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Present Progressive Tense
What Is the 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.
- We are moving to New Zealand in the summer.
- The train is arriving in 2 minutes.
Table of Contents
- More Examples of the Present Progressive Tense
- Forming the Present Progressive Tense
- Interactive Verb Conjugation Tables
- Video Lesson
- Printable Test

More 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")]
Subject | Verb "to be" | Present Participle | I | am | [verb] + "ing" | You | are | He / She / It (or singular noun) | is | We | are | You | are | They (or plural noun) | are |
---|
- 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
- prepare > preparing
- ride > riding
- lie > lying
- untie > untying
- 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.
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?
[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?
"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?
Top 10 Regular Verbs
Top 10 Irregular Verbs
All 4 Past Tenses
Person | Simple Past | Past Progressive Tense | Past Perfect Tense | Past Perfect Progressive Tense |
---|---|---|---|---|
|
The simple past tense is for a completed activity that happened in the past.
|
The past progressive tense is for an ongoing activity in the past. Often, it is used to set the scene for another action.
|
The past perfect tense is for emphasizing that an action was completed before another took place.
|
The past perfect progressive tense is for showing that an ongoing action in the past has ended.
|
All 4 Present Tenses
Person | Simple Present | Present Progressive Tense | Present Perfect Tense | Present Perfect Progressive Tense |
---|---|---|---|---|
|
The simple present tense is mostly for a fact or a habit.
|
The present progressive tense is for an ongoing action in the present.
|
The present perfect tense is for an action that began in the past. (Often, the action continues into the present.)
|
The present perfect progressive tense is for a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present (or finished very recently).
|
All 4 Future Tenses
Person | Simple Future | Future Progressive Tense | Future Perfect Tense | Future Perfect Progressive Tense |
---|---|---|---|---|
|
The simple future tense is for an action that will occur in the future.
|
The future progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will occur in the future.
|
The future perfect tense is for an action that will have been completed at some point in the future.
|
The future perfect progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future.
|
Are you a visual learner? Do you prefer video to text? Here is a list of all our grammar videos.
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 |
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