The present progressive is a frequently used tense in English. It has more parts than some other tenses, so it can feel like a lot to think about. Well, take a deep breath, and let us break it down for you, so you can be a present progressive expert!

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What is the present progressive in English?

Sentences in the present progressive, also called the present continuous, are formed with am, is, or are (depending on the subject) followed by the present participle, which is created by adding -ing to the base form of the verb:

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English present progressive: subject + form of to be + present participle

When using the present progressive, it is very common to contract the subject of the sentence with the auxiliary verb (am, is, or are). These contractions are frequently used in both spoken and written English.

Compare the sentences with and without a contraction in the table below:

SUBJECT EXAMPLE WITH FULL FORM EXAMPLE WITH CONTRACTION
I I am playing tennis. I'm playing tennis.
you You are learning a lot. You're learning a lot.
he/she/it He is talking to Lin. He's talking to Lin.
we We are helping you. We're helping you.
you (plural) You are watching TV. You're watching TV.
they They are reading. They're reading.

When do you use the present progressive?

The present progressive isn’t the only present tense in English—there’s also the simple present. Both are used to talk about events that are happening, well, in the present, but they serve different purposes.

List of “Main uses of English present tenses” with a box on the left for the simple present tense and a box on the right for the present progressive. In the simple present box are two uses and an example of each: First, habitual or regular events (for example, “They go to the movies every Friday”) and second, facts, opinions, or ideas (for example, “This vase is beautiful!"). For present progressive, the uses are events happening in the moment (for example, “Careful! Your book is falling!”) and plans for the near future (for example, “They're going to Spain next week”).

Keywords to look for

There are certain words that are often used with the present progressive and other words that are often used with the simple present. These words can be great clues about which tense is best for your situation.

List of “Signal words for English present tenses” with a box on the left for the simple present tense and a box on the right for the present progressive. In the simple present box are six signal words and phrases: “always”, “sometimes”, “never”, “often”, “once a week/month/etc”, and “every week/month/etc”. For present progressive, the signal words and phrases listed are “now”, “at the moment”, “currently”, “soon”, “today”, “tonight”, and “this week/month/year”.

In addition to these signal words, there are certain verbs that are less commonly used with the present progressive, such as be, feel, like, love, prefer, think, know, want, hear, and have. These verbs, called stative verbs, instead usually take the simple present. 

How do you form the present participle of different verbs?

The present participle is the verb form used in the present progressive. It is formed by taking the base form of the verb and adding -ing:

BASE VERB PRESENT PARTICIPLE EXAMPLE
fall falling Help! I am falling!
sing singing Zari is singing.
buy buying They are buying bread at the store.

However, if the base verb ends with a silent -e, the present participle is formed by dropping the -e before adding -ing:

BASE VERB PRESENT PARTICIPLE EXAMPLE
use using I am using your toothbrush!
write writing They are writing a few emails.
smile smiling The baby is smiling!

If the base verb ends in -ie, change the -ie to -y and then add -ing to form the present participle:

BASE VERB PRESENT PARTICIPLE EXAMPLE
die dying My plant is dying.
lie lying Lucy is lying in bed.
tie tying We are tying our shoes!

In addition, when a base verb is one syllable and ends with a series of consonant-vowel-consonant, the present participle is formed by doubling the last consonant in the verb and then adding -ing:

BASE VERB PRESENT PARTICIPLE EXAMPLE
hit hitting Vikram is hitting the ball!
run running We are running so fast.
cut cutting I am cutting all the vegetables.

However, this rule doesn’t apply when the verb ends with -w, -x, or -y. For example, the present participle of the verb draw is drawing—no double w needed!

If a verb ends with consonant-vowel-consonant but has more than one syllable, you need to know whether the last syllable of the verb is stressed or not:

  • If it is unstressed (like in visit), simply add -ing without doubling the last letter of the base verb.
  • If the last syllable is stressed (like in begin), the last consonant is doubled before adding -ing.
BASE VERB PRESENT PARTICIPLE EXAMPLE
begin beginning The show is beginning now.
forget forgetting You are forgetting something!
refer referring I am referring you to a new doctor.

Negation of the present progressive

Negative sentences in the present progressive are formed by putting not between the form of to be and the present participle:

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Negation of the present progressive: subject + form of to be + not + present participle

Negative sentences in the present progressive also often use contractions. In fact, for all subjects except the first person singular (I), there are two ways to form negative contractions in the present progressive. You can either combine the subject with the form of to be, or you can combine the form of to be with not:

SUBJECT EXAMPLE WITH FULL FORM EXAMPLES WITH CONTRACTIONS
I I am not playing tennis. I'm not playing tennis.
you You are not learning a lot. You’re not learning a lot.
You aren’t learning a lot.
he/she/it He is not talking to Lin. He’s not talking to Lin.
He isn’t talking to Lin.
we We are not helping you. We’re not helping you.
We aren’t helping you.
you (plural) You are not watching TV. You’re not watching TV.
You aren’t watching TV.
they They are not reading. They’re not reading.
They aren’t reading.

In most varieties of English, there is only one contraction option for I: I am not becomes I’m not. However, in Irish English you might hear I amn’t as a variation of I am not.

Questions in the present progressive

To ask questions in the present progressive, the subject and the form of to be swap places:

Yes/No Questions
am/is/are + subject + present participle

Q: Are you talking?
A: Yes, I’m talking.

Q: Is Oscar crying?
A: Yes, he’s crying.

Wh-questions
question word + am/is/are + present participle 

Q: What are they eating?
A: They’re eating pizza.

Q: Who are you calling?
A: I’m calling my mom.

Your English is getting progressively stronger!

The present progressive can feel like a lot to learn, but just remember: You are doing great! 😉