THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

play

At the moment Im playing football.

 Present Continuous Tense

We use the present continuous tense

to talk about things
that are happening around the time
we are doing,
thinking or talking about them.
The Present Continuous Tense
is used for
1. Actions which are happening at or
around the moment of speaking.
Now Im doing the washing up.
She is working very hard nowadays.
2. Temporary situations.
Im staying with a friend at the
moment.
ACTIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING
AT PRESENT (1)

They are dancing right now.

TEMPORARY SITUATIONS (2)

They normally play tennis.

But this week they are skating.

The Present Continuous Tense
is used for
3. Changing or developing situations.
His English is getting better.
Its getting colder.
4. Fixed arrangements in the near
future.
They are getting married next week.
CHANGING SITUATIONS (3)
Yesterday it was very sunny.

Today its raining more and more.

 FUTURE ARRANGEMENTS (4)

They are celebrating a party next weekend.

 THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE
TIME EXPRESSIONS:

Now, at the moment, today, nowdays, this week.

They are throwing snowballs now

 The table shows how we form the ing form of a verb.

Most verbs + ing walk walking

Verbs ending in e -e + ing come coming

Verbs ending in ie lying

-ie + y + ing lie

Short verbs ending in a

vowel + a consonant Double the consonant run running
+ ing
VERB + ing (spelling rules)

listen + ing = listening

die (-iey) + ing = dying
write + ing = writing
hop + p + ing = hopping
travel + l + ing = travelling
THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE
AFFIRMATIVE: Play

I am
m
You are
We re playing
They
He is
She s
It
 THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE
INTERROGATIVE: Play NEGATIVE: Play
am not
Am I I m not

you You are not

Are we playing? We arent
playing
they They
he He is not
Is she She isnt
it It
 To Form Present Continuous
Subject + to be + verb+ing

Negatives and Questions in the Present Continuous Tense

Yes/no
Statement Wh- question Negative
question
I am eating. Am I eating? What am I eating? I am not eating.
You are crying. Are you crying? Why are you crying? You are not crying.
He is going. Is he going? Where is he going? He is not going.
She is arriving. Is she arriving? When is she arriving? She is not arriving.
It is sleeping. Is it sleeping? Why is it sleeping? It is not sleeping.
We are leaving. Are we leaving? When are we leaving?
We are not leaving.
Why are they arguing? They are not arguing.
They are arguing. Are they arguing?
Make ing forms of each verb given.
begin get
rub use
listen admit
lie try
swim decide
study come
happen put
 ing forms
beginning getting
rubbing using
listening admitting
lying trying
swimming deciding
studying coming
putting
happening
 THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

Is he playing football at the

moment?
No, he isnt. He is running.
WHAT IS SHE DOING?

draw

She is drawing a picture at

the moment
WHAT IS TWEETY DOING?

ITS FLYING
Present Continuous
When we talk about
something that is
happening right now, we
use a special form called
the present progressive
(also called the present
continuous).
For example, in the
picture on the left, the
man is playing soccer.
Hes running and kicking
the ball.
The forms
The man is playing soccer.
Hes running and kicking the
ball.
Notice that we need two
verbs to express this idea:
A form of BE:
am
is
are
An -ing form of another
verb:
playing
running
kicking
 and in Spanish??
We do the same thing!
A form of the verb
ESTAR:
estoy

ests

est

estamos

estn

And a verb form that ends

in ndo.
Por ejemplo
El hombre est
jugando al ftbol.
Esta corriendo y
dando una patada
al baln.
-NDO forms
Jugar > jugando
Dar > dando
Correr > corriendo

Can you figure out how

the different endings?
-NDO forms
Exactly!
For ar verbs, drop
ar and add ando.
For er & -ir verbs,
add iendo.
Lets practice!
What are the ndo
forms of these verbs?
cantar
volver
escribir
aprender
hacer
pensar
ver
The envelope, please!
cantar: cantando
volver: volviendo
escribir: escribiendo
aprender: aprendiendo
hacer: haciendo
pensar: pensando
ver: viendo
Whats going on here?
volver (o > ue)
volviendo
pensar (e > ie)
pensando
Stem-changing ar & -er
verbs do not change in
the ndo form.
What else?
hacer (-go)
haciendo
The go verbs likewise
have a regular ndo
form.
Theres got to be a catch!
Yes, there are
some irregulars.
What is the ndo
form of ir?
Thats tricky!
ir > yendo
Drop the ir and
what do you have?
Add iendo for an
-ir verb.
Iendo becomes
yendo.
Here are a couple more.
leer > leyendo
oir > oyendo
traer > trayendo
The i- changes to
y- between two
vowels.
Wait! Stem-changing IR verbs.
If a verb is ir and stem-
changing, then the stem
changes in the ndo form.
venir (e > ie)
viniendo
decir (e > i)
diciendo
dormir (o > ue)
durmiendo
Lets practice!
Put the verbs into
the present
progressive form.
Teodoro _____
(tomar) un t
caliente y ______
(comer) unas
galletas dulces.
Qu est haciendo?
Teodoro est
tomando un t
caliente y est
comiendo unas
galletas dulces.

You can leave out the

second est.
Otro ejemplo, por favor!
Los hombres ____
(trabajar) mucho.
Ellos _____ (leer)
cartas, _____
(escribir) informes
[reports], y _____
(contestar) llamadas
telefnicas.
Qu est haciendo?
Los hombres estn
trabajando mucho.
Ellos estn leyendo
cartas, escribiendo
informes [reports], y
contestando llamadas
telefnicas.
Qu ests haciendo?
Miguel, Qu [t]
_______ (hacer)?
______ (descansar)!
______ (escuchar) un
poco de msica,
_____ (ver) un poco
la tele, y ______
(beber) un refresco.
Qu ests haciendo?
Miguel, Qu [t]
ests haciendo?
Estoy descansando!
Estoy escuchando un
poco de msica,
viendo un poco la
tele, y bebiendo un
refresco.
A final note
In English, we can use the
present progressive to talk
about the future:
What are you doing this
afternoon?
Im working on my term
paper.
This is not possible in
Spanish, however. Use the
present progressive only for
actions happening at the
moment of speaking!
Thats all, folks!
Now you are ready
to work on the
next verb set,
Reflexives.
 UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DEL CALLAO
FACULTAD DE INGENIERIA MECNICA Y DE ENERGA

PRESENT CONTINUOUS
1. Write the ING FORM of these verbs.

Break clean wash live

Come die enjoy go
Make play sing jump
Write start get feel
Begin put hit rain
Rob shop dream sleep
Shout sit stand talk
Turn open visit forget

2. Fill in the blanks with the verbs in the present continuous tense
1. John and I...................................... (stay) in a beautiful hotel.
2. Kevin.......................................... (work) at home today.
3. I...................................... (wait) for a very important letter.
4. You...................................... (walk) too fast.
5. We........................................... (plan) our next holiday.
6. The girls............................................ (visit) their grandmother today.
7. She....................................... (read) in her bedroom at the moment.
8. The baby...................................... (learn) how to walk.

3. Rewrite the sentences in the negative. Use the present continuous

1. They.......................................... (buy) a new car.
2. He............................................... (learn) to read.
3. I.................................................. ( look) for your keys.
4. We............................................... (sell) the house.
5. They........................................ (drink) tea.
6. You....................................... (work) very hard.
7. Jack and Jill....................................... (run) downhill.
8. I....................................... (go) home now.

4. A) Write the questions. Use the present continuous

1. What /Jessica / do?
_____________________________________________________________________
2. Why / John and Patrick / laugh?
_____________________________________________________________________
3. What book / you / read?
_____________________________________________________________________
4. What / we / watch?
_____________________________________________________________________
5. Where / they / stay?
_____________________________________________________________________
6. Why / we / sit in the dark?
_____________________________________________________________________
7. Where / they / wait?
_____________________________________________________________________
8. What / you / sell?
_____________________________________________________________________
 UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DEL CALLAO
FACULTAD DE INGENIERIA MECNICA Y DE ENERGA

b) Make questions. Write the short answer ( + and -)

1. It / rain?
_____________________________________________________________________
2. You / learn / French / at school?
_____________________________________________________________________
3. I /speak / clearly?
_____________________________________________________________________
4. Angela and Fred / dance / together?
_____________________________________________________________________
5. The plane / land/ now?
_____________________________________________________________________
6. The Smiths / plan / a party?
_____________________________________________________________________
7. The children / study / in their bedroom?
_____________________________________________________________________
8. Chris / wave/ at us?
_____________________________________________________________________

5. Make POSITIVE, INTERROGATIVE and NEGATIVE sentences. Add SHORT ANSWERS

( + AND ANSWERS)
1. Ann (read) the newspaper.
______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2. The baby (cry).
______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
3. It (snow).
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
4. You (look) very beautiful today.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
5. I (play) a lot of football this year.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
6. We (wait) for a phone call.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
7. He (listen) to me.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
8. She (wear) a coat.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
9. They (learn) very much.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
10. You (eat) bread these days.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
 UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DEL CALLAO
FACULTAD DE INGENIERIA MECNICA Y DE ENERGA

6. Complete the conversation putting the verbs into the present continuous and
completing the short answers with AM, IS , ARE (NOT)

A: So what........................................ (happen)? ........................................... (they/have) a

party?
B: Yes, they......................
A: And what................................................................ (they/do)?
B: Well, a few of them.............................................. (dance)
A: ........................................................................ (Mum and Dad) dance?
B: Yes, Mum ............................ but Dad........................ He....................................... (talk) to
Uncle Jack and they.............................................. (laugh) a lot.
A: Is Aunty Linda there?
B: Yes, she...................... She...................................... (dance) with Brian from next door.
Oh, and Dad...................................... (give) everyone a drink.
A: ............................................... (they/eat)?
B: Only crisps and nuts and some cheese.
A: And we.................................................. (not/eat) anything. Its not fair.

7. Put the words in the correct order to make different sentences in the Present
Continuous Tense

1. glasses. my I'm looking for

________________________________________________________________
2. are of you What reading? kind book

________________________________________________________________
3. is Why Pamela crying?

________________________________________________________________
4. Kharkov Paul is economics at studying University. National

________________________________________________________________
5. Why everyone laughing? is

________________________________________________________________
6 for Are waiting you me?

________________________________________________________________
7 When you are leaving?

________________________________________________________________
 UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DEL CALLAO
FACULTAD DE INGENIERIA MECNICA Y DE ENERGA

Exercises
1) Put the verbs in brackets in the correct form. Use Present Continuous

1. I. ( write) an exercise now.

2. She.( dance) with her boyfriend at the moment.
3. They( listen ) to the teacher.
4. My brother .( do) homework now.
5. Her father( repair) his car now.
6. Look! It ..(rain).
7. Mrs. Smiths . ( polish) the furniture.
8. The girl (help) her mum. She
(sweep) the floor.
9. They..(clean) the house today.
10. Tom ( vacuum) the carpet.
11. You.(water) the plants.
12. Mary(iron) at the moment.
13. Mark(sit) on the wall now. He
.( watch) the carnival.
14. Sue..( buy) some Indian food at the food stalls.
15. My parents(go ) to the cinema today.
16. The children ( have) fun now. They
..(play) a funny game.
17. The postman..( deliver) the letter now.
18. Look! The boat..( sink).
19. The students ( have) an English lesson now.
20. Be quiet! The baby( sleep).
 UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DEL CALLAO
FACULTAD DE INGENIERIA MECNICA Y DE ENERGA

2) Put the verbs in brackets in the correct form. Use Present Continuous

1. He ( not/drink) tea. He is drinking coffee.

2. My brother ( not/listening) to music.
He.. (do ) homework.
3. They .(not/have) supper. They
.(have) breakfast.
4. The lesson(not/start).
5. She .(not/visit) her grandmother now.
6. She(not/buy) a dress. She
.( buy) a skirt.
7. Alex(not/use) his computer now because his
computer is broken.
8. I.(not/go) to Marks party.
I.(go) to Anas birthday party.
9. It (not/snow). It.( rain).
10. Kate .( not/ wear) trainers. She
( wear) boots.
11. We..(not/play) very well.
12. Sarah..(not/watch) a thriller.
13. My mum and I .( not/wash) up. We
..(rest)
14. I ..( not/do) shopping.
15. Kims Dad ( not/shave) now.
16. The men ..( not / leave) now.
17. My dog ..(not/ eat) now. He
..(sleep)
18. His brother .( not/ ride) his bike at the moment.
19. The tourists .( not/ go) by double-decker bus.
20. She ..(not/ skateboarding) now.
 UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DEL CALLAO
FACULTAD DE INGENIERIA MECNICA Y DE ENERGA
 UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DEL CALLAO
FACULTAD DE INGENIERIA MECNICA Y DE ENERGA

Answers:
Exercise1.
1. am writing
2. is dancing
3. are listening
4. is doing
5. is repairing
6. is raining
7. is polishing
8. is helping/ is sweeping
9. are cleaning
10. is vacuuming
11. are watering
12. is ironing
13. is sitting
14. is buying
15. are going
16. are having/are playing
17. is delivering
18. is sinking
19. are having
20. is sleeping

Exercise2.
1. isnt drinking
2. isnt listening/ is doing
3. arent having / are having
4. isnt starting
5. isnt visiting
6. isnt buying/is buying
7. isnt using
8. am not going / am going
9. isnt snowing/is raining
10. isnt wearing/ is wearing
11. arent playing
12. isnt watching
13. arent washing/are resting
14. am not doing
15. isnt shaving
16. arent leaving
17. isnt eating/is sleeping
18. isnt riding
19. arent going
20. isnt skateboarding