Present Continuous Tense

The present continuous tense tells us what is happening right now. We use am, is, or are with a verb ending in -ing.

What You'll Learn

• How to use am, is, and are with a verb + -ing to say what is happening now
• How to pick the right helping word for the person doing the action

When to Use

1. Something happening right now: "I am eating my rice."
2. Something you can see happening: "The dog is sleeping on the mat."

How to Form

Key Rules

1. Always use a helping word: You need am, is, or are before the verb-ing. "She running" is wrong. "She is running" is right.
2. Match the helping word: Use am with "I". Use is with one person or thing (he, she, it). Use are with you, we, or more than one (they).
3. Add -ing to the verb: The action word must end in -ing. "He is play" is wrong. "He is playing" is right.

Common Mistakes

Clue Words

Words that tell you it is happening now:

now, right now, look!, listen!

• "Look! The cat is climbing the tree." ("Look!" tells us it is happening now.)
• "What are you doing?" "I am doing my homework."

Tip: When you see "now" or "right now" in a sentence, use am/is/are + verb-ing!

Practice Tips

1. Look around you: Look at what people are doing right now and say it out loud. "Mum is cooking. My brother is watching TV."
2. Helping word check: After you write a sentence, check the helping word. "I" goes with am. One person or thing goes with is. More than one goes with are.

Quick Reference