The present continuous, also called the present progressive or present imperfect, is a verb form used in modern English that combines the

present tense The present tense ( abbreviated or ) is a grammatical tense whose principal function is to locate a situation or event in the present time. The present tense is used for actions which are happening now. In order to explain and understand present ...

with the

continuous aspect The continuous and progressive aspects (abbreviated and ) are grammatical aspects that express incomplete action ("to do") or state ("to be") in progress at a specific time: they are non-habitual, imperfective aspects. In the grammars of many l ...

. It is formed by the present tense form of be and the

present participle In linguistics, a participle () (from Latin ' a "sharing, partaking") is a nonfinite verb form that has some of the characteristics and functions of both verbs and adjectives. More narrowly, ''participle'' has been defined as "a word derived fro ...

of a verb. The present continuous is generally used to describe something that is taking place at the present moment and can be employed in both the

indicative A realis mood ( abbreviated ) is a grammatical mood which is used principally to indicate that something is a statement of fact; in other words, to express what the speaker considers to be a known state of affairs, as in declarative sentences. Mos ...

and

subjunctive The subjunctive (also known as conjunctive in some languages) is a grammatical mood, a feature of the utterance that indicates the speaker's attitude towards it. Subjunctive forms of verbs are typically used to express various states of unreality s ...

moods. It accounts for approximately 5% of verbs in spoken English.

Formation

The present continuous is formed by the present tense form of be and the

(

-ing ''-ing'' is a suffix used to make one of the inflected forms of English verbs. This verb form is used as a present participle, as a gerund, and sometimes as an independent noun or adjective. The suffix is also found in certain words like ''morn ...

form) of the verb. For example, you would write the verb ''work'' in the present continuous form by adding the -ing suffix to the verb and placing a present tense form of be (am, are, is) in front of it: * I am working. * You are working. * She is working. * We are working. * They are working.

Uses

The present continuous is used in several instances. Its most common use is to describe something that is happening at the exact moment of speech: * The boy is laughing. This contrasts with the

simple present The simple present, present simple or present indefinite is one of the verb forms associated with the present tense in modern English. It is commonly referred to as a tense, although it also encodes certain information about aspect in addition ...

, which is used to refer to something that occurs habitually (i.e. habits, unchanging situations, general truths, and fixed arrangements). The present continuous is also used to describe a temporary activity, even if it is not taking place at the exact moment of speech, or a temporary situation: * They are working in Dubai. * I am writing a book. * I am living in Scotland until the end of the year. This contrasts with permanent activities or situations, which are described using the simple present: ''I live on Main Street.'' Present continuous can also describe an event planned in the future when combined with a time indicator for the future: * I am resitting my French exam on Tuesday. When combined with always, but meaning often, the present continuous can be used to emphasize the frequency of an action in a humorous or hyperbolic way: * My parents are always making me go to school! * She is always playing with that doll! * He is always eating chocolate!

References

{Reflist Grammatical tenses English grammar

Formation

Uses

See also

References