affirmative form Present Continuous (Present Continuous) is formed with the help of the auxiliary verb to be in the present tense (am, is, are) and the infinitive without to with the end -ing(Participle I - participle I or present participle). This can be represented as a formula:
to be (changeable part am, is, are) + infinitive without to (speak) + -ing speak+ink=speaking
I am speaking now.
She is speaking now.
They are speaking now.
Note:
Verbs expressing feelings of perception and mental activity, as well as some other verbs, are not used in the Continuous tenses. This: to want - to want, to like- like to love- be in love, to wish - want, to see- see, to hear- hear, to feel - feel, to notice- notice, to remember - remember, to recognize- learn to forget- forget, to seem - seem, to be- to be and etc.
negative form formed by adding a negative not to the auxiliary verb to be.
I am not working. I do not work.
He is not working. He does not work.
We are not working. We do not work.
They are not working. They do not work.
a) the auxiliary verb to be (am, is, are) is reduced, the negation of not remains unchanged.
I'm not working now. I am not working right now.
He's not working now. It doesn't work now.
You're not working now. You are not working now.
b) negative particle not merges with the auxiliary verb, the letter o drops out:
Not isn't working now. It doesn't work now.
We aren't writing now. We are not writing now.
Interrogative form formed by rearranging the auxiliary verb and the subject - auxiliary verb to be placed before the subject.
Is he writing now? Is he writing now?
Are they reading? They are reading?
If there is a question word, it is placed before the auxiliary verb to be.
What are you doing now? What are you doing now?
Where is he working? Where he works?
Note:
If two verbs in Present Continuous have the same subject and are combined with a union and, then the auxiliary verb before the second, main, verb in Continuous is omitted.
She is sitting on the bench now and talking with Mr. brown.
Now she is sitting on a bench talking to Mr. Brown.
Writing rules
- If the verb ends with one letter -e, then before -ing this -e omitted: hat e-hat ing, so e- so ing.
- If the verb ends in -ee, then there is no change. The ending -ing added to the main verb: see - see ing, agree - agree ing.
- If there is a short vowel before the final consonant, then when adding the ending -ing the final consonant is doubled: run - run n ing, swim-swim m ing.
- If the verb consists of two or more syllables and the last syllable, which consists of one vowel before the final consonant, is stressed, then the final consonant is doubled: begin - begin n ing, admit - admit t ing.
Checkmate:
- enter - entering (the stress on the last syllable does not fall);
- last letter -l after a vowel (if there is only one vowel) in the British version it is always doubled, regardless of the stress: travel - travelling, signal - signalling.
Conjugation of the verbs to work, to write in Present Continuous
Use
Present Continuous is used:
- 1. To express an action that is happening at the present moment of speech, which is implied from the context or expressed by words such as now - now, at (the) present (moment) - at present, at this moment - Currently etc.
What are you doing (now)? - What are you doing now)?
I am cooking. Come and have supper with us. Cooking (in the kitchen). Come join us for dinner.
Note:
In principle, the presence of words denoting the moment of speech in an English sentence is not necessary, since the form of tense itself shows that the action takes place at the moment of speech. In Russian, the coincidence of an action with the moment of speech is either clear from the context, or is specified by the words now, at the moment, etc.
- 2. To express a continued action that does not necessarily occur at the time of the conversation, but is permanent.
I am reading a novel by K. Simonov.
I am reading a novel by K. Simonov. (Action in progress, extended over time.)
They are learning two foreign languages at the new gymnazium.
In the new gymnasium they study two foreign languages.
Is not teaching English and learning French. He teaches English and studies French.
- 3. To express a pre-planned, planned action that will take place in the future, often the nearest.
Are you doing anything tonight? Are you doing anything tonight?
Yes, I am going to my judo class and (I’m) meeting my friends afterwards.
Yes, I go to judo classes, then I meet my friends. (So planned.)
She is leaving at the end of the week. She leaves at the end of the week. (So planned, decided.)
- 4. With an adverb always to express a constantly repeated action that causes irritation, condemnation and even indignation in the speaker.
Not is always going away for weekends. He's always away for the weekend.
Compare:
not always goes away for weekends. He always goes away for the weekend.
The use of Simple Present / Present Indefinite instead of Present Continuous changes the emotional attitude of the speaker to what is happening and is perceived by the latter as an ordinary normal phenomenon, as a fact of action.
The present continuous is usually not used:
- 1. With verbs expressing feelings of perception: to see - see, to hear- hear, to notice- notice, to smell- smell, to feel - feel, to recognize- learn, to listen (to) - listen, to watch- observe.
But: Present Continuous is used:
a) with the verb to see in the meaning of “meet on business”, in the meaning of “visit” some places associated with tourism, and also in the meaning of “take care of”.
The director is seeing the applicants this morning. The principal is meeting with the applicants this morning.
Is not seeing the sights. He'll be back later. He's sightseeing. He will return later.
Is not seeing about tickets for tonight. He's getting tickets for tonight.
b) with the verbs to listen, to look, to watch and sometimes to smell, if an intentional action is expressed.
Why are you looking at this furcoat? Why are you looking at this coat?
It's far too expensive. I see one in the corner that would suit you much better. She's too expensive. I see a fur coat in the corner that suits you better.
Don't disturb him now, he is listening to the "radio-fact". Don't disturb him, he's listening, radio fact.
Your application is accepted
Our manager will contact you soon
close
An error occurred while sending
Send again
Rules for the formation of affirmative sentences in the present continuous tense
Examples of affirmative sentences in the present continuous tense
I'm working now. I am working now. His sister's reading an interesting book at the moment. His sister is reading an interesting book at the moment. look! John's playing football in the yard! Look! John is playing football in the yard!
Rules for the formation of negative sentences in the present continuous tense
Examples of negative sentences in the present continuous tense
They aren't watching TV. They are not watching TV now. Peter and Alice aren't speaking. Petya and Alice are not talking now. The students aren't listening to the teacher at the moment. Students do not listen to their teacher at the moment.
Rules for the formation of interrogative sentences in the present continuous tense
Examples of interrogative sentences in the present continuous tense
Are the Tuckers swimming in the swimming pool now? Are the talkers swimming in the pool now? Are the students writing a dictation at the moment? Are students writing a dictation at the moment? Is he playing badminton in the garden now? Is he playing badminton in the garden now?
Rules for spelling forms in Present Continuous
Watch video on The Present Continuous Tense
AT English language you can count as many as 12 basic temporary forms. Despite the fact that some of them are translated into Russian in the same way, in English each time corresponds to a specific situation, and therefore they should not be confused. Let's briefly go through each of them and look at the suggestions in different times in English.
In total, 4 groups of tenses are distinguished in the language:
Since each of the groups can show that the action is taking place in the past, present and future, you have the opportunity to express your idea using one of 12 options. Probably this "opportunity" will seem to someone not very tempting. After all, it takes time to figure it all out. However, this is not at all a reason to become discouraged and go for valerian. Believe me, there is nothing difficult in these tenses and, with proper practice, you will master them quickly enough. But first, let's see why English speakers need so many times and how they build sentences with them?
Offers in Simple Time:
| Simple (simple) | Education | expresses |
| Present (Present) |
Infinitive without particle to for all persons, except for 3 persons in units. h. Formula for 3 persons unit. numbers: V + s (es) For negation, the auxiliary verb do / does (for the 3rd person) with the negative particle not is used: do(es) + not (don't / doesn't) The question begins with auxiliary verbs do / does |
|
| Past (Past) |
Regular verbs - with the help of the ending ed, irregular - on their own. did + not (didn't) |
|
| Future (Future) |
will + not (won't) |
|
Examples of sentences in the Simple group:
| The present | I like reading books. | I like to read books. |
| She doesn't live in Italy. | She does not live in Italy. | |
| Do you know our principles? | Do you know our principles? | |
| Past | He went to the club yesterday. | Yesterday he went to the club. |
| I didn't want to take part in it. | I didn't want to take part in this. | |
| Did you buy a loaf of bread? | Did you buy a loaf of bread? | |
| Future | We will make a huge contribution to art. | We will make a huge contribution to art. |
| I won't come to school tomorrow. | I won't come to school tomorrow. | |
| Will Steve propose to her? | Will Steve propose to her? |
Offers in Continuous time:
| Continuous (long) | Education | expresses |
| Present (Present) |
to be has 3 forms: You / they / we are He / she / it - is to be in the right shape |
|
| Past (Past) |
to be (past) + V-ing to be has 2 forms: I / he / she / it - was You/they/we were was + not (wasnt) were + not (weren't) |
|
| Future (Future) |
will + be + v-ing will + not (won't) + be + v-ing |
|
Example sentences of the Continuous group:
| The present | I am creating a new app. | I am creating a new application. |
| She isn't working now. | Now she doesn't work. | |
| Are they studying at the moment? | Are they studying at the moment? | |
| Past | He was checking, while I was writing. | He checked while I was writing. |
| The pool wasn't operating at the time we came there. | The pool was not open at the time we got there. | |
| Wasn't she sleeping when you called? | Wasn't she asleep when you called? | |
| Future | This time tomorrow I'll be spending time with my friends. | Tomorrow at this time I will be spending time with my friends. |
| He won't be taking the course in a month. | He won't be taking the course in a month. | |
| Will he be performing tomorrow at 4? | Will he be performing tomorrow at 4? |
Offers in Perfect Time:
| Perfect (perfect) | Education | expresses |
| Present (Present) |
has - for 3rd person singular have + not (haven't) has + not (hasnt) |
|
| Past (Past) |
had + not (hadn't) |
|
| Future (Future) |
will + have + V3 will + not (won't) + have + V3 |
|
Examples of sentences from the Perfect group:
| The present | We have lost the keys. | We have lost the keys. |
| The task hasn't been finished. | The task was not completed. | |
| Have you been to Milan? | Have you been to Milan? | |
| Past | I had cooked the pie by 1 p.m. | I had the cake ready by one in the afternoon. |
| I came to see her, but she had not come back yet. | I came to her, but she has not returned yet. | |
| Had they drawn by then? | Have they finished drawing by then? | |
| Future | We will have built the house by winter. | We'll build a house for winter. |
| I'm sure he won't have earned enough money by June. | I'm sure he won't make enough money by June. | |
| Will you have translated the text at 7 oclock? | Will you have translated the text by 7 o'clock? |
Perfect Continuous sentences:
| Perfect Continuous (Perfect Continuous) | O b development | expresses |
| Present (Present) |
have (has) + been + v-ing has - for 3rd person singular have + not (haven't) + been has + not (hasn't) + been have (has) … been |
|
| Past (Past) |
had + been + v-ing had + not (hadn't) + been |
|
| Future (Future) |
will + have + been + v-ing will + not (won't) + have + been + v-ing will … have been |
|
Examples of sentences from the Perfect Continuous group:
| The present | He has been learning Esperanto for 4 months. | He has been studying Esperanto for 4 months. |
| We haven't been waiting for you for a long time. | We didn't wait long for you. | |
| How long have you been living there? | How long do you live there? | |
| Past | She decided to have a rest after she had been focusing on the project for 3 hours | She decided to take a break after being focused on the project for 3 hours. |
| I had not been talking to him even for 5 minutes when I became irritated. | In less than 5 minutes of our conversation, he began to annoy me. | |
| Had Jim been watching this cartoon for an hour by the time you came? | Had Jim been watching this cartoon for an hour by the time you arrived? | |
| Future | By 2020 we won't have been living in the USA long enough to apply for citizenship. | By 2020, we won't be living in the US long enough to apply for citizenship. |
| We won't have been working in the company for 2 years next month. | By next month, we will not have been with the company for 2 years. | |
| For how many months will they have been living together by that time? | How many months will they have been living together by then? |
These were all tenses of the English language with examples. As you can see, sentences in different tenses in English are built on the basis of rules that are quite easy to remember. It is more important to understand one thing - in what cases this or that time is used. To practice and consolidate the material, you can make sentences based on the examples above and visit this page from time to time to review the information.
Views: 594
The main difficulty of English for beginners is tenses. There are only 12 tenses in English, but due to the specifics of some tenses, confusion occurs. In this article I will tell you in detail about the tenses of the English language with an example of use.
From the article you will learn:
English tenses with examples and translation into Russian
In English, 12 tenses are traditionally distinguished. English tenses are divided into 3 groups:
- Simple (Indefinite),
- Continuous (Progressive),
- perfect.
They, in turn, in combination with the main temporary Present forms, Past and Future form the corresponding tenses. Let's start with the Indefinite group.
Present Simple (Presen Indefinite) - Real Simple
How it is formed:
I form of the verb. This form is used in all persons and numbers except singular third person: then the endings are added - s, -es.
When used:
1. The action occurs with a certain frequency. It is used with such adverbs as always (always), rarely (rarely), often (often), usually (usually), never (never), etc., in addition, with the word every (every day, every month, every year etc.)
She never listens to me. She never listens to me.
I always go abroad in summer. In the summer I always go abroad.
He goes to the theater every weekend. He goes to the theater every weekend.
2. The action is scientifically proven.
Water boils at 100 degrees.— Water boils at 100 degrees.
3. The sequence of actions is described.
I get up, wash my hands and face, have breakfast etc.- I get up, wash my face, have breakfast, etc.
Present Continuous - Present Continuous
It should be noted that some English present tenses can denote the future.
How it is formed:
verb to be + I form of the verb + ing ending.
When used: 1. the action is happening at the moment.
I am watching TV now.- I'm watching TV now.
2. the action will take place in the near future, which is planned (!).
I am flying to New York next month.- AT next month I'm flying to New York.
Present Perfect - Present Perfect
The peculiarity is that the tenses of the English language of the Perfect group can denote the past, although they are called present.
Education: have / has + III form of the verb.
When to use the present perfect tense:
1. the action happened today, this year, this week, etc., i.e. period has not yet ended.
Has not written 10 books and he is just twenty!- He wrote 10 books, and he is only twenty! (Life is going)
We have met this month.- We saw each other this month (the month has not ended)
He has met me today.“He met me today.
2. with adverbs yet (still), just (only), recently (recently), ever (always), never (never), already (already), etc.
I have just found out about this.“I just found out about it.
I've never been to England.- I have never been to England.
She has already done this work. She has already done this work.
3. Action in the past affects the present state
We have gone to the forest and now he has a cold. We went to the forest and he caught a cold.
Past Simple - Past Simple
How is the past simple tense formed?
II form of the verb, i.e. verb + ending -ed (regular verbs), or II form of an irregular verb.
When used:
1. The presence of a temporary marker yesterday (yesterday), last (past, past) or otherwise.
He visited doctor last week. He was at the doctor's last week.
I met him when I studied at the University. I met him when I was at university.
2. The action happened in the past without any conditions.
I knew you would come.“I knew you would come.
3. Sequence of actions.
He took the taxi, asked to stop at the Time Square, looked through the window etc.- He took a taxi, asked to stop at Times Square, looked out the window, etc.
Past Continuous - Past Continuous
How is the past continuous tense formed?
Verb to be in 2nd form + verb + ing ending.
When used:
1. The process lasted for a long time without interruption.
For example.
He was playing the piano the whole evening. He played the piano all evening.
2. The process was interrupted by another action.
They came in when she was speaking by the phone. They entered while she was on the phone.
Past Perfect - Past Perfect
How it is formed:
2 form of the verb have + 3 form of the verb.
When used:
1. When agreeing on times.
He said that he had not noticed you. He said he didn't see you.
2. One action happened before another.
Example: He had left before I could figure out something. He left before I could understand anything.
3. There is a temporary excuse by.
He had made his decision by summer.— By the summer he made a decision.
Future Simple - Future Simple
How it is formed:
Shall (only used with 1 person) will + I form of the verb.
When used:
The action will take place in the future. Used with time markers tomorrow, next, or a due date.
I will call you tomorrow.- I'll call you tomorrow.
He will visit us in 3 weeks. He will visit us in 3 weeks.
Future Continuous - Future Continued
How is formed.
Auxiliary verb will/shall+be+1 verb form+ing
When used. The process continues into the future.
She will be dancing the whole day tomorrow. Tomorrow she will be dancing all day.
Present Perfect Continuous - Present Perfect Continuous
How it is formed:
Have/has + been + verb+ing
When used:
1. The action lasts from a moment in the past to a moment in the present (translated by the present)
I have been waiting for this moment all my life.“I've been waiting for this moment all my life.
2. with the preposition since (s).
Their family has been owning this castle since the 17th century. Their family has owned this castle since the 17th century.
Past Perfect Continuous - Past Perfect Continuous
How it is formed:
Had + been + verb + ing
When used:
One action is interrupted by another or is its cause.
I had been working hard the whole year, so I was exhausted. “I worked hard all year and was just exhausted.
Future Perfect Continuous - Future Perfect Continued
English tenses such as Future Perfect Continuous past perfect Continuous is rarely used.
How it is formed:
Will/shall + have + been + verb + ing
When used:
The period of the past and the future is affected, the preposition of time by.
For example: I will have been working in this company for 10 years by 1st May.- By May 1, it will be 10 years since I work in this company.
Thus, we examined 10 tenses of the English language (all are built on 3 main ones).
Present continuous tense (Present Progressive Tense) - the present long time. In speech, it occurs as often as in present simple . The main thing to know about Present Continuous, - this time shows the duration of the action in the present. Duration can manifest itself in different ways: the action can last for a short time, or it can take a long period of time. At Present Continuous there are many functions, so this time occupies an important place in the grammar of the English language.
How is Present Continuous Tense Formed?
Statement
As in any English sentence, the subject comes first and the verb comes second. Predicate in Present Continuous consists of an auxiliary verb to be and main verb. to be in Present Continuous changes, so we need to remember its forms: am, is, are. The main verb has a particle to and the ending appears ing.
By general rule we add to the verb - ing. But with some verbs, slight transformations occur with the advent of this ending, for example:
- e
, leaving the final vowel: com e
– com ing
(come),
Mak e – Mak ing (do), write e – write ing (write). - For verbs ending in - ie , vowels - ie are replaced by - y : l ie –l ying (lie), t ie – t ying (tie up) d ie – d ying (die).
- If a short verb ends in a vowel with a consonant, then that consonant is doubled:
swi m – swi mm ing(to swim), sto p – sto pp ing(stop), ge t – ge tt ing(receive).
Negation
A negative sentence differs from an affirmative one only in that a particle appears between the auxiliary verb and the main verb not. That is, the predicate looks like this: first to be, after it the particle not and then the main verb.
Question
To ask a question in Present Continuous, we take out to be in first place, then put the subject and after it the main verb.
For your convenience, we have divided the time functions Present Continuous into 3 groups: entry-level material (green frame), intermediate level (yellow) and high-level (red). If you are just starting to study this topic, then it will be enough for you to know the functions of the green box, since these are the basic rules for Present Continuous. If you need more advanced grammar, then study the yellow table. And for the most sophisticated English connoisseurs, the rules from the red table are suitable.
Using Present Continuous
First level
- Present Continuous illustrates an action that is happening now, at the moment of speech. There may be clarifying words here: now(now), at the moment(Currently). Also, we can use this time for two actions that occur simultaneously in the present.
– What is he doing now? – What he is doing now?
– He is talking to his friend. - He is talking with a friend. (at the moment he is standing and talking to a friend)She is eating chocolate ice cream while I am drinking water. - She is eats chocolate ice cream while i I drink water
- Present Continuous is used when the action takes place in the present, but not at a specific moment of speech. In this case, we want to show that the action is extended in time: it could have started yesterday or two days ago, but now it continues and will continue for some time. Throughout this long period of time, we periodically perform this action.
I am reading an interesting book. - I I read interesting book. (I started reading it before the speech and will read it for some time, but right now I'm not busy reading)
We are moving into a new house. - We moving to a new house. (we have begun to collect and transport things, but we are not busy with this activity at the moment of speech)
In this function, we may encounter words such as now(now), these days(these days, these days) currently(now, now).
This play is currently running at the theatre. - This play goes now in the theatre.
- We want to show that the situation is temporary, that is, we know, suspect or feel that the action will not last long. In such cases, there are words that specify the time period, such as for(during), during(during), until(not yet).
He is staying in New York for three months. - He remains in New York on the three months. (in three months his stay will end and he will return home)
He is working as a waiter until he finds a better job. - He works waiter bye won't find a better job. (he temporarily works as a waiter)
- We are talking about an action that is slowly developing or changing. Such an action can show the words get(become), change(change), become(become), rise(get up), fall(fall), grow(grow), improve(improve), begin(start off), start(start off).
Your English is getting better. – Your English becomes better. (English didn't get better overnight, but gradually it improves)
The weather is improving. – Weather getting better. (the weather was bad for a while, now it's getting better)
When else is the Present Continuous used?
Average level
- When we talk about a planned action that we will take in the near future. We use Present Continuous only with those actions that have already firmly decided to perform.
Here you can use the words: this/next week(this/next week) this/next weekend(this/next weekend) this/next year(this/next year) today(in the evening), today(today), tomorrow(tomorrow).
next week we are buying a new car. - Next week we buy new car. (we firmly decided to buy a car, we have already chosen a model and a store where we will buy it)
I am having a business meeting tomorrow. - I have a business meeting tomorrow. (the meeting has already been scheduled and will definitely take place)
- When we talk about the near future using verbs of motion such as go(go), leave(leave), come(come), move(move), return(come back), start(start off).
I'm tired. I am going to bed. - I'm tired. I I'm going sleep. (I felt tired, so I decided to go to sleep)
This film is too boring. I am leaving. This movie is too boring I'm leaving. (I don’t like the film, so I leave the session without waiting for the end)
- When we want to show discontent, indignation, irritation. In these cases, we use the words always(always), constantly(constantly), all the time(all the time) to show that the person regularly does things that we don't like.
You are always interrupting me! - You constantly me interrupting! (I really don't like it)
He is coming late all the time! - He late all the time! (the speaker is unhappy with this)
- Present continuous tense with state verbs.
Usually, the present continuous tense in English is not used with state verbs ( state verbs or state verbs). - these are verbs that convey the state of a person: his feelings, relationships, mental processes. These verbs denote actions, but these actions take place inside our consciousness, and we cannot watch how they proceed ( to feel- feel, to think- think, to love- be in love, to wish- wish to need- need). Therefore, we cannot use them in tenses Continuous, since this aspect shows the duration.
However, there are a few cases where state verbs used with Present Continuous. This happens when the verb has several meanings and one of them shows action, and also when we want to show that the situation is temporary.
The steak tastes good. This steak tastes great. (steak is always so delicious)
The chef is tasting the steak. - Cook tries steak to taste. (he is trying it now)
Difficult cases of using Present Continuous
High level
- Present Continuous used when we are talking about something new, especially if this new is opposed to something old.
He has left university, now he is working with his friend. He dropped out of university and now works With my friend.
These days most people are spending time in front of computer screens instead of reading books. - Most people today holds time at the computer instead of reading books.
- Present Continuous used when we are talking about unusual behavior. We want to show that a person does something that is not characteristic of him, behaves differently than usual.
She is eating too much these days. – She is too much eating Last few days. (she didn't eat that much before)
He is being nervous recently. - He became nervous lately. (he has always been calm, but recently his behavior has changed)
- Present Continuous found in subordinate clauses time after unions when(when), if(if), unless(not yet) in case(if), as long as(bye), while(while). Such proposals have long-term action, which stands in Present Continuous, and the singular, which is expressed present simple. Usually these sentences show familiar situations where a single action takes place against the backdrop of a long one.
I try not to make noise in case my daughter is doing her homework. - I try not to make noise when, if my daughter does homework.
I never talk on the phone when I am eating. - I never talk on the phone when I eat.
Present Continuous- one of the most favorite times of the British. As you can see, in English Present Continuous used in many situations, which means that it often occurs in speech. To better remember how to use Present Continuous, we recommend taking the following test and downloading our plate.
(*.pdf, 186 Kb)
Test
Use of Present Continuous