemeint wie glücklich er ist hier mit mir zu sitzen. |
When are you finishing today? | Wann bist du heute fertig? |
Erm, alright, maybe you are right, I'm overreacting a bit. | Ähm, okay, du hast vielleicht Recht. Ich reagiere ein bisschen über. |
We are running late for our next appointment. | Wir sind spät dran für unseren nächsten Termin. |
My name is Mike, I'm calling about the house for rent... | Mein Name ist Mike. Ich rufe an wegen dem Haus das vermietet wird... |
If you say so!... I'm taking the kids to the garden. | Wenn du meinst!... Ich nehme die Kinder mit in den Garten. |
Yes, I can see you are not being aggressive in your eyes! | Ja, ich kann an deinen Augen sehen, dass du nicht aggressiv bist! |
Why are you making me carry everything back and forth 500 times, then? | Warum lässt du mich dann alles 500 Mal hin und her tragen? |
I can keep the window open while I'm smoking... | Ich kann das Fenster offen lassen, während ich rauche... |