Present Continuous
Level A1 · Tenses
Use the present continuous for actions happening right now, temporary situations around the present, or fixed future arrangements: I'm meeting Sara tomorrow at 5.
Form: am/is/are + verb-ing. Negatives add 'not'; questions swap the order of the subject and be.
Spelling of the -ing form:
- most verbs just add -ing (play → playing)
- a single stressed vowel + consonant doubles the consonant (run → running, stop → stopping)
- verbs ending in silent -e drop it (make → making)
- verbs ending in -ie change to -y (lie → lying)
Am, is and are are forms of the auxiliary verb be. They must always be there, even though some languages drop the equivalent: I am working, not I working.
The most common mistake once learners are comfortable with -ing is overusing it with stative verbs — like, want, know, believe, understand, need — which are almost never used in the continuous, even to talk about now. I'm liking this song is wrong; it must be I like this song.
Typical time words: now, right now, at the moment, these days, currently.