2 sentences in English in the present continuous. Present Continuous is the present continuous tense in English. Affirmative sentences in Present Continuous Tense
Using the present continuous tense. Formation of affirmative and negative sentences. Abbreviations!
The structure of this tense is formed by a combination of the auxiliary verb to be and the semantic verb with the ending -ing. Verb forms are involved in the formation of tense to be present tense - am/ is/ are depending on the subject.
Each tense, as a rule, has special lexical markings - words that are predominantly used only with a specific tense. In The Present Continuous Tense it is - now And at the moment.
The present continuous tense is used to express
An action that occurs at the moment of speech (now).
I am doing my homework at the moment.
My friends are playing football now.
John is watching TV.
An action that spans a period of time in the present. Let's say your friend says that he is currently writing a new book. But at the moment he is drinking coffee and listening to music, rather than typing text. It is necessary to see the difference between a moment and a period. This period may be quite long, even several years, but they will talk about it “now”.
Fedor Konukhov is traveling around the world now.
I am writing my diploma project.
She is working really hard this term.
An “exclusive” function for a long time are sentences with a pronounced emotional connotation, with the help of which a person’s behavior or certain actions are given a negative assessment. These actions and behavior must be regular. In this case, marker words (adverbs of frequency) are used, which are usually used in The Present Simple Tense; These are adverbs such as: always, constantly, all the time.
Why are you always watching TV?! - And why do you always watch TV?!
He is constantly losing his keys! - He keeps losing his keys!
Note
Verbs: see, hear, understand, love, feel, want and some others, usually Not are used in a continuous form, but express both the action “in general” and the action occurring at the moment of speech. And if these words are used for a long time, then the speaker attaches special emotional meaning to what is happening.
I can"t believe what I"m hearing and seeing.
I"m still loving you.
As you can see, the present continuous tense (The Present Continuous Tense) differs from the present simple tense (The Present Simple Tense) in the nature of the actions indicated (lesson 2). The Present Simple Tense denotes mainly repeated actions, when the action occurs "at all." Also in the present simple tense, marker words are used that Not used in the present continuous tense: every day(week, month), usually, often and etc.
Word order in affirmative sentences
At the first place, as in all tenses, the subject is found, on the second- auxiliary, to third place a semantic verb with the ending is put -ing.
1 | 2 (to be) | 3 | 4 | 5 |
I | am | listening | to the radio | (now) |
We | Are | having | a good time | at the party |
You | ||||
They | ||||
He | Is | writing | the final test | at the moment |
She | ||||
It | happening | to me | all the time |
Note
Verb to have, which in The Present Simple Tense has the forms have And has, in the present continuous tense has only one form - having.
Our family are having dinner now.
Abbreviated forms
In informal or colloquial speech, auxiliary verbs can merge with the subject to form short forms. Short forms are convenient in colloquial speech. Auxiliary verbs often merge with personal pronouns, especially I/ He/ She/ It. They usually merge with other pronouns (We/You/They) in writing, but this is not noticeable in spoken language. Auxiliary verbs can also merge with proper names and nouns.
I | Am | I"m |
We | Are | We"re |
You | You"re | |
They | They"re | |
He | Is | He's |
She | She"s [∫i:z] | |
It | It's |
Mike's riding a bicycle now. = Mike is riding a bicycle now.
The plane's landing. = The plane is landing.
Note
Adverbs of frequency, if present, appear either at the end of the sentence or before the semantic verb ending in -ing.
My children are now telling lies./ My children are telling lies now.
If the verb ends in "mute" e, then when adding the ending -ing vowel e cleaned up.
Look! He is shaking (to shake) hands with Mr. Stalone.
If the verb ends in -ie, then in a long time with -ing, this ending turns into y.
I am lying (to lie) on the beach now.
In tense forms, including The Present Continuous, and some other forms, when adding endings, the final consonant can be doubled. This happens if the stress falls on the last syllable (if there is more than one syllable), and the last syllable ends in a consonant. This doubling is necessary to maintain the brevity of the pronunciation of the syllable, as before adding the ending.
be"gin - beginning, get - getting.
Formation of a negative sentence
In the present continuous tense (The Present Continuous Tense), the auxiliary verb is the verb to be, which, depending on the subject, takes the forms am/ is/ are. To form a negative sentence after the required verb form to be is put with a negative particle not. In negative sentences, as a rule, there is an auxiliary verb and not merge. Form Am Not merges with not!
1 | 2 (to be + not) | 3 | 4 | 5 |
I | am not | watching | tv | (now) |
We | aren't | going | home | (at the moment) |
You | ||||
They | ||||
He | isn't | reading | a book | (now) |
She | ||||
It | Getting | Dark |
There are as many as 12 main tense forms in the English language. Despite the fact that some of them are translated identically into Russian, in English each tense corresponds to a specific situation, and therefore they cannot be confused. Let's take a quick look at each of them and look at sentences in different tenses in English.
In total, there are 4 groups of tenses in the language:
Since each of the groups can show that the action takes place in the past, present and future, you have the opportunity to express your thoughts using one of 12 options. This “opportunity” will probably not seem very tempting to some. After all, it takes time to understand all the tenses. However, this is not at all a reason to become despondent and go for valerian. Believe me, there is nothing difficult about these times and, with proper practice, you will master them quickly enough. But first, let's look at why English speakers need so many tenses and how they construct sentences with them?
Sentences in Simple tense:
Simple | Education | Expresses |
Present |
Infinitive without the particle to for everyone persons, except 3 persons per unit. h. Formula for 3 persons units. numbers: V + s (es) For negation, use the auxiliary verb do / does (for the 3rd person) with the negative particle not: do(es) + not (don’t / doesn’t) The question begins with the auxiliary verbs do / does |
|
Past |
Regular verbs - with the help of the ending ed, irregular - independently. did + not (didn’t) |
|
Future |
will + not (won't) |
|
Examples of sentences from the Simple group:
The present | I like reading books. | I like to read books. |
She doesn't live in Italy. | She doesn't live in Italy. | |
Do you know our principles? | Do you know our principles? | |
Past | He went to the club yesterday. | Yesterday he went to the club. |
I didn't want to take part in it. | I didn't want to take part in this. | |
Did you buy a loaf of bread? | Did you buy a loaf of bread? | |
Future | We will make a huge contribution to art. | We will make a huge contribution to art. |
I won't come to school tomorrow. | I won't come to school tomorrow. | |
Will Steve propose to her? | Will Steve propose to her? |
Sentences in Continuous tense:
Continuous | Education | Expresses |
Present |
to be has 3 forms: You / they / we – are He / she / it – is to be in the right shape |
|
Past |
to be (past) + V-ing to be has 2 forms: I / he / she / it – was You / they / we - were was + not (wasn’t) were + not (weren’t) |
|
Future |
will + be + V-ing will + not (won’t) + be + V-ing |
|
Examples of sentences from the Continuous group:
The present | I am creating a new app. | I'm creating a new application. |
She isn't working now. | It's not working now. | |
Are they studying at the moment? | Are they studying at the moment? | |
Past | He was checking, while I was writing. | He checked while I was writing. |
The pool wasn’t operating at the time we came there. | The pool was not open at the time we got there. | |
Wasn’t she sleeping when you called? | Wasn't she asleep when you called? | |
Future | This time tomorrow I’ll be spending time with my friends. | At this time tomorrow I will be spending time with friends. |
He won’t be taking the course in a month. | He won't take the course in a month. | |
Will he be performing tomorrow at 4? | Will he perform tomorrow at 4? |
Sentences in perfect time:
Perfect | Education | Expresses |
Present |
has – for 3rd person singular have + not (haven’t) has + not (hasn’t) |
|
Past |
had + not (hadn't) |
|
Future |
will + have + V3 will + not (won’t) + have + V3 |
|
Examples of sentences from the Perfect group:
The present | We have lost the keys. | We've lost our keys. |
The task hasn’t been finished. | The task was not completed. | |
Have you been to Milan? | Have you been to Milan? | |
Past | I had cooked the pie by 1 p.m. | I had the pie ready by 1pm. |
I came to see her, but she had not come back yet. | I came to her, but she has not returned yet. | |
Had they drawn by then? | Did they finish the drawing by then? | |
Future | We will have built the house by winter. | We will build a house for winter. |
I’m sure he won’t have earned enough money by June. | I'm sure he won't make enough money by June. | |
Will you have translated the text at 7 oclock? | Will you translate the text by 7 o'clock? |
Sentences in Perfect Continuous tense:
Perfect Continuous | ABOUT b development | Expresses |
Present |
have (has) + been + V-ing has – for 3rd person singular have + not (haven’t) + been has + not (hasn’t) + been have (has) … been |
|
Past |
had + been + V-ing had + not (hadn’t) + been |
|
Future |
will + have + been + V-ing will + not (won’t) + have + been + V-ing will...have been |
|
Examples of sentences from the Perfect Continuous group:
The present | He has been learning Esperanto for 4 months. | He has been studying Esperanto for 4 months. |
We haven’t been waiting for you for a long time. | We didn't wait long for you. | |
How long have you been living there? | How long have you lived there? | |
Past | She decided to have a rest after she had been focusing on the project for 3 hours | She decided to take a break after being focused on a project for 3 hours. |
I had not been talking to him even for 5 minutes when I became irritated. | Not even 5 minutes of our conversation had passed before he began to irritate me. | |
Had Jim been watching this cartoon for an hour by the time you came? | Had Jim already been watching the cartoon for an hour by the time you arrived? | |
Future | By 2020 we won’t have been living in the USA long enough to apply for citizenship. | By 2020, we will not have lived in the US long enough to apply for citizenship. |
We won’t have been working in the company for 2 years next month. | By next month we will not have worked for the company for 2 years. | |
For how many months will they have been living together by that time? | How many months will they have lived together by then? |
These were all times of English with examples. As you can see, sentences in different tenses in English are built based on rules that are quite easy to remember. It is more important to understand one thing - in what cases this or that tense is used. To practice and reinforce the material, you can make sentences based on the examples above and visit this page from time to time to review the information.
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Present is translated as “present” and tells us that the action is being performed at the moment. Continuous is translated as “long/long” and indicates that the action began some time ago and is still ongoing.
Present Continuous is a long time. We use it when we want to say that something is in progress. For example, I am swimming, that is, I am in the process of swimming. Present Simple simply shows the fact of one or another action without a process. Let's look at examples.
1. Present Simple
I drive a car.
I drive a car.
2. Present Continuous
I am driving a car.
I'm driving.
In Russian, these two sentences are translated almost identically, n But in English they express completely different meanings:
1) the simple fact that I know how to drive a car: I have a license and I can drive it.
2) I'm driving: I've been driving a car for some time now and now I'm still driving the car, that is, I'm in the process of driving.
Now let's take a closer look at the exact cases in which we use Present Continuous.
Using Present Continuous Tense
The simple continuous tense is used in several cases.
1. When we talk about an action that is happening now (at the moment).
That is, the action began some time ago and is now still ongoing (in process).
Example: “She is dancing” - she is in the process of dancing; “Children play with toys” - they are in the process of playing.
2. An action that is currently being performed, but not necessarily at the moment.
By this we emphasize the process of its duration.
Example: “He is studying at the university” - he is in the process of studying; “She's working on a big project” - she's in the process of working on a project.
Affirmative sentences in Present Continuous Tense
An affirmative sentence is formed using the auxiliary verb to be in the present tense (am, are, is) and the ending -ing, which is added to the verb denoting action.
The one in question + am/are/is + verb + -ing.
I | am | |
You | ||
We | are | playing |
They | swimming | |
She | cooking | |
He | is | |
It |
For example
They are watch ing TV.
They are watching TV.
I am drink ing tea
I'm drinking tea.
He is smoke ing now.
He smokes now.
Rules for adding the ending -ing
There are several things to consider when adding -ing endings to verbs.
- If the verb ends in -e, then the letter e we remove and add to the verb -ing:
danc e- danc ing- dance;
mov e-mov ing-; move.
- If the verb is short, we double the last consonant:
si t- si ting- sit;
ba n-ba nning- forbid.
Exceptions: verbs ending in -x And - w:
mi x- mi xing- to mix;
flo w-flo wing- leak.
- If the verb ends in -ie, then we replace this ending with -y:
l ie-l ying- lie;
t ie-t ying- bind.
Words indicating time
The following words can help us determine that this is the Present Continuous:
- now - now;
- at the moment - at the moment.
Let's look at examples.
They are running now.
They are running now.
I am eating now.
I am eating now.
We are working at the moment.
We are working at the moment.
She is having a break at the moment.
She's on a break at the moment.
Verbs not used in Present Continuous Tense
Some English verbs are never used in this tense.
1. Verbs expressing feelings
The Present Continuous does not use verbs that are associated with the senses (sight, hearing, touch, etc.).
- hear - to hear,
- smell - smell,
- feel - feel, etc.
2. Verbs expressing mental state
- forget - forget,
- know - to know
- understand - to understand, etc.
3. Verbs expressing emotions and desires
- love - to love,
- want - want,
- like - like, etc.
4. Verbs expressing possession of something
- have - to have,
- possess - to possess, etc.
Why aren't these verbs used in the Present Continuous?
As we have already seen, this tense is used to emphasize that the action is in progress: we started doing it some time ago, we are doing it now, but after some time we will finish doing it.
To be used in our continuous tense, a verb must be able to last. For example: to cook - you started cooking, you are cooking now, after some time you will finish.
Returning to our exception verbs. We cannot start smelling (smelling) or hearing (hearing) and finish this process after some time. This is what we do all the time. We are talking about the fact that we can smell and hear. Likewise, forgetting, understanding, or emotions cannot be processes, because otherwise it turns out that these processes began once, are now continuing, and will end someday.
Negative form in Present Continuous Tense
Negation is constructed as an affirmative sentence, only the negative particle not is added to our verb to be.
The one in question + am/are/is + not + verb + -ing.
I | am | ||
You | |||
We | are | playing | |
They | not | cooking | |
She | swimming | ||
He | is | ||
It |
Examples
We are not do ing our homework now.
We don't do homework now.
She is not driv ing at the moment.
She is not driving at the moment.
I am not listen ing music now.
I don't listen to music now.
Question form in Present Continuous Tense
To ask if someone is doing something right now, we put the verb to be first.
Am/are/is + the one in question + verb + -ing?
Am | I | |
you | ||
Are | we | playing? |
they | cooking? | |
she | swimming? | |
Is | he | |
it |
Statement
I am read ing the book.
I am reading a book.
You are swimm ing in a pool.
You are swimming in the pool.
She is clean ing her room now.
She is cleaning the room now.
The question and a positive answer (our “yes”) will look like this:
Question | Short answer (contains the verb to be) | Full answer (constructed as an affirmative sentence) |
Am I read ing the book? I am reading a book? |
Yes, I am. |
Yes, I am read ing the book. Yes, I'm reading a book. |
Are you swimm ing in a pool? Do you swim in the pool? |
Yes, you are. |
Yes, you are swimm ing in a pool. |
Is she clean ing her room now? Is she cleaning the room now? |
Yes, she is. |
Yes, she is clean ing her room now. Yes, she is cleaning the room now. |
Negative answers (our “no”) will look like this:
Question | Short answer (contains the verb to be + not) | Full answer (constructed as a negative sentence) |
Am I read ing the book? I am reading a book? |
No, I amnot. |
No, I am not read ing the book. No, I'm not reading a book. |
Are you swimm ing in a pool? Do you swim in the pool? |
No, you arenot. |
No, you are not swimm ing in a pool. No, you don't swim in the pool. |
Is she clean ing her room now? Is she cleaning the room now? |
No, she isnot. |
No, she is not clean ing her room now. No, she's not cleaning the room now. |
Examples
Are are they playing tennis?
They are playing tennis?
Yes, they are.
Yes, they are playing.
Are are they playing tennis?
They are playing tennis?
No, they are not.
No, they don't play.
Is he sleepingnow?
He is sleeping now?
Yes, he is sleeping now.
Yes, he's sleeping now.
Is he sleeping now?
He is sleeping now?
No, he is not sleeping now.
No, he's not sleeping now.
Special questions in Present Continuous Tense
When we ask a question with the following question words:
- what - what;
- where - where;
- who - who;
- which - which one;
- why - why.
These words are placed first in the sentence, and the further order of words will be the same as in a regular question. The scheme is like this:
Question word + аm/are/is + the person in question + verb + -ing?
am | I | ||
you | |||
What | are | they | reading? |
Where | we | playing? | |
Why | she | cooking? Reinforcement taskNow for some practice. Translate the following sentences into English. Be careful, hidden among them are sentences that belong to the Present Simple. 1. She is flying on a plane at the moment. As always, leave your answers in the comments below the article. |
Present Continuous or Present Continuous is one of the most common and beloved tenses by the English. How it is formed and when it is used - the rules of grammar are explained. However, despite the importance and necessity of “strict” rules, examples of Present Continuous Tense sentences with translation are much more significant and accessible.
Present Continuous
In English there is not one present tense, as in Russian, but a whole group. Depending on what kind of action we have in front of us in the present - repeated, prolonged or completed, four temporary forms are distinguished: Present Simple (Simple Present), Present Continuous (Present Continuous), Present Perfect (Present Perfect), Present Perfect Continuous (Present Perfect Continuous).
As can be seen from the name Present Continuous, this temporary form describes actions that occur at the moment of speech, or emphasizes the duration of such actions.
It is interesting to note that this tense is translated into Russian using present tense verbs. And here doubt may arise: after all, the tense Present Simple (Simple Present) is also translated by a present tense verb. Vivid examples of the Present Continuous in English will help you understand the peculiarities of use, education, and avoid mistakes in the future.
Affirmative sentences
Examples |
Translation |
Right now I am making an important choice in my life |
Right now I'm making the biggest choice in my life. |
Now Ann is learning new French words |
Now Anna is learning new French words |
At this moment a young woman is experiencing a new feeling full of hope |
At the moment, the young girl is experiencing a new feeling, full of hope. |
My father is going to help me with my homework |
My dad is going to help me with my homework |
Tom is working as a driver until he enters the Institute |
Tom works as a driver until he goes to college. |
The meeting is currently taking place in the center of the city |
The rally is currently taking place in the city center |
Today my friends are facing a new experience in their lives |
Today my friends will face a new experience in their lives |
These examples of the use of Present Continuous (Present Continuous) help to capture the essence of the formula for the formation of Present Continuous (Present Continuous): subject + to be + main verb + -ing . The auxiliary verb to be is not translated, but changes according to persons and numbers: in the plural - are, for the first person singular (I - i) - am, for the 3rd person singular (he - he, she - she, it – it) - is. The invariable ending -ing is added to the main verb and it carries the main semantic load.
Pay attention to the main time markers of the Present Continuous: right now - right now, now - now, at this moment - at the moment, currently - now, now, today - today. They indicate that the action is happening at the time of speech or is planned for the near future
Negation
Examples |
Translation |
Right now I am not making an important choice in my life |
Right now I'm not making the main choice in my life. |
Now Ann isn’t learning new French words |
Currently Anna is not learning new French words |
At this moment a young woman is not experiencing a new feeling full of hope |
At the moment, the young girl is not experiencing a new feeling full of hope |
My father is not going to help me with my homework |
My dad isn't going to help me with my homework |
Tom is not working as a driver until he enters the Institute |
Tom won't work as a driver until he goes to college. |
The meeting is not currently taking place in the center of the city |
At the moment the rally is not taking place in the city center |
Today my friends are not facing a new experience in their lives |
Today my friends will not encounter new experiences in their lives |
The proposed examples of negative sentences illustrate the position of the negative particle not in the formula for the formation of the Present Continuous: subject + to be + not + main verb + -ing . As you can see, it stands between the auxiliary and main verbs. It can also merge with an auxiliary verb to form a short form: isn’t, aren’t.
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Interrogative sentences
Examples |
Translation |
Am I making an important choice in my life right now? |
Am I making the biggest choice in my life right now? |
Is Ann learning new French words now? |
Is Anna learning new French words now? |
Is a young woman experiencing a new feeling full of hope at this moment? |
Is a young girl currently experiencing a new feeling full of hope? |
Is my father going to help me with my homework? |
Is my father going to help me with my homework? |
Is Tom is working as a driver until he enters the Institute |
Tom works as a driver until he goes to college? |
The meeting currently taking place in the center of the city? |
Is the rally currently taking place in the city center? |
Are my friends facing a new experience in their lives today? |
Today my friends will face a new experience in their lives? |
Examples of questions in English with translation into Russian once again draw attention to the significant difference in the formation of interrogative sentences in the two languages. The Russian language is characterized by changes in intonation and a question mark at the end, but for the language of Foggy Albion these “changes” are extremely insufficient: here the word order completely changes. Therefore, the formula for constructing a question in the Present Continuous is as follows: to be + subject + main verb + -ing?
What have we learned?
Today there were many more examples of sentences in the Present Continuous than there were rules for the formation and use of a given tense. They helped to understand how affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences are constructed.
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Rules for the formation of affirmative sentences in the present continuous tense
Examples of affirmative sentences in the present continuous tense
I'm working now. I am working now. His sister’s reading an interesting book at the moment. His sister is reading an interesting book at the moment. Look! John's playing football in the yard! Look! John is playing football in the yard!
Rules for the formation of negative sentences in the present continuous tense
Examples of negative sentences in the present continuous tense
They aren't watching TV. They don't watch TV now. Peter and Alice aren't speaking. Petya and Alice are not talking now. The students aren’t listening to the teacher at the moment. Students are not listening to their teacher at the moment.
Rules for the formation of interrogative sentences in the present continuous tense
Examples of interrogative sentences in the present continuous tense
Are the Tuckers swimming in the swimming pool now? Are the Teckers swimming in the pool now? Are the students writing a dictation at the moment? Are students writing dictation at the moment? Is he playing badminton in the garden now? Is he playing badminton in the garden now?
Rules for spelling forms in the Present Continuous
Watch video on The Present Continuous Tense