Present continuous (I am working)

Present continuous: form

We use am, are, is + the -ing form of the verb. We use the short form more often than the full form, especially when speaking.

+	I,you, we, theyshe, he, it	(full form)amare,is	*working*.
I,you, we, theyshe, he, it	(short form)’m’re’s
−	I,you, we, theyshe, he, it	(full form)*am notare notis not*	*working*.
I,you, we, theyshe, he, it	(short form)*’m not’re not* or aren’’s not or isn’t**
? +	AmAre,Is	Iyou, we, theyshe, he, it	*working?*
? −	(full form)AmAreIs	Iyou, we, theyshe, he, it	*not*	*working?*
(short form)*Aren’tIsn’t***	I, you, we, theyshe, he, it

Present continuous: -ing form spelling

For most verbs we add -ing to the base form to make the -ing form:

be → being	eat → eat*ing*	order → order*ing*
cry → cry*ing*	fix → fix*ing*	play → play*ing*
do → doing	go → going

For other verbs the spelling changes are (note the underlined syllables are stressed):

	verb	-*ing* form
When the verb ends in -e, we take off the -e and add -ing.	move	mov*ing*
face	fac*ing*
come	com*ing*
When the verb ends in a vowel followed by a single consonant and if the last syllable is stressed, then the consonant is doubled.	commit	commi*tting*
prefer	prefe*rring*
rub	rubbing
BUT:cover	cove*ring*
remember	remembe*ring*
When the verb ends in a vowel + l, we double the consonant.	travel	trave*lling**
control	contro*lling*

* American English spelling is traveling.

Present continuous: uses

Events at the time of speaking

We use the present continuous to talk about events which are in progress at the moment of speaking:

A: What time’s dinner?
B: I*’m*** cooking now so it’ll be ready in about half an hour.
She*’s*** pressing the button but nothing is happening.

Temporary states

We use the present continuous to talk about temporary states which are true around the moment of speaking:

Her mother*’s*** living with her at the moment. She’s just come out of hospital.
Who*’s*** looking after the children while you’re here?

Repeated temporary events

We use the present continuous to describe actions which are repeated or regular, but which we believe to be temporary:

I*’m not drinkingmuch coffee these days. I’m*** trying to cut down.
She*’s*** working a lot in London at the moment. (She doesn’t usually work in London.)

Change

We use the present continuous to talk about a gradual change:

They*’re*** building a new stand at the football ground.
Maria, 37, is getting better and doctors are optimistic she will make a full recovery.
Recent evidence suggests that the economic situation is improving.

Regular unplanned events

We often use the present continuous with words like always, constantly, continually and forever (adverbs of indefinite frequency) to describe events which are regular but not planned, and often not wanted:

My wife, she*’s*** always throwing things out. I like to keep everything.
I*’m*** constantly spilling things.

Plans and arrangements

We use the present continuous to refer to the future when we talk about plans and arrangements that have already been made:

We*’re*** moving to Cambridge in July.
Sarah isn’t taking Rory to football training later. She hasn’t got the car tonight.
Aren’t you playing tennis on Saturday?

Present continuous: form​

Present continuous: -ing form spelling​

Present continuous: uses​

Events at the time of speaking​

Temporary states​

Repeated temporary events​

Change​

Regular unplanned events​

Plans and arrangements​