Present Continuous

Introduction

The present continuous tense (also called the present progressive tense) is commonly used in English for actions happening right now, or in the future. This page will explain the rules for forming the tense with regular verbs.

1. Forming the present continuous tense

This tense is formed using two components: the verb BE (in the present tense), and the -ING form of a verb. Here are the rules, using the example verb “sing”:

Subject	BE	-ING form
I	am	singing
You	are	singing
He	is	singing
She	is	singing
It	is	singing
We	are	singing
They	are	singing

2. How to make the -ING form

With many verbs, you can simply add -ING to the end of the verb. However, with some verbs, you need to change the ending a little. Here are the rules:

Verb ending in...	How to make the -ING form	Examples
one vowel + one consonant	Double the consonant, then add -ING	swim - swimming hit - hitting get - getting
one vowel + one consonant + E	Remove E, then add -ING	come - coming lose - losing live - living
[anything else]	Add -ING	say - saying go - going walk - walking

When you are sure that you understand the lesson, you can continue with the exercises.

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