Know About the Present Progressive Verbs -Ing Here

Present progressive verbs describe an action that is taking place in real time, but has not been completed yet. In some cases, it can also be used to describe a definite event that will take place in the future.

Unlike simple present, present progressive/continuous is used to depict actions that are taking place in real time but are somewhat temporary. For example:

Present Simple	Present Progressive
I read	I am reading
I work	I am working

In the sentence above, ‘I am working’ states that a person is working currently. On the flipside, ‘I work’ tells us that the person works somewhere (A job is more permanent and cannot be changed every other day).

Keep on reading to know more about the present progressive verb -ing here.

Present Simple vs Present Progressive

As the name suggests, present progressive is used for an ongoing action. However, it is often confused with the simple present form. To avoid this, remember that the simple form of present tense is used whenever the action is permanent. We use progressive verb -ing for things that can change or are temporary.

Permanent	Temporary
I live in New York.	Ash is living with his aunt.
We go to work together.	We are going to the party together.
I speak louder than she does.	I am speaking right now.

Here are a few cases where these forms are used:

Simple Present

Simple present is used in the following situations:

For facts

Tortoises live for 100 years.
The Eiffel Tower is 330 meters tall.

This train takes 8 hours to reach its destination.

For things that are true in the present time

He is my husband.
We read daily.

England is the best cricket team at the moment.

For regular actions

We play football every weekend.
The train for Southampton leaves every hour.

I ate breakfast at the table.

For habits

I take piano classes every week.
He only drinks coffee

We always celebrate her birthday there.

Present Progressive

We use present continuous/ progressive verb -ing in these cases:

When an action is taking place in current time

Ron is ironing his clothes right now.

He is playing in the courtyard.
We are waiting for her to join us.

When something is happening at this moment but hasn’t necessarily finished yet

It is raining right now.

My brother is sleeping downstairs.
The soreness is increasing quite fast.

When talking about a future event which is near

She is studying a lot for her exam.

We are planning a trip to Brazil.
I’ll be finishing this chapter by Friday.

Note: Certain verbs are not used in progressive tense. These include:

Belong
Seem
Smell

Understand
Cost
Hate

Have (possession)
Hear
Need

Own
Remember
Want

Know
Like
Love

Aside from normal sentences, present progressive verbs when used in questions, can alter their meaning completely. For example: ‘What do you do’ is a question based on the present simple and refers to what a person does in general (occupation). ‘What are you doing’ is used when we want to ask what someone is doing in that particular moment.

Another way to distinguish between present progressive and present simple is to see the expressions that are tagged along. With simple present, words like always, often, sometimes, once a week, in the afternoon, etc. are used. Common expressions with present progressive tense are right now, at the moment, now, etc.

Changing a Sentence Into Present Progressive

Here is how we use present progressive tense:

Subject + am/is/are + verb-ing (present participle)

Subject	Verb ‘to be’	Present Participle
I	am	{verb}+ ing
You	are
He/She/It	is
We	are
You	are

Examples:

I am going: Here ‘going’ is the present participle form and we are adding -ing to the verb ‘go’.

You are talking: Here ‘talking’ is the present participle form and we are adding -ing to the verb ‘talk’.

Present participle is essentially the addition of a verb and ‘ing’.

Did you know? The German language does not have a present progressive tense like English.

Negative Version

If you need to use the present progressive form in a negative sentence, apply this rule:

Subject + is/am/are + not + present participle

Example:

Chris is not looking at the correct page.
Me and Jane are not going out tonight.

Question Version

This is the rule that applies when you need to ask a question:

Is/am/are + subject + present participle

Example:

Is Christine going with you guys?

Are Steve and Bill working right now?

Spelling Rules

Here are some spelling rules to keep in mind when forming present participles:

Case	Rule	Example	Present participle
Words that end with w, x or y	Just add -ing	Snow, mix, cry, grow,	Snowing, mixing, crying, growing
Words that end with ie	Change ie to y followed by adding -ing	Lie, die, tie	Lying, dying, tying
Words that end with a singular e	Remove e and then add -ing	Make, dance, ride, save	Making, dancing, riding, saving
Words that have a vowel in the middle	Double the last letter and then add -ing	Shop, begin, get, swim	Shopping, beginning, getting, swimming

Practice Exercises

In the sentences given below, pick the one which is written in the present progressive form:

I am going now, you can come later if you want.
You guys go ahead, I will catch up later.

Answer: Sentence A is written in the progressive form since the participle of go+ing has been used along with ‘am’.

I hope while they are cooking the food, someone is bringing the dessert.
When will you go to the supermarket?

Answer: Sentence A is written in the progressive form since the action is taking place in real time and participles -ing are used.

Keep going until you reach the third left turn.
It was so cold out there, my cat couldn’t stop meowing.

Answer: Both A & B are in their progressive form.

Inquiries

If you have any questions or suggestions about the present progressive verbs -ing, please free to leave a comment below.