Formation of the present conditional continuous

The present conditional continuous is formed by combining the auxiliary verbs ‘would’ + ‘be’ with the progressive form (ing-form) of the respective main verb. Although it is generally used in the if-clause type 2, it may also appear in other contexts. Compare the following examples for clarification:

• Example sentences of forming the present conditional continuous:
  • “He wouldn’t be talking so much now, but you asked him.”
    • Here, it is used in a negative clause that represents an unreal possibility.
  • “I would be lying on the beach now if I didn’t have to work.”
    • In this sentence, it appears as part of the if-clause type 2 (second conditional).

Verb forms of the present conditional continuous

Example verb: ‘to drink’

Positive/affirmative sentences

Person/​pronoun	Positive	Short form	Interrogative form	Short form of question
I	They would be drinking.	They’d be drinking.	Would they be drinking?	–
you (singular)
he/​she/​it
we/​you/​they

Negative sentences

Person/​pronoun	Negative	Short form	Interrogative form	Short form of question
I	He would not be drinking.	He wouldn’t be drinking. or He’d not be drinking.*	Would he not be drinking?	Wouldn’t he be drinking?
you (singular)
he/​she/​it
we/​you/​they

* This form is not as common as the other one.

Further explanations related to the ‘Formation of the present conditional continuous’

The following explanations are related to the topic ‘Conjugation & verb forms of the present conditional progressive/continuous’ and may also be interesting:

• Formation of the present conditional simple
• Modal verbs in English
• Use of the third conditional sentence (if-clause type 3)
• Exercise 1: second conditional sentence (if-clause type 2)