What Is the Present Progressive Tense? (with Examples)

The present progressive tense is used for an on-going action in the present.

Examples of the Present Progressive Tense

Caroline is looking for the latest brochure.
Dan and Billy are fishing off the pier.

You can also have a negative version:

Caroline is not looking for the latest brochure.
Dan and Billy are not fishing off the pier.

And the question version:

Is Caroline looking for the latest brochure?
Are Dan and Billy fishing off the pier?

The present progressive tense can also be used to describe an activity which 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.

Forming the Present Progressive Tense

Here is an infographic explaining the present progressive tense:

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

Present Tenses

Simple Present
The simple present tense is mostly used to describe facts and habits. More...
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 on-going action in the present.
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...
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...
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...
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 on-going activity in the past. Often, it is used to set the scene for another action. More...
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...
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 on-going action in the past has ended. More...
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...
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 on-going action that will occur in the future. More...
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...
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 on-going action that will be completed at some specified time in the future. More...
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

Note

The present progressive tense is formed like this:

[am, is, or are] + [verb] + ing

Choose am, is, or are based on the following table:

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

For example:

She is running.
I am talking.

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

Interactive Test

Take a longer test on the present progressive tense.

Related Pages

What Is the Present Progressive Tense? (with Examples)