Present Progressive Tense

What Is the Present Progressive Tense? (with Examples)

The present progressive tense is used for an on-going action in the present.

Examples of the Present Progressive Tense

You can also have a negative version: And, the question version: The present progressive tense can also be used to describe an activity which is going to happen in the future (especially for planned activities). For example:

Forming the Present Progressive Tense

Here is an infographic explaining the present progressive tense:

The Other Present Tenses

The present progressive tense is one of four present tenses. They are:
The 4 Present Tenses Example
simple present tense I go
present progressive tense I am going
present perfect tense I have gone
present perfect progressive tense I have been going
The present progressive tense is formed like this:

[am, is, or are] + [verb] + ing

Choose am, is, or are based on the following table:
SubjectVerb "to be"Present Participle
Iam[verb] + "ing"
Youare
He / She / It (or singular noun)is
Weare
Youare
They (or plural noun)are

For example:
The [verb] + "ing" part is known as a present participle. It is formed like this:

Add "ing" to most verbs:
For verbs that end "e", remove the "e" and add "ing":
For verbs that end "ie", change the "ie" to "y" and add "ing":
For verbs whose last syllable is written [consonant-vowel-consonant] and is stressed, double the final consonant and add "ing":

A Quick Test




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See Also

Tenses Simple past tense Past progressive tense Past perfect tense Past perfect progressive tense Simple present tense Present progressive tense
Present perfect tense Present perfect progressive tense Simple future tense Future progressive tense Future perfect tense Future perfect progressive tense