Present Continuous
Use of Present Continuous
We use the Present Continuous to to speak about an activity that is happening at the moment of speaking, or a temporary action that is happening around now, or an activity that takes place for a limited period of time. As with all continuous verb forms, these tend to describe a situation and give a sense of movement and also the duration to the activity.
actions happening at the moment of speaking
Mark is watching television now.
temporary actions
I am working at a friends office this month.
actions happening around the moment of speaking.
I am reading a good book at the moment.
trends
More and more people are using their mobile phones to send E mails.
repeated actions which are irritating to the speaker (with always, constantly, forever)
Mark is always arriving late.
Form
auxiliary to be (am, are, is) + Infinitive + ing
Key Words
- At the moment
- Now
- In this period
- At present
- Look!
- This year/this month
Affirmative form
Long forms | Contracted forms |
---|---|
I am listening to music at the moment. | I‘m listening to music at the moment. |
You are listening to music. | You‘re listening to music. |
He is listening to music in this period. | He‘s listening to music in this period. |
Negative form
Long forms | Contracted forms |
---|---|
I am not listening to music now. | I‘m not listening to music now. |
You are not listening to music at present. | You‘re not listening to music. |
You aren’t listening to music at present. | |
He is not listening to music. | He‘s not listening to music. |
He isn’t listening to music. |
Interrogative form
Long forms | Contracted forms |
---|---|
Am I listening to music? | not possible |
Are you listening to music in this period? | |
Is he listening to music now? |