Present Continuous/Progressive Tense in English – Structure Rules & Examples

Back to: Tenses in English Grammar with Examples

In the previous unit, we have discussed the Present Indefinite Tense in detail. We assume that you have learned the forms of verbs and their meanings in this unit and are also aware of What is Tense. if not, please click these links and learn them first.

Before going ahead, we would like to remind you that Present Continuous Tense is also known as Present Progressive Tense. This tense tells about the action (e.g. eating, walking, dancing, sleeping, etc) which is happens continuously. e.g. you are reading this article right now. So this action is in Present Continuous Tense.

In Hindi and Urdu, Present Continuous Tense ends with raha hu, rahi ha, rahe hein. e.g. mein tenses parh raha hu, mein apna phone chala raha hu etc.

This tense is easier than Present Indefinite Tense. We just have to use is/am/are and the Present Participle Form or the -ing form of Verb (.e.g running, walking, reading, eating, talking, etc).

Rule 1

In Present Continuous Tense, we use “am” with “I” and “present participle form” (-ing form) of the verb. e.g.

Here are some more examples to help you understand this.

  1. I am playing GTA 5. (mein GTA 5 khel rahi hu)
  2. I am living in Kishanganj. (mein Kishanganj mein reh raha hu)
  3. I am eating momos. (mein momos kha rhi hu)
  4. I am watching Sacred Games 2. (mein sacred games dekh raha hu)
  5. I am charging my Mac. (mein apna Mac charge kar rha hu)
  6. I am driving my SUV Car. ( mein apni car chala rehi hu)
  7. I am tagging my friends on facebook. (mein facebook par apne dosto ko tag kar rha hu)
  8. I am sleeping on the sofa. ( mein sofey pe so raha hu)
  9. I am talking to my future husband. (mein apne hone vale pati se baat kr rahi hu)
  10. I am taking tea. (mein chae pi rahi hu)

Rule 2

We use “is” with “He, She, It and Name” and Present Participle Form (-ing form) of the verb. e.g.

Here are some more examples to help you understand this.

  1. Ranu Mondal is singing a song. (Ranu Mondal gana ga rahi hai)
  2. He is downloading the movie. (Wo movies download kr raha hai)
  3. She is buying a new phone. (Wo naya phone khareed rahi hai)
  4. It is raining here. (Yaha barish ho rahi hai)
  5. Dhinchak Pooja is singing a rap. (Dhinchak Pooja rap ga rahi hai)
  6. He is buying a mature bag. (Wo mature bag khareed raha hai)
  7. She is making a Tiktok video. (Wo Tiktok video bana rahi hai)
  8. It is working now. (ye ab kaam kar raha hai)
  9. He is listening to songs on Coke Studio. (Wo Coke Studio par gaane sun raha hai)
  10. She is making monkey faces on Snapchat. (Wo Snapchat par bandariya ki shakal bana rehi hai)

Rule 3

We use “are” with We, You and They and Present Participle Form (-ing form) of the Verb. e.g.

Here are some more examples to help you understand this.

  1. We are creating a new group on WhatsApp. (Hum WhatsApp par naya group bana rahe hein)
  2. You are telling lies. (Ap jhoot bol rahe ho)
  3. They are playing PUBG. (Wo PUBG Khel Rahe Hein)
  4. We are selling Pakodas. (Hum pakodey bech rahe hein)
  5. You are cooking rice. (Ap khana bana rahe ho)
  6. They are asking questions. (Wo sawaal pooch rahe hein)
  7. We are running. (Hum bhaag rahe hein)
  8. They are sitting. (We beth rahe hein)
  9. You are crying. (Ap ro rahe ho)
  10. We are dancing. (Hum naach rahe hein)

Rule 4

We bring is/am/are before He/She/It/I/We/You/They/It while making questions in Present Continuous Tense. e.g.

Recap

So, let us just memorize what we have learned.

  1. In Present Continuous Tense, we use the Present Participle Form (-ing form) of Verb.
  2. We use is, am and are.
  3. Is is used with He, She, It and Name of a person. (e.g. He is ____, She is ____, It is ____, Sumaiyah is ______).
  4. Am is used with I (I am _____).
  5. Are is used with You, We and They. (You are ____, We are ____, They are ____).

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