What Are the Progressive Tenses? (with Examples)

The progressive tense is a category of verb tense. It covers the past progressive tense, the present progressive tense, and the future progressive tense. The progressive tenses are sometimes called the continuing tenses.

The three progressive tenses are used to describe ongoing actions.

Examples of Verbs in a Progressive Tense

Here are some examples of verbs in the progressive tense:

The Past Progressive Tense

I was going.
He was seeing.

The Present Progressive Tense

I am going.
He is seeing.

The Future Progressive Tense

I will be going.
He will be seeing.

The Progressive Aspect

The term progressive aspect is used to group all verbs (past, present, and future) in the progressive tenses. (Remember, the aspect of a verb is determined by whether its action is ongoing or completed.)