What Is the Present Progressive Tense? (with Examples)
What Is the Present Progressive Tense?
The present progressive tense is used for an ongoing action in the present.
Examples of the Present Progressive Tense
- Caroline is looking for the latest brochure.
- Dan and Billy are fishing off the pier.
You can also have a negative version:
- Caroline is not looking for the latest brochure.
- Dan and Billy are not fishing off the pier.
And the question version:
- Is Caroline looking for the latest brochure?
- Are Dan and Billy fishing off the pier?
The present progressive tense can also be used to describe an activity which is going to happen in the future (especially for planned activities). For example:
- We are moving to New Zealand in the summer.
- The train is arriving in 2 minutes.
Present Progressive Tense
Here is an table explaining the present progressive tense:
| Present Progressive Tense |
| “am,” “is” or “are” + [past participle] |
| Tony is writing a book. ongoing activity now →⎮ |
| We are moving to Iceland next year. future activity planned ⎮ → |
| Past present future |
Forming the Present Progressive Tense
The present progressive tense is formed like this:
[am, is, or are] + [verb] + ing
For example:
- She is running.
- I am talking.
The [verb] + “ing” part is known as a present participle. It is formed like this:
Add “ing” to most verbs:
- play > playing
- shout > shouting
For verbs that end “e”, remove the “e” and add “ing”:
- prepare > preparing
- ride > riding
For verbs that end “ie”, change the “ie” to “y” and add “ing”:
- lie > lying
- untie > untying
For verbs whose last syllable is written [consonant-vowel-consonant] and is stressed, double the final consonant and add “ing”:
- run > running
- forget > forgetting
Home Verb Tenses Grammar Lessons
AGH / Jan 2020