How to form the present continuous tense

What is the Present Continuous Tense?

The present continuous tense describes actions happening right now or in the present moment. We use it to talk about things that are in progress. To form the present continuous, we use the verb 'be' (am, is, are) + the -ing form of the main verb. This tense is very common in everyday English and is easy to recognize once you know the pattern.

Where the Present Continuous Tense sits on the English tense timeline

Present Continuous Conjugation Table

Pronoun	Positive	Negative	Question
I	I am working	I am not working	Am I working?
you (singular)	you are working	you are not working	Are you working?
he / she / it	he is working	he is not working	Is he working?
we	we are working	we are not working	Are we working?
you (plural)	you are working	you are not working	Are you working?
they	they are working	they are not working	Are they working?
Notes: The verb be is irregular: am (I) · is (he/she/it) · are (you/we/they). Common contractions: I'm, you're, he's / she's / it's, we're, they're. Negative contractions: isn't (he/she/it) · aren't (you/we/they) · Note: amn't is not standard — use I'm not instead. Spelling rules for -ing: drop a silent -e before adding -ing (e.g. make → making); double the final consonant after a short vowel (e.g. run → running). Stative verbs (e.g. know, want, believe) are not normally used in the continuous form.

Formula

✔ Positive

Subject + am/is/are + verb + -ing

I am studying for my exam.

✖ Negative

Subject + am/is/are + not + verb + -ing

She is not watching television.

? Question

Am/Is/Are + subject + verb + -ing

Are you listening to music?

Examples

He is playing football in the park right now.

Present action · Positive form

They are not doing their homework at the moment.

Negative form · Currently false

Is she preparing dinner?

Question form · Asking about present action

We are learning English grammar today.

Present action · Positive form

I am not feeling well.

State of being · Negative form

Are the children playing outside?

Question form · Asking about activity

When to use it

Actions Right Now

Use present continuous for actions happening at this exact moment. This is the most common use of the tense.

"Look! The cat is jumping on the sofa."

Temporary Situations

Use it for situations that are happening these days but may not be permanent.

"I am staying with my friend this week."

Planned Future Events

Use present continuous for arrangements or plans that are already decided and scheduled.

"We are meeting the doctor on Friday."

Signal words

now at the moment right now today these days currently this week

Common Mistakes

Wrong

He am studying.

✓

Correct

He is studying.

Use 'is' with 'he', not 'am'. 'Am' is only for 'I'.

Wrong

They are go to school.

✓

Correct

They are going to school.

Add -ing to the main verb. Use 'going', not 'go'.

Wrong

Is she not playing?

✓

Correct

Is she not playing? / Isn't she playing?

Both forms are correct, but 'isn't' is more natural and common in spoken English.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

What to Remember

Use "be" (am, is, are) plus the -ing form of the main verb to form present continuous.
Present continuous describes actions happening right now or currently in progress.
Use "am" with I, "is" with he/she/it, and "are" with you/we/they.
Add -ing to the main verb: walk becomes walking, run becomes running.
Don't use the base verb form alone; always include the correct form of "be" first.

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What is the present continuous tense?

Present continuous — negative sentences