Present continuous tense in English. The Present Continuous Tense. The Present Continuous Tense

All the information we absorb not only finds a place in our head and memory, but is also transformed into images. To make this process faster and more efficient, you can use tables and diagrams.

Time helps to pay attention to what is happening now, at the time of conversation or not far from it. Present Continuous. You can perceive information both in text and in tables. Which method is right for you, decide for yourself. Let's structure all the information about the present continuous tense and try to “push” it into a table.

Education

A clearly presented table will help you understand and compare the features education this time. In order not to clutter up the space and not to scatter attention, let’s consider construction of various proposals in the present continuous table using the example of to swim. Denial and questions at this time are quite easy to understand and remember.

Use

How and when to use these forms poses the greatest challenge. Everything can be structured and understood. Table present continuous according to application cases time in speech.

But not everything is so rosy and simple, many verbs in the Present Continuous go beyond the usual ones. Exceptions are:

Some of these verbs have special cases uses, which can be read in more detail in our other page.

Having studied all this material and done a bunch of exercises, you can move on to understanding the passive voice. Present Continuous Passive is built according to the following scheme:

Passive voice requires additional, more careful study. And this table will be a support, a cheat sheet for the formation of the passive voice in the present continuous tense.

The easy, concise and accessible material presented in the table will help you quickly master all the material.

You are now reading this text. No, the author of the article is not falling into insanity, but simply used in the first sentence something that you will have to translate into English in the Continuous tense. This is probably the simplest of all times. Because it is very easy to solve: a verb in the form Continuous/Progressive (long/continued) expresses only an action that occurs in a certain period of time and has not yet been completed.

For example: you are now reading this sentence (Present Continuous). Yesterday, when you woke up, it was snowing outside (in the case of snow - Past Continuous). And in a couple of months you will be packing your suitcase for a trip to the sea (Future Continuous).

The only difficulty that only the lazy could find is the use of an auxiliary verb to form the Continuous. And this verb - to be . If you were good student, then you have long known all its forms:

Am (for yourself, loved one)
Is (for someone else in singular)
Are (for someone else in the plural)
Was (in the past tense for one person)
Were (past tense for several)
Will be (in the future tense for everyone; you can also use shall for the first person)

Well, one more feature is ing endings ( -ing). The so-called “ing” form is Participle I.

1. Present Continuous(Present continuous tense)

Used to denote an action that is being performed right now (at the moment of speech) or in the present period of time:
"The leaves are falling, falling, falling, falling".

Markers:
now, still, at present, at the moment, while, meanwhile.

The affirmative form is formed using a verb to be+ main verb with ending -ing:
I am reading. He is reading. You are reading.

Negative form: to be + not+ verb with -ing.
They are not reading.

Question form:
Are they reading?

2. Past Continuous(Past continuous tense)

Used to denote an action that was performed at a certain point in the past:
“The reeds rustled, the trees bent.”

Markers:
still, while, during, for 3 hours/days/weeks, all day long yesterday, from … till …

Affirmative form: was/were+ verb with -ing.
I was eating all day long.

Negative form: was/were + not+ verb with -ing.
They were not playing.

Question form: Was she playing?

3. Future Continuous(Future continuous tense)

Indicates an action that will be performed in a certain period of time or point in the future: “I will ride the bike for a long time.”

Markers:
still, from … to …, meanwhile, for 3 hours/days/years, during.

Affirmative form: will/shall + be+ verb with -ing.
They will be laughing.

Negative form: will/shall + not+be+ verb with -ing.
I will not be crying.

Question form: Will it be raining?

There are, of course, some other nuances use of Present Continuous, but by and large, with little things you can gain information for another couple of volumes on grammar. To get started, what is described in this article is enough. To consolidate the material, we strongly recommend that you start polishing your acquired knowledge by listening to a lesson about lasting tenses in a musical, entertaining, and exciting presentation. The most sophisticated music lovers and English lovers will like it!

Education Present Continuous
(am/is/are + … -ing)

Present Continuous (Present Progressive) is formed with the help to be in the present tense ( am, is, are) and the present participle form of the semantic verb: I am smiling. When adding endings to verbs - ing sometimes there are changes in their spelling, for example have/hav ing. More about .

Abbreviated forms:

‘m= am
‘re= are
's= is
aren't= are not
isn't= is not

Using the Present Continuous

1. A long-term action taking place at the moment of speech ( now - now, at the present moment - at the moment, at this moment - at this moment).

Examples: What are you doing? - What are you doing? (Now)
You are not listening to me. -You don't listen to me. (Now)
My mother is reading a book now. – My mother is reading a book now.

2. A long-term action taking place at the present time, but not necessarily at the moment of speech.

Examples: What are you doing here in Munich? – What are you doing here in Munich?
You 're working too much these days. – You work too much these days.

3. Planned future action, especially with verbs indicating movement ( to go - go/drive, to come - come, to leave - leave/leave, to arrive - arrive/arrive, to start - set off/set off), when the intention to perform an action is expressed, or we are talking about a pre-planned action. A sentence usually contains tense adverbs that indicate a future tense.

Examples: She is leaving for another city tonight. -She is leaving for another city this evening.
He is taking an exam on Monday. He takes the exam on Monday.

4. Expression of action in the future (instead of) in adverbial clauses and, which are introduced by conjunctions if, when, while etc.

Examples: If I am working when you come, don’t disturb me. “If I’m working when you come, don’t bother me.”

5. Present Continuous (Present Progressive), as a rule, is not used with:

• verbs emotional state (to wish - to wish, to desire - to wish, to love - to love),
• verbs of mental activity ( to agree - to agree, to believe - to believe, to remember - to remember, to think - to consider/believe * ),
• verbs of sensation ( to hear- hear * , to see – to see * , to taste – to have taste * , to smell - to smell * ),
• a group of verbs of possession, relationship ( to be * - to be, to consist - to consist, to belong - to belong.

Note.Verbs marked * can be used in the Continuous form, but only with a change in meaning. More about .

Examples: I know what I am doing. - I know what I'm doing.
I think she is beautiful. – I think she is beautiful. (my opinion)
Be quite! I 'm thinking. - Quiet! I think. (mental activity)

Note.To express an intended or planned action in the future, instead is often used. This construction means the intention to perform an action in the very near future or gives a connotation of obligation, the inevitability of performing the action indicated by the infinitive.

Examples: I 'm going to have dinner with Bob tomorrow. - I'm going to have lunch with Bob tomorrow.
He is going to be a surgeon. - He's going to be a surgeon.

Meaning of Continuous time and translation:

Continuous tenses denote actions that are taking place (have taken place, will take place) at a precisely specified time - present, past and future. Additional characteristics of such actions are their incompleteness, dynamism, and visibility. This can be seen from the comparison of infinitives:
To work - to work (Indefinite)
To be working – literally to be working (Continuous), i.e. it shows the process as unfinished and ongoing.

For example, you can say. Our children read and Our children are reading. Both sentences translate as: Our children read.
But in the first case, Present Indefinite, you give only the most general idea: Our children read in the sense that they know how and love to read. At the moment of pronouncing these words, children may not dance, but learn lessons, play, dance.
But the sentence Our children are reading shows a specific picture of children reading: They are reading now.

The Continuous form is formed using the auxiliary verb to be.

Present Continuous

Present Continuous is formed using the auxiliary verb to be in the present tense and the 4th main form of the verb.

Note 1:

It is worth noting that the forms of the singular and plural match.
You are asking. You ask.
You ask.

Note 2:

In conversational English Instead of full forms, abbreviated ones are usually used: isn’t, aren’t

Present Continuous is used in the following cases:

1. To express an action, an event occurring at the present moment in time or at the moment of speech. Shows that the action taking place at the present moment began before this moment and will continue after it.
An indication of time such as now (now), at the moment (at the moment) can be either expressed or implied.

She is answering (at this moment). She answers (currently)
She is studying at school (now). She is currently studying at school.
He is writing a letter. He is writing a letter now.
I'm sitting in the park. I'm sitting in the park.
Young woman is reading a book. Young woman reading a book.

2. To express a future action (similarly in Russian), when there is an intention to perform an action or confidence in its completion.
In this case, the future is indicated by the adverb: soon (soon), tomorrow (tomorrow), next week (next week).

Liza is arriving in Moscow soon. Lisa will soon arrive in Moscow.
They are leaving London tonight. They are leaving London today.

Note:

With state verbs:

To love (to love);
- to think (think);
- to want (to want);
- to live (to live);
- to be (life, to be);
- to feel (feel);
- to see (see);
- to know (to know);
- to remember (remember);
- to hear (hear);
- to stay (stay);

Present Continuous is not used.

The exception is the case when they want to show that a given condition is temporary.

How are you feeling? – Great. How do you feel? - Fabulous.
I know I'm being a stupid. But I don't know to do. I know I'm being stupid. But I don't know what to do.

Past Continuous

Past Continuous is formed using the auxiliary verb to be in the past tense and the 4th main form of the verb.

Past Continuous is used in the following cases:

1. To express an action that took place (lasted) at a certain moment in the past, which is indicated either by a circumstance of time or by another action in the past. However, neither the beginning nor the end of the long-term action is known.

You were reading a book at 5 o’clock. You were reading a book at five o'clock.
You were reading a book when they came. I was reading a book when they arrived.
At weekend I was preparing for my exams. Over the weekend I studied for my exams.

2. To express a long-term action that took place during a certain period of time in the past (from five to six, all day long, the whole day yesterday)

I was writing letters the whole day yesterday. I wrote letters all day yesterday.

Important!
In this case, the beginning and end of the action are unknown, all that matters is that it lasted the entire specified period of time.
In both cases, 1 and 2 Past Continuous is used when it is necessary to emphasize the process of action itself, its duration.
If only the fact of the action is important, then Past Indefinite is used.

In addition, the Past Continuous can be used to express simultaneous actions that took place in the past at the same moment.

The children were playing in the yard while their mother was watching TV. The children were playing in the garden while the mother was watching TV.

As I was taking a shower, my girlfriend was cooking breakfast. While I was taking a shower, my girlfriend was preparing breakfast.

3. Past Continuous is used with verbs of motion to express a future action that is planned in the past and viewed from the point of view of the past.

My mom was glad that I was leaving for Moscow. My mother was glad that I was going to Moscow.
They said that I was returning the next week. They said I was coming back next week.
She wrote she was arriving on Sunday. She wrote that she was coming on Sunday.

Note 1:

The Past Continuous, like the Present Continuous, is usually not used with state verbs. State verbs are used in the Past Continuous only in cases where it is emphasized that this state is temporary.

Note 2:

The Past Continuous sometimes expresses a constant characteristic of someone in the past. In this case, the sentence contains the adverbs always, constantly.

He was always coming and staying for hours giving pointless advice and asking endless questions.
He always came and sat for hours, giving useless advice and asking endless questions.

Future Continuous

Future Continuous expresses a future action in the process of its completion, i.e. an unfinished long-term action. Formed using the auxiliary verb to be in the future tense and the 4th main form of the verb.

Future Continuous is used:

1. To express a continuous action that will begin before a certain moment in the future and will still continue, last at that moment. This may be indicated by the circumstance of time (at that moment, at six o’clock, at midnight)

At seven o'clock tomorrow she will be having exam. Tomorrow at seven o'clock she will take the exam.
If you ring him up at midnight, she won’t answer. She will be sleeping. If you call her at midnight, she won't answer. She will sleep.

2. To express a long-term action that will be performed at a certain period of time in the future.

Don’t call my friend tonight between 7 and 11. She will be wring a letter. Don't call my friend between 7 and 11 o'clock. She will write a letter.
I shall be reading the whole day tomorrow. Tomorrow I will read all day.

3. To express the intention to perform an action in the future or confidence in its completion.

I shall be reading tonight. I'm going to read this evening.
She will be visiting me tomorrow. Tomorrow she is going to visit me.

For a long time. Forms sentences using the auxiliary verb to be (in English translated as “to be”) in the form of the present tense and the fourth form of the main semantic verb (with the suffix -ing characteristic of the long tense).

Let's consider use of present continuouse. Example sentences:

You are having dinner. - You are having dinner (right now).

I am waiting for you. - I'm waiting for you.

They are traveling in the west. - They travel to the west.

She is writing a letter right know. - She is writing a letter right now.

We are speaking English now. - We speak English now.

They are reading this boring book now. - They are reading this boring book now.

For reference:

• In colloquial English, the word "dinner" means dinner, and "supper" means a late dinner in a homely family setting.

Formation of question and negation

When forming an interrogative sentence in the present continuous tense, the words in it change places. As in any other case of English.

The verb to be moves to the first place - before the subject (pronoun, noun or proper name) in sentences with the present continuous. Example sentences:

Is she reading this boring book now? - Is she reading this boring book now?

Are we speaking English right now? -Are we speaking English right now?

Is she writing the letter now? - Is she writing this letter right now?

When forming a negative sentence between the form of the auxiliary and the semantic verb, not is added along with the semantic verb in the present continuous. Example sentences:

He is not writing. - He doesn't write.

I am not speaking. - I don't talk.

We are not waiting. - We're not waiting.

They are not studying. - They don't study.

She is not asking. - She doesn't ask.

At the same time, such full forms negatives are rarely used. IN spoken language abbreviations are used: isn't in the singular or aren't in the plural.

Important rules for using this time

Using Present continuous. Rules of use:

1. The specified tense is used to express a specific action occurring at the present moment or period, that is, right now. This is what the temporary additions to the sentences specifically indicate:

now - now;

at the moment - at this (this) moment.

But these words are not always present in the sentence. They can only be implied.

He is reading his diploma. - He is reading his diploma (that is, right now).

2. It is usually not used with verbs that denote the state of an object rather than its action:

to want - to want;

to feel - to feel;

to love - to love;

to think - to think;

to like - to like, love;

to be - to be;

to live - to live;

to hate - to hate;

to stay - to stay;

to hear - to hear;

to remember - remember;

to see - see and some other English verbs.

But sometimes these verbs of state are still used to emphasize the temporary state in the present continuous. Example sentences:

I know I am being a baby but I can't help it. - I know that I'm like a child, but I can't do anything about it (that is, I'm only acting like a child now).

She is wanting to stay at this house and I can't help it. - She wants to stay in this house and I can’t help (that is, she just wants to stay now).

3. When a sentence conveys the intention to perform an action, the present continuous is sometimes used to indicate the future tense. Example sentences:

We are going to the cinema tonight. - We are going to go to the cinema this evening.

She is leaving by seven-o"clock train. - She is leaving by seven o'clock train.

Present Perfect Continuous Forms

Or, as it is also called, progressive in English are peculiar derivatives of the present continuous tense.

You can get it using the verb to be (to be) in the form of the present perfect tense (have been or has been in the 3rd person singular) and an auxiliary verb in the continuous tense (with the ending -ing).

Present perfect continuous- example sentences:

1) Used to denote an action that began in the past at a certain point in time, continued for some time and continues at the present moment:

I have been walking since 8 o"clock in the morning. - I have been walking since 8 o'clock in the morning.

He has been living in Moscow for six years. - He has been living in Moscow for six years.

2) An ordinary and constantly occurring action, indicating the time period for the continuation of the action. Moreover, if it is not indicated how long (time period) the action lasts, then the present continuous tense is used.

It has been raining for three days. - It has been raining for two days.

It has raining. - It's raining.

He has been studying English for seven years. - He has been studying English for seven years.

He is studying English. - He is studying English (that is, right now).

3) Constructions of the present perfect continuous tense are also used to indicate the duration of an action. At the same time, if the fact of the completion of an action is indicated, then another tense is used - the present perfect.

I have been living here since 1956. - I have been living here since 1956 (that is, my residence here has continued all this time).

I have lived here since 1956. - I have lived here since 1956 (that is, an episode of action that has already occurred is emphasized).

4) Present perfect long time, just like the present continuous, is not used with English verbs, denoting the state of an object, not its action. That is, verbs - to love - to love, to feel - to feel and others similar to them indicated above (present continuous rules).

5) This time is also used in interrogative sentences to indicate the period that precedes the moment of speech ( at this moment time). In this case, the use of appropriate question words and constructions is typical - how long - how long, how long; since when - since what time, since when.

How long have they been living here? - How long (how long) do they live here?

Since when has she been sitting there? - Since when (since when) has she been sitting there?

Present continuous passive

Form passive voice The present continuous tense shows the action in its development, that is, how it continues. This construction is formed as follows:

• verb to be (am, is, are) + being (that is, an indication of the continuous tense) + the second form of the semantic verb.

Let's look at the present continuous passive, example sentences:

New railway stations are being built. - New railway stations are being built (that is, they are being built right now).

Delicious supper is being cooked. - Delicious dinner It's getting ready now.

If the present tense in such a voice changes to the past, then in the sentences, since there is no indication of the time frame, only the form of the verb to be changes. It is put in the past tense was - in the singular and were - in the plural.