CEFR A2

    Present Continuous

    Learn to talk about actions happening right now, temporary situations, and future plans. Practice forming sentences with am/is/are + verb-ing.

    Learn Present Continuous Tense

    What You Will Learn

    The Present Continuous tense describes actions happening now or around now. Learn to talk about current activities and temporary situations.

    Learn to form the tense: am/is/are + verb-ing
    Talk about actions happening right now
    Describe temporary situations and current projects
    Use time expressions like now, at the moment, this week

    What is Present Continuous?

    Present continuous = am/is/are + verb -ing. AM for I; IS for he/she/it; ARE for you/we/they.

    I'm studying.She is cooking.They are playing.Are you working?He isn't listening.

    Spelling -ing

    Most verbs: add -ing. End in -e: drop it (write→writing). Short vowel + consonant: double it (run→running). End in -ie: change to -ying (lie→lying).

    The Present Continuous tense describes actions that are happening at this moment or around the current time period.

    Actions Happening Now

    "I am studying English right now."

    "She is cooking dinner at the moment."

    "They are watching TV now."

    Temporary Situations

    "I am staying with friends this week."

    "He is working from home today."

    "We are learning French this month."

    📖 A Day at the Office

    It's 10 AM and everyone in the office is busy. Sarah is typing an email to a client while Tom is making coffee in the kitchen.

    The marketing team is preparing a presentation for tomorrow's meeting. They are discussing new ideas and creating slides.

    Outside, it is raining heavily. Some colleagues are looking out the window and talking about the weather.

    The boss is not sitting in his office today — he is working from home this week because his car is being repaired.

    Notice how every action uses am/is/are + verb-ing because everything is happening right now or around now!

    Key Pattern!

    Present Continuous = am/is/are + verb + ing

    ✓ I am studying → I'm studying

    ✓ She is working → She's working

    ✓ They are playing → They're playing

    How to Form Present Continuous

    Learn the simple pattern to create Present Continuous sentences.

    Positive Sentences

    I am studying (I'm studying)

    You are working (You're working)

    He/She is eating (He's/She's eating)

    We are learning (We're learning)

    They are playing (They're playing)

    Negative Sentences

    I am not studying (I'm not studying)

    You are not working (You're not working)

    He/She is not eating (He's/She's not eating)

    We are not learning (We're not learning)

    They are not playing (They're not playing)

    Try It

    Complete these sentences:

    1. "I __________ (study) for my test right now."

    2. "She __________ (not work) today because she's sick."

    3. "They __________ (play) football in the park."

    💡 💡 Check your answers

    1. "I am studying for my test right now." or "I'm studying for my test right now."

    2. "She is not working today because she's sick." or "She's not working today because she's sick."

    3. "They are playing football in the park." or "They're playing football in the park."

    Time Expressions with Present Continuous

    Learn the words that often go with Present Continuous tense.

    Right Now Expressions

    now
    right now
    at the moment
    currently

    "I am studying English right now."

    Current Period Expressions

    this week
    this month
    this year
    these days

    "We are learning French this month."

    Temporary Situation Words

    Time-limited

    today

    this afternoon

    for now

    Specific Period

    at present

    for the time being

    during this period

    "He is working from home for the time being."

    Want to try a Present Continuous quiz?

    Practice with multiple choice questions

    Spelling Rules for -ING

    Learn how to add -ing to different verbs correctly.

    Basic Rule: Just add -ing

    For most verbs, simply add -ing to the base form:

    work
    working
    +
    play
    playing

    study → studying, learn → learning, read → reading

    Special Spelling Rules

    Verbs ending in -e: write → writing (remove e)
    One vowel + one consonant: run → running (double consonant)
    Verbs ending in -ie: lie → lying (change ie to y)

    Common Spelling Mistakes

    ❌ writeing (should be writing)
    ❌ runing (should be running)
    ❌ lieing (should be lying)

    Ready to test your Present Continuous knowledge?

    Challenge yourself with fill-in-the-blank exercises

    Common Mistakes

    ❌ I studying English now.

    ✓ I am studying English now.

    ❌ She is work at the moment.

    ✓ She is working at the moment.

    ❌ They are play football now.

    ✓ They are playing football now.

    ❌ We learning French this month.

    ✓ We are learning French this month.

    ❌ He is writeing a letter.

    ✓ He is writing a letter.

    Master Present Continuous sentence building!

    Drag and drop words to form correct sentences

    Practice Tips

    Describe what you are doing right now in English
    Talk about temporary situations in your life
    Practice with time expressions like 'now', 'at the moment', 'this week'
    Watch English videos and identify Present Continuous sentences
    Use the speaking practice section to improve your pronunciation

    Speaking Practice

    To practice your pronunciation, listen to the native speaker audio first. Then 'Record' yourself repeating what you heard, then use the 'Playback' button to compare your pronunciation with the native speaker. If you want to record yourself again, simply click 'Delete'!

    I am studying for my English exam right now.

    She is talking to her friend on the phone at the moment.

    They are playing football in the park this afternoon.

    He is working from home today because he's not feeling well.

    We are learning how to use the present continuous tense.

    The children are watching a movie while their parents cook dinner.

    My brother is traveling around Europe this summer.

    Our team is developing a new project for our clients.

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