Conjugation & verb forms of the present continuous
(Formation of the present continuous tense in English)
Contents
Formation of the present continuous or present progressive
The present continuous (it can also be called present progressive) is basically formed by conjugating the auxiliary verb ‘to be’ in the present tense and the corresponding verb in the continuous form (ing-form / present participle).
- Some examples of the use and formation of the present continuous in sentences:
- “Peter is in the kitchen and is reading a book at the moment.”
- “Sally and Ann are playing tennis.”
Verb forms of the present continuous/progressive
Example verb: ‘to talk’
Positive/affirmative sentences
| Person | Positive | Short form | Interrogative form | Short form of question |
| I | I am talking. | I’m talking. | Am I talking? | – |
| we/you/they | You are talking. | You’re talking. | Are you talking? | – |
| he/she/it | He is talking. | He’s talking. | Is he talking? | – |
Negative sentences
| Person | Negative | Short form | Interrogative form | Short form of question |
| I | I am not talking. | I’m not talking. | Am I not talking? | Aren’t* I talking? |
| we/you/they | You are not talking. | You’re not talking. | Are you not talking? | Aren’t you talking? |
| he/she/it | He is not talking. | He’s not talking. | Is he not talking? | Isn’t he talking? |
*Attention: This is a special form. In the 1st person singular ‘aren’t’ is used.
Further explanations relating to the ‘Conjugation of the present progressive/continuous’
The following explanations relate to the topic ‘Conjugation and verb forms of the present continuous’ and could be helpful: