What Is the Present Progressive Tense? (with Examples)

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Present Progressive Tense

The present progressive tense is used for an ongoing action in the present. For example:
  • John is baking a cake.
  • They are painting the fence.
Even though it is a present tense, the present progressive tense can also be used to describe an activity that is going to happen in the future (especially for planned activities). For example:
  • We are moving to New Zealand in the summer.
  • The train is arriving in 2 minutes.

A Video Summary

Here is a short video summarizing the present progressive tense:

Infographic for the Present Progressive Tense

Here is an infographic explaining the present progressive tense:

present progressive tense

Examples of the Present Progressive Tense

  • Caroline is looking for the latest brochure.
  • Dan and Billy are fishing off the pier.
  • A lot of good arguments are spoiled by some fool who knows what he is talking about. (Playwright Miguel de Unamuno)
  • Middle age is when you are sitting at home on a Saturday night and the telephone rings and you hope it isn't for you. (Poet Ogden Nas)

Forming the Present Progressive Tense

The present progressive tense is formed like this:
"am," "is," or "are"
+
[present participle ("verb-ing")]


Choose "am," "is," or "are" based on the following table:
SubjectVerb "to be"Present Participle
Iam[verb] + "ing"
Youare
He / She / It (or singular noun)is
Weare
Youare
They (or plural noun)are

For example:
  • She is running.
  • I am talking.

Forming the Present Participle

The [verb] + "ing" part is known as a present participle. It is formed like this:

Add "ing" to most verbs:
  • play > playing
  • shout > shouting

For verbs that end "e", remove the "e" and add "ing":
  • prepare > preparing
  • ride > riding

For verbs that end "ie", change the "ie" to "y" and add "ing":
  • lie > lying
  • untie > untying

For verbs whose last syllable is written [consonant-vowel-consonant] and is stressed, double the final consonant and add "ing":
  • run > running
  • forget > forgetting

The Negative Version

If you need the negative version, you can use the following construction:
"am," "is," or "are"
+
"not"
+
[present participle]
  • Caroline is not looking for the latest brochure.
  • Dan and Billy are not fishing off the pier.
Remember that "is not" and "are not" are sometimes written as the contractions "isn't" and "aren't."

The Question Version

If you need to ask a question, you can use the following word order for a yes/no question:
"am," "is," or "are"
+
[subject]
+
[present participle]
  • Is Caroline looking for the latest brochure?
  • Are Dan and Billy fishing off the pier?
You can use the following word order for a question-word question:
[question word]
+
"am," "is," or "are"
+
[subject]
+
[present participle]
  • Why is Caroline looking for the latest brochure?
  • When are Dan and Billy fishing off the pier?
You can use the following word order for a choice question:
"am," "is," or "are"
+
[subject]
+
[present participle]
+
choice A
+
or
+
choice B
  • Is Caroline looking for the latest brochure or her chair?
"am," "is," or "are"
+
[subject]
+
present participle A
+
or
+
present participle B
  • Are Dan and Billy fishing off or jumping off the pier?

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

The Other Present Tenses

The present progressive tense is one of four present tenses. They are:
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

Slider Showing All the Tenses

The following slider shows all 12 tenses. The present progressive tense is highlighted with a yellow background.
Interactive Exercise
Here are three randomly selected questions from a larger exercise, which can be edited, printed to create an exercise worksheet, or sent via email to friends or students.

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See Also

Take a test on the present progressive tense Tenses Simple past tense Past progressive tense Past perfect tense Past perfect progressive tense Simple present tense Present perfect tense Present perfect progressive tense Simple future tense Future progressive tense Future perfect tense Future perfect progressive tense