Presentcontinuous tense can be used for actions that are still happening at the time of speaking. Examples of this use include: Marc is making pizza now. They are eating lunch right now. Frances is talking on the phone at the moment. Present continuous tense can be used in questions as well. Here are some more examples of this use: Is she laughing? Changethe following sentences into the present continuous tense. 1. I write novels. 2. She works at a bank. 3. We buy vegetables from the market. 4. The boys play in the garden. 5. She writes with her left hand. 6. My mother makes delicious cookies. 7. My sister lives abroad. 8. She works hard to make a living. 9. She speaks English. 10. Inthe present continuous tense, each verb has two parts 1.Present tense form of verb 'to be' - is/am/are - known as helping verb 2.'ing' form of the base verb Eg. She is singing. Rules to make the 'ing' form of the verb: Add 'ing' to the base verb cry - crying play - playing say - saying go - going 4xYpl. Verb tenses are changes or additions to verbs to show when the action took place in the past, present, or future. The phrase verb tense is also used for grammatical aspects, which add more details about the duration or time an action takes. When you combine the four grammatical aspects with the past, present and future, you end up with twelve main verb tenses in English. Verb tenses are essential for speaking English correctly, but with all the different forms and functions, they can get confusing. In this guide, we give a quick overview of the English tenses, including when to use them and how to make them, and give plenty of verb tense examples. What is a verb tense? Verb tenses show when an action took place, as well as how long it occurred. The main verb tenses are the past, present, and future. There are also additional aspects that give extra details, such as the length of time the action occurred, which actions happened first, or whether a past action has an impact on the present. These grammatical aspects are the simple tense, perfect tense, continuous tense, and perfect continuous tense. Verb tenses list How many tenses are there in English? The standard tense in English is the present tense, which is usually just the root form of the verb. The past and future tenses often require changes or additions to the root form, such as the suffix –ed for the past tense and the modal verb will for the future. However, for each of the past, present, and future tenses, there are four different aspects that add additional details. For example, the continuous tense shows that an action is ongoing. It can be used in the present she is sleeping, past she was sleeping, or future she will be sleeping. Past, present, and future tenses The past, present, and future are the central divisions of time in English. The present represents actions happening now, while the past represents actions that happened earlier, and the future describes actions that will happen later. Simple tense The simple tense is a grammatical aspect that refers to the normal forms of the past, present, and future tenses—nothing fancy! Unlike the other aspects, it doesn’t add any new information. True to its name, simple tenses are the easiest to form and have the fewest rules. Perfect tense The definition of the perfect tense is a little more complicated. It’s used for actions that relate to other points in time, either completed or ongoing. For example, in the sentence I have played soccer since I was a child, the perfect tense indicates that the action occurred continuously in the past and still happens in the present. By contrast, in the sentence I played soccer when I was a child, the simple past tense indicates that the action occurred only in the past, and has no relation to the present. The perfect tenses use a conjugation of the auxiliary verb have with the past participle of the main verb. Continuous tense We use the continuous tenses also known as the progressive tenses for ongoing actions or actions that happen a while before completion. For example, They are studying all night means the studying lasts many hours before it’s finished. Please note that you usually do not use the continuous tense with stative verbs like want, love, have, and need. The continuous tenses use a conjugation of the auxiliary verb be along with the main verb’s present participle, or –ing form. Perfect continuous tense When you combine the perfect and continuous tenses, you get the perfect continuous tense. It’s typically used just like the perfect tense, except it describes ongoing actions that happen over a period of time. The construction of the perfect continuous tense uses a conjugation of the auxiliary verb have, the auxiliary verb been the past participle of be, and the present participle of the main verb. English tenses examples verb tenses chart Past Present Future Simple I helped my neighbor yesterday. I help my neighbor every day. I will help my neighbor tomorrow. Perfect I had helped my neighbor clean his attic before I fixed his car. I have helped my neighbor too much this week. I will have helped my neighbor a hundred times by the end of the month. Continuous I was helping my neighbor when he brought me iced tea. I am helping my neighbor while he fixes up his house. I will be helping my neighbor next month when he moves. Perfect continuous I had been helping my neighbor for a year before he finally thanked me. I have been helping my neighbor since I moved in. I will have been helping my neighbor for a year next month. Past tenses Simple past We use the simple past to show actions completed in the past, with no extra emphasis. For regular verbs, you form the simple past tense by adding the suffix –ed to the end of the verb or just –d if the past tense verb already ends in an e. Be careful of irregular past tense verbs, however. These don’t follow the normal rules and use their own unique forms for the past tense. For example, the past tense of the irregular verb go is went. Regular verbs I picked up the glass, but it dropped from my hand. Irregular verbs This morning I went to the store, but I forgot the milk. Past perfect [had] + [past participle] What if you’re talking about two different actions in the past and want to show that one happened before the other? The past perfect, also known as the pluperfect, shows that one past action happened earlier than another one. She had arrived at the office before she realized it was Sunday. I ran to my car when I noticed my wife had left already. Past continuous [was/were] + [present participle] Use the past continuous to show an ongoing action in the past, especially if the action was interrupted by another action. It’s also used for habitual actions that occurred in the past but not in the present. It’s usually used with adverbs like always or adverb phrases like all the time. My dog was whimpering in his sleep when the TV woke him up. As kids, my friends and I were always getting into trouble. Past perfect continuous [had] + [been] + [present participle] The past perfect continuous tense is used just like the past perfect tense, except it describes ongoing actions that happened in the past instead of a one-time occurance. It’s often used with the words when, until, and before to connect it to another past action. Before he got his first job as a writer, he had been working as a proofreader. I had been living on my friend’s couch for a year until they kicked me out. Present tenses Simple present The simple present is the most basic of the English tenses. It’s used for individual actions or habitual actions in the present. Often the simple present is just the root verb with no changes or additions. The main exception to this is when the subject is third person and singular. In this case you add the suffix –s. If the verb ends in o, ch, sh, th, ss, gh, or z, you add –es. If the verb ends in a consonant and y and the subject is third-person singular, drop the y and add –ies. Today I feel like a million bucks! My brother carries the groceries while my sister stays on the couch. Present perfect [have/has] + [past participle] Although it’s quite common, the present perfect is one of the most difficult English verb tenses. It is used to describe a few different types of actions, including an ongoing action started in the past that is not yet completed the same action completed multiple times in the past and likely to be completed again an action completed very recently usually with just or now an uncompleted action that is expected to be finished in the negative Additionally, the present perfect can be used to emphasize the significance of a completed action, especially one that happened over time. We have tricked him every April Fool’s Day since we were kids. My niece has grown so much this year! Present continuous [am/is/are] + [present participle] Use the present continuous to show an action happening right now or in the near future. I am reading The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for the fifth time! We are eating pizza tonight. Present perfect continuous [have/has] + [been] + [present participle] The present perfect continuous shows an ongoing action in the present that was started in the past. It is often used to emphasize the length of time. We have been waiting for over an hour! The team has been practicing nonstop for the tournament. Future tenses Simple future Use the simple future for actions that have not happened yet but will later. To form the simple future, just place the modal verb will before the root form of the main verb. Note that if the action will happen in the near future, you can use the present continuous instead. She will be president one day. I will not go to the wedding without a date! Future perfect [will] + [have] + [past participle] The future perfect shows an action that will be completed in the future by a specified time. Because it depends on another time, the future perfect is often used with words like by, before, at, or when. By the time you read this, I will have already left. She will have eaten lunch before her sister even wakes up. Future continuous [will] + [be] + [present participle] Use the future continuous tense for future actions happening over a period of time, especially when a specific time is mentioned. The future continuous tense also shows more certainty and likelihood than the simple future. By this time tomorrow, I will be drinking margaritas on the beach. We will be attending a meeting from noon until 3 Future perfect continuous [will] + [have] + [been] + [present participle] The future perfect continuous depicts future ongoing actions that continue up until a certain point. Like the future perfect and future continuous, it’s used with a specified time. In ten minutes, my parents will have been waiting in traffic for four hours. I will have been eating healthy for a whole year by September. Verb tense FAQs What are verb tenses? Verb tenses are changes or additions to verbs to show when the action took place in the past, present, or future. The phrase verb tense is also used for grammatical aspects, which show how long an action occurs. What are the different types of verb tenses? The three main verb tenses are the past, present, and future, but there are also four grammatical aspects simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous. When you combine the three time periods with the four aspects, you get twelve unique verb tenses. What are some examples of the different verb tenses? The simple tenses show actions happening at different times, while the perfect tenses show completed actions that relate to different time periods. The continuous tenses are for ongoing actions that take a while to complete. The perfect continuous tenses combine the perfect and continuous tenses to describe ongoing actions that happen over a period of time. The common present continuous tense is also known and used by some as the present progressive tense. This verb tense expresses actions currently happening. I would use this if I were writing something in first person POV with a present tense aka events are currently unfolding. Discover the uses, rules, and examples of the present continuous tense as I break everything down. Once you learn how to use the present continuous tense, you’ll be able to add liveliness and action to your writing. I promise! What is the Present Continuous or Present Progressive Tense? The present continuous tense is a verb tense that shows actions currently occurring. This tense also indicates when the event is temporary. Like other continuous tenses, present continuous uses the present participle form of a verb. Present continuous verbs include a helping verb or an auxiliary verb and the present participle form. The present participle form is formed using the base verb plus the suffix -ing. For instance, fix becomes fixing. Books like All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr are written in present continuous tense if you want to check them out and get a good feel of it. The Present Continuous Formula You can construct a present continuous verb in several ways, depending on the sentence type. Here’s what I would do. For affirmative sentences, the present continuous form is Subject + am/is/are + -ing form of the verb. To make the sentence negative, follow this construction Subject + is/am/are + NOT + -ing form of the verb. If you wish to write question sentences, here is the formula for the question form. Am/is/are + subject + -ing form of the verb. Remember to observe subject-verb agreement when constructing these sentences. Use is for singular subjects and are for plural subjects. The auxiliary verb am is for the subject I. How to Use the Present Continuous Tense Let’s discuss the different uses of the present continuous tense. I’ll throw in some examples, too. When Something is Happening at the Present Time Use the present continuous tense with normal verbs to express something currently happening. This tense also expresses an action that is not happening right now. Here are some sentences with present continuous verbs. Donna is traveling to New am reading Ottessa Moshfegh’s sister’s personal trainer is seeing my friend. Notice how all topics in the examples show ongoing action. When Something is Happening at the Time of Speaking Use this grammatical tense for actions currently happening while you are speaking. It can be an action you’re doing or a specific event occurring. For example My aunt is baking cookies am eating dinner at the moment. Regular Unplanned Events You should use the present continuous with words like always, continually, and constantly to describe regular events that do not entail a firm plan. These events are also typically unwanted or indicative of irritation. For example My husband is always going out late at am constantly breaking things in the house. When Describing a Future Plan The present continuous form is essential when we want to share what we have planned at a specific time in the future. Remember to use time expressions in these sentences to show a specific period of time for future plans. For example I’m writing him a letter is starting driving lessons this summer break. When Indicating a Temporary Event Use the present continuous tense when a situation is temporary. Take a look at the sentences below. I usually read romance fiction, but I’m reading non-fiction Angeles looks sunny, but I’m staying in Chicago at the moment. When Asking Certain Types of Questions Present continuous questions express questions about actions currently happening. For example Are we buying that house? Don’t Use It With Stative Verb Categories Stative verbs are ones that show a state of being. They do not show qualities of change, and they always stay in simple present form. For example Incorrect I am preferring the brown leather jacket over the knitted cardigan. Correct I prefer the brown leather jacket over the knitted cardigan. Non-continuous verbs/mixed verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Meanwhile, dynamic verbs describe actions that begin and end. Some examples of dynamic verbs are run, drive, and eat. These verbs work with the present continuous tense. You can also use perception verbs with present continuous tense. These are see, hear, feel, taste, and smell. Present Continuous Examples in Sentences Below are some examples of present continuous tense sentences. The professor is sending the lessons by email this am working on a new you asking comprehension questions to your students?Lorna’s daughter is studying to be a committee is planning to restructure the am reading My Year of Rest and you listening to me?You’re constantly twitching when are running later. Final Word on Present Continuous Tense Now you know the definition, rules, and formula for using the present continuous tense. This verb tense is used for actions that are occurring now, temporary events, planned and unplanned situations, and future plans. Remember what I said about that the present continuous tense always useing the helping verbs is/are/am and the present participle form of the verb. Grammar Everyday English Complete the sentences. Use the present continuous form of the verb in brackets. Use contractions where possible.