Progressive Aspect

What Is the Progressive Aspect?

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The progressive aspect (or continuing aspect as it's sometimes called) is the aspect of a verb that expresses an ongoing action.

"Progressive aspect" is the collective term for verbs (in the past tense, present tense, or future tense) in a progressive tense.

Table of Contents

The Three "Progressive (or Continuing) Aspect" Verb Tenses
Examples of Verbs in the Progressive Aspect
Forming the Progressive Aspect
Verb Tenses Showing the Progressive Aspect
Verb Tense Widget
Why the Progressive Aspect Is Important
Test Time!

The Three "Progressive (or Continuing) Aspect" Verb Tenses

This lesson is about the three tenses (past, present, and future) in the progressive (or continuing) aspect. There are four aspects in total, each of which has three tenses. So, overall, there are 12 tenses.

The tables below show all 12 tenses categorized by aspect. The tenses in the progressive (or continuing) aspect are highlighted.

The "Simple Aspect" Tenses	Examples
The simple aspect is used to describe facts and habits.
Simple Present Tense	The whale eats plankton.
Simple Past Tense	The whale ate plankton.
Simple Future Tense	The whale will eat plankton.

The "Progressive (or Continuing) Aspect" Tenses	Examples
The progressive aspect expresses ongoing actions.
Present Progressive Tense	The whale is eating plankton.
Past Progressive Tense	The whale was eating plankton.
Future Progressive Tense	The whale will be eating plankton.

The "Perfect (or Complete) Aspect" Tenses	Examples
The perfect aspect expresses completed actions.
Present Perfect Tense	The whale has eaten plankton.
Past Perfect Tense	The whale had eaten plankton.
Future Perfect Tense	The whale will have eaten plankton.

The "Perfect Progressive Aspect" Tenses	Examples
The perfect progressive aspect expresses the end of an ongoing action.
Present Perfect Progressive Tense	The whale has been eating plankton.
Past Perfect Progressive Tense	The whale had been eating plankton.
Future Perfect Progressive Tense	The whale will have been eating plankton.

Examples of Verbs in the Progressive Aspect

Verbs in the progressive aspect are recognizable by the present participle (i.e., the word that ends "-ing"). Here are some examples of verbs in the progressive aspect.

In the Past Tense

He was singing.
We were playing.

In the Present Tense

I am leaving.
They are diving.

In the Future Tense

I will be flying.
They will be acting.

Forming the Progressive Aspect

The progressive aspect is formed using a form of the auxiliary verb "to be" and the present participle. For example:

Forming the Past Progressive Tense

"was" or "were"

[present participle]

We were writing.

Forming the Present Progressive Tense

"is" or "are"

[present participle]

She is diving.
They are eating.

Forming the Future Progressive Tense

"will be"

[present participle]

He will be flying.

Verb Tenses Showing the Progressive Aspect

Here are the 12 tenses again. This time, the tenses are ordered under the headings past tense, present tense, and future tense. As before, the tenses in the progressive (or continuing) aspect are shaded in yellow.

The 4 Past Tenses	Example
simple past tense	I went
past progressive tense	I was going
past perfect tense	I had gone
past perfect progressive tense	I had been going
The 4 Present Tenses	Example
simple present tense	I go
present progressive tense	I am going
present perfect tense	I have gone
present perfect progressive tense	I have been going
The 4 Future Tenses	Example
simple future tense	I will go
future progressive tense	I will be going
future perfect tense	I will have gone
future perfect progressive tense	I will have been going

Verb Tense Widget

Use this widget to learn about the different tenses. How do you use this widget? Well, if there's a button, a drop-down menu, or a

, then you can click it!

to base form

( verb)

Select the tenses.

Present Tenses

Simple Present Tense The simple present tense is mostly used to describe facts and habits. More...(opens new tab) I base form you base form he/she/it 3rd pers sing present we base form you base form they base form Present Progressive Tense The present progressive tense is used for an ongoing action in the present. More...(opens new tab) I am present participle you are present participle he/she/it is present participle we are present participle you are present participle they are present participle Present Perfect Tense The present perfect tense is used for actions that began in the past. (Often, the actions continue into the present.) More...(opens new tab) I have past participle you have past participle he/she/it has past participle we have past participle you have past participle they have past participle Present Perfect Progressive
Tense The present perfect progressive tense is used for a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present, or a continuous activity that began in past but has now finished (usually very recently). More...(opens new tab) I have been present participle you have been present participle he/she/it has been present participle we have been present participle you have been present participle they have been present participle

Past Tenses

Simple Past The simple past tense is used to describe a completed activity that happened in the past. More...(opens new tab) I past tense you past tense he/she/it past tense we past tense you past tense they past tense Past Progressive Tense The past progressive tense is used to describe an ongoing activity in the past. Often, it is used to set the scene for another action. More...(opens new tab) I was present participle you were present participle he/she/it was present participle we were present participle you were present participle they were present participle Past Perfect Tense The past perfect tense is used to emphasize that an action was completed before another took place. More...(opens new tab) I had past participle you had past participle he/she/it had past participle we had past participle you had past participle they had past participle Past Perfect Progressive
Tense The past perfect progressive tense is used to show that an ongoing action in the past has ended. More...(opens new tab) I had been present participle you had been present participle he/she/it had been present participle we had been present participle you had been present participle they had been present participle

Future Tenses

Simple Future The simple future tense is used for an action that will occur in the future. More...(opens new tab) I will base form you will base form he/she/it will base form we will base form you will base form they will base form Future Progressive Tense The future progressive tense is used for an ongoing action that will occur in the future. More...(opens new tab) I will be present participle you will be present participle he/she/it will be present participle we will be present participle you will be present participle they will be present participle Future Perfect Tense The future perfect tense is used to describe an action that will have been completed at some point in the future. More...(opens new tab) I will have past participle you will have past participle he/she/it will have past participle we will have past participle you will have past participle they will have past participle Future Perfect Progressive
Tense The future perfect progressive tense is used for an ongoing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future. More...(opens new tab) I will have been present participle you will have been present participle he/she/it will have been present participle we will have been present participle you will have been present participle they will have been present participle

Why the Progressive Aspect Is Important

If you're learning or teaching English, you must spend time learning the tenses because expressing when something occurs is a fundamental skill when communicating. Remember that tenses do not just state whether an action is a past, present, or future one. Tenses also state whether an action is habitual, completed, or ongoing. (These are called the aspects of the tenses.).

Here's a good tip to help you with mastering the tenses: Concentrate on the following:

The verb "to be" in all its forms (am, is, are, was, were, will be)
The verb "to have" in all its forms (has, have, had, will have)
Present participles, i.e., the "ing" form of verbs (e.g., dancing, knowing, eating)
Past participles (e.g., danced, known, eaten)

Key Points

Learning or teaching English? Get your head in those verb tables.
The past progressive tense is a common tense. Therefore, if you're prioritizing your learning of tenses, include that tense among the first ones you learn.