Present Continuous Grammar Quiz
12 multiple-choice questions on the present continuous tense (am/is/are + verb-ing): actions happening now, temporary situations and future arrangements. A2–B1 level.
Keep practising the present continuous.
Present Continuous — FAQ
You form the present continuous with the verb ‘be’ (am, is or are) plus the main verb in its -ing form. Use ‘am’ with I, ‘is’ with he, she and it, and ‘are’ with you, we and they. For example: ‘I am working’, ‘She is reading’, ‘They are playing’. In speech the ‘be’ verb is usually contracted: I’m working, she’s reading, they’re playing.
We use it mainly for actions happening right now, at the moment of speaking, such as ‘Look! It is raining.’ We also use it for temporary situations true around now but not permanently, like ‘I am staying with my parents this month.’ It can describe changing situations (‘Prices are rising’) and fixed future arrangements (‘We are meeting Tom tomorrow’). The key idea is that the action is in progress or temporary.
The present simple describes habits, routines and permanent facts: ‘I work in London’, ‘Water boils at 100 degrees.’ The present continuous describes actions in progress now or temporary situations: ‘I am working from home this week.’ Compare ‘She plays tennis’ (a habit) with ‘She is playing tennis’ (right now). Words like ‘usually’ go with the simple; ‘now’ and ‘at the moment’ go with the continuous.
For most verbs, just add -ing: ‘play’ › ‘playing’. If a verb ends in a silent -e, drop the -e and add -ing: ‘make’ › ‘making’. For short verbs ending in one vowel plus one consonant, double the final consonant: ‘run’ › ‘running’, ‘sit’ › ‘sitting’. If a verb ends in -ie, change it to -y and add -ing: ‘lie’ › ‘lying’, ‘die’ › ‘dying’.
To make a negative, put ‘not’ after the ‘be’ verb: ‘I am not working’, ‘She isn’t reading’, ‘They aren’t coming.’ To make a question, put the ‘be’ verb before the subject: ‘Are you listening?’, ‘Is he sleeping?’, ‘What are they doing?’ Short answers reuse the ‘be’ verb: ‘Yes, I am’ / ‘No, she isn’t.’ You do not use ‘do’ or ‘does’ in this tense.
Yes. We often use it for fixed or planned future arrangements, especially personal ones already decided: ‘I am meeting Tom tomorrow’, ‘We are flying to Spain on Saturday’, ‘She is starting her new job next week.’ There is usually a time expression making the future clear. This use suggests the arrangement is definite and often involves other people. It is very common in everyday spoken English when discussing plans.
Some verbs describe states rather than actions and are not usually used in the continuous. These ‘stative’ verbs include verbs of thinking (know, understand, believe), feeling and preference (like, love, hate, want, prefer), and possession or being (have, own, belong, seem). For example, we say ‘I know the answer’, not ‘I am knowing’, and ‘She likes coffee’, not ‘She is liking’. With these verbs we normally use the present simple.
Common time expressions include ‘now’, ‘right now’, ‘at the moment’, ‘currently’, ‘today’, ‘this week’ and ‘these days’. Words like ‘Look!’ and ‘Listen!’ also point to an action happening as we speak. For example: ‘At the moment I am studying for an exam’ or ‘These days more people are working from home.’ When you see these expressions, the present continuous is usually the right tense.
A very common mistake is forgetting the ‘be’ verb, saying ‘I working’ instead of ‘I am working.’ Another is using the wrong auxiliary, such as ‘He are playing’ instead of ‘He is playing.’ Learners also misspell the -ing form, writing ‘runing’ instead of ‘running’. A further error is using the continuous with stative verbs, like ‘I am wanting’ instead of ‘I want.’
Here are some natural examples: ‘I am cooking dinner at the moment, can I call you back?’, ‘Listen! The neighbours are having a party.’, ‘My sister is learning to drive this year.’, ‘It is getting colder these days.’, ‘What are you doing this weekend?’ and ‘We are renovating our kitchen.’ Each one describes something in progress now, a temporary situation or a future plan.