The Present Continuous Tense

The Present Continuous Tense

What am I doing now? I am drinking tea.
Am I doing anything else? I am recording this lesson.

When am I drinking this tea? Now.
When am I recording this lesson? Now.

We use the present continuous tense to describe actions that occur right now, in this moment.

How is this different from the simple present tense?

The simple present tense describes actions that occur daily or on a regular basis. For example:
➢ I drink tea. I may drink tea every morning or every night before I go to bed.

The present continuous tense describes actions that are happening in this moment, right now.
➢ I am drinking tea. This sentence tells me I am drinking tea right now, in the present moment.

You form the present continuous tense by using the present tense of the verb to be, plus the present tense of the verb, plus ing.

The present tense forms of the verb to be are:

Singular	Plural
am, I am	are, we are
are, you are	are, you are
is, he, she, it is	are, they

What are some things you can do right now?

➢ You are eating breakfast.
➢ You are sleeping.
➢ You are brushing your teeth.
➢ You are cleaning your house.

The present continuous tense describes actions that are happening in this moment, right now.