Present progressive auxiliary verbs. Present Continuous Tense is the present continuous tense. Formation of the negative form of Present Continuous

Present Continuous Tense (pronounced: present continuous tense) is the present continuous tense, it is also called Present Progressive (pronounced: present progressive). This is predominantly indicating the action that takes place at the moment of speech. But also Present Continuous can talk about action in the future.

Education Present Continuous (Present Progressive)

The formation of all tenses of the English language is quite similar. Some parts of speech are taken, put into the necessary forms and connected to each other. To form the Present Continuous tense form, you need to take the auxiliary verb to be in the present tense, add the participle of the semantic verb in the present tense to it.

to be + verb + ending -ing:

I tremble - I am trembling - I'm trembling.
You tremble - You are trembling - You are trembling.
We tremble - We are trembling - We are trembling.
He / she / it trembles - He / she / it is trembling - He / she / it trembles.
They tremble - They are trembling - They tremble.

Negative sentences in Present Continuous

To get a negative sentence in the present continuous tense, it is necessary to modify the original affirmative sentence. Between to be and the verb you need to put a negative particle not:

Statement: Now he is trying to get back his children - Now he is trying to get his children back.
Negation: Now he is not trying to get back his children - Now he is not trying to get his children back.

Statement: Jack and Lucy are choosing a new TV - Jack and Lucy are choosing a new TV.
Negation: Jack and Lucy are not choosing a new TV - Jack and Lucy are not choosing a new TV.

Negative sentence word order

Subject + to be + not + action verb + rest of sentence

Steven Spielberg is not making new film - Steven Spielberg is not making a new film.

Interrogative sentences in Present Continuous

In order for a question to be formed in the present continuous tense, it is necessary to change the sentence in the affirmative form. To do this, you need to swap the subject and the auxiliary verb to be:

Are they listening progressive rock? Do they listen to progressive rock?
Is he looking at me right now? Is he looking at me right now?
Are we buying a new knife this Sunday? Are we buying a new knife this Sunday?

Interrogative sentence word order

To be + Subject + Action verb + Rest of the sentence

Are they cooking Italian food? Do they cook Italian food?

The verb to be in Present Continuous

The verb to be in Present Continuous does not always have the same form. It can change depending on the face change. In accordance with the change of persons, the verb to be in Present Continuous tense will have three forms:

Am- 1 person, unit hours - I am thinking- I think.
Is- 3rd person, unit. hours - He is walking- He walks.
Are- 2 person unit. hours and all plural forms - They are waiting- They are waiting.

Using Present Continuous

The rules for using Present Continuous are simple - the present continuous in English is usually used in specific cases: when some action is relevant at the time of speech, when it began before the moment of speech and lasts after, when it comes to something temporary, some kind of development or changes, etc. We have prepared for you examples of using the present continuous tense in each case.

The action is relevant at the moment of speaking:

I am listening to the news - I am listening to the news.
You are washing your clothes - You wash your clothes.
Who is Bob talking to on the phone? Who is Bob talking to on the phone?
Look, he is trying to steal that man's pen - Look, he is trying to steal a pen from that man.

The action began before the moment of speech and continues after:

At noon we are usually having brunch - At noon we usually eat brunch.
When she get home the children are doing their homework - When she came home, the children were doing their homework.
I am learning all that stupid tenses!
I am reading the book Moby Dick - I am reading the book Moby Dick.

It's about something temporary.

I'm looking for a blue beach house - I'm looking for a blue beach house.
She's thinking about leaving her parent's house - She is thinking about leaving her parents' house.
Are you eating enough food? – Are you eating enough?

We are talking about something new that is compared with the previous one:

These days children are using smartphones instead of reading books - These days children use smartphones instead of reading books.

It is about development, changes:

The puppies are growing quickly, I think their size would be doubling every week! – The puppies are growing fast, I think their size will double every week!.
His Spanish is improving - His Spanish is getting better.

The action happens again and again for a long period:

Ann is always coming to work late - She is constantly late for work.
I don’t like her because she is always complaining - I don’t like her because she constantly complains.

It's about a plan to do something in the future:

Oscar is going to a new town next week - Oscar is moving to another city next week.
What is Jane doing after work? What does Jane do after work?
I am not going to the cinema tonight - I will not go to the cinema today.
Isn't they coming with you tonight? “Won’t they come with you today?”

Verbs not used in Present Continuous

Each tense of the English language has such verbs that cannot be used in this tense. And the Present Continuous is no exception. We have prepared for you a list of verbs that are not used in the present continuous tense.

Feelings/perception

to hear - to hear
to feel - to feel
to see - see
to taste - to feel the taste
to smell - to smell

Opinions

to believe - to believe
to assume - agree
to consider - to believe
to feel (= to think) - to feel (= to think)
to doubt - to doubt
to find (= to consider)
to suppose - to believe
to think - to think

Thinking

to imagine - represent
to know - to know
to forget - forget
to mean - keep in mind
to notice - notice
to remember - remember
to recognize - to recognize
to understand - understand

Emotions/Desires

to envy - to envy
to dislike - dislike
to hate - to hate
to fear - to be afraid
to hope - hope
to love - to love
to like - like
to mind - remember
to regret - regret
to want - want
to prefer - prefer
to wish - wish

measurements

to contain - contain
to hold - keep
to measure - measure
to cost - cost
to weigh - weigh

Other

To look - in the meaning of "to have a resemblance"
to be - to be
to seem - look
to have - in the meaning of "possess something"

Video about Present Continuous

Education Present Continuous
(am/is/are + … -ing)

Present Continuous (Present Progressive) formed with the help to be in present time ( am, is, are) and present participle forms of the semantic verb: I am smiling. When adding endings to verbs - ing sometimes there are changes in their spelling, for example have/hav ing. Additionally about.

Abbreviated forms:

‘m= am
‘re= are
‘s= is
aren't= are not
isn't= is not

Using Present Continuous

1. A long action taking place at the moment of speech ( now - now, at the present moment - at the moment, at this moment - at this moment).

Examples: What are you doing? - What are you doing? (now)
You are not listening to me. - You are not listening to me. (now)
my mother is reading a book now. My mother is reading a book now.

2. A long action that is taking place at the present time, but not necessarily at the moment of speech.

Examples: What are you doing here in Munich? – What are you doing here in Munich?
You 're working too much these days. – You work too much these days.

3. Planned future action, especially with verbs denoting movement ( to go - go / go, to come - come, to leave - leave / leave, to arrive - arrive / arrive, to start - set off / set off), when the intention to perform an action is expressed, or it is a question of a pre-planned action. The sentence usually contains adjectives that indicate the future tense.

Examples: She is leaving for another city tonight. She is leaving for another city tonight.
He is taking an exam on Monday. He takes the exam on Monday.

4. Expression of action in the future (instead of) in adverbial and, which are introduced by unions if, when, while etc.

Examples: If I am working when you come, don't disturb me. If I'm working when you come, don't bother me.

5. Present Continuous (Present Progressive), as a rule, are not used with:

• emotional state verbs ( to wish - to desire, to desire - to wish, to love - to love),
• verbs of mental activity ( to agree - agree, to believe - believe, to remember - remember, to think - count / believe * ),
• sensation verbs ( to hear - to hear * , to see - see * , to taste - to have a taste * , to smell * ),
• group of verbs of possession, relation ( to be * - to be, to consist - to consist, to belong - to belong.

Note.Verbs marked * can be used in the continuous form, but only with a change in meaning. Additionally about.

Examples: I know what I am doing. - I know what I'm doing.
I think she is beautiful. – I think she is beautiful. (my opinion)
Be quite! I 'm thinking. - Quiet! I think. (thinking activity)

Note.To express an intended or planned action in the future, instead of is often used. This construction means the intention to perform an action in the very near future or gives a shade of obligation, the inevitability of performing an action indicated by the infinitive.

Examples: I 'm going to have dinner with Bob tomorrow. I am going to have lunch with Bob tomorrow.
He is going to be a surgeon. He is going to be a surgeon.

Present Progressive (Present Continuous) tense- present long time. In most cases, this time indicates that the action is happening right now. For us Russians, Present Continuous may seem too difficult to understand at first. This is not surprising, because in Russian there are no such tenses of the verb. For example, the sentence “I play the balalaika” in Russian can mean that I am playing now or playing at all (I know how to play). In English, these are two different sentences. However, some verbs in different situations are also used in different ways.

In general terms: if we want to say that an action is happening right now, then we use the Present Continuous (Present Progressive) form. But this is not the only case of using this temporary form. But more on that later. Let's answer the question first - How is Present Progressive (Continuous) formed?

Education Present Continuous: elementary rules and examples

The Present Progressive is formed quite simply: we take the verb to be, put it in the form corresponding to the subject (we change it in accordance with the subject - I am, he is, my mother is and so on) and add the verb corresponding to the specific action (in question) with the ending ing, which is "attached" to its base.

Too difficult? Let's look at a diagram illustrating this process.

Still unclear? Okay, let's look at examples. To do this, take the verb to think- think. Since it ends in a consonant, then adding ing will not discard anything, that is, we get - thinking. If we want to say "I'm thinking" (about something at the moment), then we get - I am thinking. Now with other faces:

The negative and interrogative forms are formed very simply:

Rules for using Present Continuous and examples

The formation of the Present Continuous form is quite simple. The most difficult thing is the correct use of this form. The bottom line is that there are several cases when it is necessary to use the Present Continuous tense, and not any other tense. Briefly, all these cases are indicated using the diagram:

This scheme is not yet completely clear to us, but it will be useful in order to quickly recall the main uses of the present progressive.

So, Present Continuous is used:

1. Designation of what is happening or not happening now, at the moment (now, at the moment).

• I'm studying the present continuous . - I study the present for a long time.
• I'm not watching TV at the moment. — I am not watching TV at the moment.
• I'm sitting now.- Now I'm sitting.
• I'm using the Internet. — I use the Internet.
• We're talking about life. We are talking about life.
• She's not listening to me. She doesn't listen to me (now).

2. Designation of what is happening now in the broadest sense of the word - today, this month, this year, and so on. Temporary situations that we feel or know will not last.

• I am studying to become a teacher. — I study to be a teacher (for example, 5 years).
• Are you working on any special projects at work? Are you (now) working on some work project?
• I'm living in Moscow for a few months. — I have been living in Moscow for several months.
• I'm reading a great book. I am reading a wonderful book (Now, these days. Reading a book is a long process).
• He's living with his mother until he finds an apartment. He lives with his mother until he finds an apartment.

3. New or temporary habits that have not always existed.

• My father is smoking too much . (He used to smoke less or not at all.)
• My cat's eating a lot these days . (She didn't eat that much before.)

4. Repetitive, annoying actions, habits using always, constantly, forever:

• I don't like him because he is always complaining.
• They're forever being late.
• My sister is always losing her keys.

5. Plans for the near future

• I'm leaving at 5 am. — I leave at 5 am.
• Are you visiting your parents next weekend? Will you visit your parents next weekend?
• I am not going to the party tonight. - I'm not going to the party tonight.

6. Changing the situation (usually slow) - little by little, gradually etc.

• My son is getting better at playing the guitar.
• The weather is improving.

These were all the rules for the formation and use of the present continuous (the present progressive).

Tenses of the English verb, as a rule, inspire sacred horror in all students. Still - there are as many as 16 of them! But the devil is not so terrible as he is painted. We will try to explain to you as simply as possible, especially since for a start you can limit yourself to 4 times. In today's post, we will analyze the Present Continuous Tense - Present Continuous Tense.

• To better understand the tenses of the English verb, it is not necessary to memorize their name. It will be enough to clearly know three things: 1) when the action occurs; 2) how the desired form of the verb is formed; 3) what is the auxiliary verb.

The Present Continuous Tense - Present Continuous Tense

As mentioned above, there are three main things to know.

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1. When does the action take place? The Present Continuous Tense denotes an action that is taking place at the moment of speech, directly now. That is, the action is indicated in the process, so this time is sometimes called Present Progressive Tense.

2. How is it formed? The present continuous tense form of the verb is formed with the verb to be (present tense) and . Simply put, am/is/are + verb ending ing.

Consider the example of the sentence "I am writing a letter." Before us is a sentence, the action of which is taking place at the moment - "I am now writing a letter." The verb-predicate is the word “I write”, and it is this word that we must put in the Present Continuous Tense. Since the subject is “I”, we therefore take the form of the verb “am”, and add the ending ing to the verb-predicate write. As a result, we get the sentence I am writing a letter.

3. What is the auxiliary verb? An auxiliary verb is needed to form the interrogative (?) and negative (-) forms of all tenses of the English verb and to form the affirmative (+) form of some tenses of the English verb. For the Present Continuous Tense, the auxiliary verb is to be, or rather, its forms am / is / are.

In the interrogative form, the auxiliary verb (Are you eating now?) is put in the first place. In the negative form, not is “attached” to the auxiliary verb (He isn’t sleeping now).

For clarity, we will conjugate our sentence “I am writing a letter” by faces in the affirmative, interrogative and negative form.

Please note that only the forms of the verb to be change depending on the person of the subject, the present participle (ING-th form of the verb) does not change.

Here is a translation of several sentences in the present continuous tense:

• We are drinking tea now
• I am not reading now - I am not reading now
• Are you currently working? are you working now?
• Is he playing now? is he playing now?
• She is not drinking coffee now - She is not drinking coffee now

Note: There are several English verbs that are not used in the present continuous tense, these are the so-called verbs of feelings and perception:

With these verbs - even if the action is happening at the moment - it is used:

• I'm tired. I want to go home.
• Do you know that girl? Yes, but I don't remember her name.
• You are speaking too fast. I don't understand.

The Present Progressive Tense

1) This tense expresses an action taking place at the moment of speech, now, at this moment.
"+" The formula of this tense: an auxiliary verb to be in one of the forms of the present tense (am, is or are) + a semantic verb with the ending -ing:

am/is/are + v-ing

Short form: I am = I'm, Not is=He's, We are=We're, etc.
I'm watching TV now. - I'm watching TV now.

«-» am/is/are not + v-ing

Shortened negative form:
I am not = I'm not
Is not = Not isn't
She isn't = She isn't,
It is not = It isn't,
We are not = We aren't,
You are not = You aren't
They are not = They aren't
Come on in. He is not sleeping. - Come in. He is not sleeping.

«?» (Where,Why) am/is/are + subject + V-ing…?

What are you drawing? - What are you drawing?

Interrogative-negative form: Aren't you looking for your keys? - Aren't you looking for your keys? Are you looking for the keys?

Words and phrases characteristic of this time:
now - now,
right now - right now,
still - still, until now,
yet - not yet, still not,
at the moment, at the present moment - now, at the moment, at the moment,
look! - Look!

"+" You are looking for your keys. - You're looking for your keys.
"-" You are not looking for your keys. - You're not looking for your keys.
"?" Are you looking for your keys? - Are you looking for your keys?

I'm driving to Arizona right now. - I'm going to Arizona now;
Our children are playing in the yard now. - Our children are now playing in the yard;
The baby isn’t sleeping yet (The baby is not yet sleeping.) - The baby is not sleeping yet;
look! John's brother is playing basketball! What's wrong with him? I know he hates basketball - Look! John's brother plays basketball! What is it with him? I know he hates basketball;
look! It's raining. - Look! It's raining;
Who are they staring at? - Who are they looking at (staring)?
Is not talking on the phone at the moment - He is now talking on the phone.

2) A continuous action in progress at the present time, not necessarily at the time it is spoken of.
My son is getting ready for his final exams. - My son is now preparing for final exams;
Is not writing a new play. He is writing a new play.

3) Negative characteristic. Used to express an action peculiar to someone (something) with a negative connotation. Such proposals are usually quite emotional. They often use the words always - always, constantly - constantly, all the time - all the time.

You are always losing things! - You always lose everything! / You're always losing everything!
She is constantly chattering. - She talks all the time;
Is not always doing things like that! - He is in his repertoire! He always does this!
They are constantly putting things in the wrong place! They keep putting things in the wrong place!

4) Used to express an action planned for the near future (instead of the Future Simple). It expresses the intention to perform an action or confidence that it will be done, so it should be by agreement, according to a plan, according to a schedule.

My friends are going to the concert on the 8th of November. Lucky they are! - My friends are going (will go) to the concert on November 8th. Lucky! (Lucky them!);
He is taking his Physics exam on Friday. - On Friday, he takes (will take) an exam in physics;
She is leaving tomorrow by the 5 o'clock tram. She is leaving tomorrow on the 5 o'clock train.

5) There is a row verbs that are not used in Progressive:
? Verbs to be, to have, to possess-have, to belong-belong.

Verbs of mental activity: to know- know, to seem- seem to think- to think, count, believe, to remember- remember to recall- recall, to forget- to forget to understand/to realize- understand, to recognize to recognize (someone/something) to mean- to mean, to speak seriously, without jokes, to suppose- assume, to believe- believe, believe to doubt- doubt, agree- agree to mind- object, be against to refuse- refuse.

Sensory verbs: to hear- hear, to see- see, to notice- to notice to smell- to smell, to smell, to feel- feel, to forgive- forgive to prefer- to prefer to (take) care (of/about)- take care of), to want- to want, to wish/to desire- (very) wish, to like- love, like to love- be in love, to adore- adore to hate- to hate to contain- contain (within) to consist (of)- to consist of.

Verb to feel not used in Progressive in the sense of "to have a feeling, feel = count, believe and feel / feel."

I feel that this time he has told us the truth - I feel (I think) that this time he told us the truth (did not lie);
I feel someone is staring at me. - I feel (feel) that someone is staring at me;
Are you feeling better? - Do you feel better? Are you better?
But: How do you feel? - How do you feel? How does it feel to be a celebrity? - What is it like to be a star (to be famous)?

Verbs to have, to think, to feel instead of Progressive we use in Simple. That is, instead of Present Progressive there will be Present Simple, instead of Past Progressive - Past Simple, and instead of Future Progressive - Future Simple:

He is out at the moment - He is not there now;
He is still having breakfast. - He is still having breakfast (to have not in its direct meaning to have, but part of the phrase to have breakfast);
look out! A car is coming! Don't you see that? - Carefully! The car is coming! Do not you see?
Do you understand what she is saying? - Do you understand what she says?
I don't hear you. (= I can't hear you);
Could you speak a bit louder, please? - I can not hear you. Speak a little louder, please;
I think he doesn't know the rules. I don't think he knows the rules.

The verbs to love and to hate can sometimes be used in the Progressive for a more vivid emotional coloring.
Compare: I like apricots. - I love apricots. I like apricots. I love apricots! - I love (I love) apricots! (slightly more emotional). I'm loving apricots! How I love apricots! (even more emotional).
I love it! - How I love it! I'm loving it! - How I love it!
I hate this town. - I hate this city! I'm hating this town! How I hate this city!

(E. Gritsay - English Cheat Sheet)

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