The present continuous signifies something that is happening right now.
To form the present continuous, we use the personal pronoun (I, You, He/She/It, We, You, They) with the appropriate form of “to be” plus the verb+ing.
Positive Examples
- I am working.
- You are sleeping.
- She is going to work.
- He is doing well.
- We are eating dinner.
- They are making dinner.
Negative Examples
- I am not working.
- You are not sleeping.
- She is not going to work.
- He is not doing well.
- We are not eating dinner.
- They are not making dinner.
Contraction Examples
- I’m working. – I’m not working
- You’re not sleeping– You aren’t sleeping.
- She’s not going to work. – She isn’t going to work.
- He’s not doing well. – He isn’t doing well.
- We’re not eating dinner. – We aren’t eating dinner.
- They’re not making dinner. – They aren’t making dinner.
The present continuous in the Positive:

Questions in the present continuous:

Questions in the present continuous with the use of “Wh-” question-words:

Short answers in the Positive

Short Answers in the Negative

Question: Are you going to school?
Question: Are they smiling?
Question: Where is he going?
Answer: Yes, I am/No, I am not.
Answer: Yes, they are/No, they’re not.
Answer: He is going to work.
We use the present continuous (verb + ing), when we speak about something that is happening right now.
We use the Simple present (I do), when we speak about something that we generally/usually do (every day/often).

Examples:
I am brushing my teeth (right now). I brush my teeth (every day).
I am eating meat (right now). I eat meat (generally).
I am not drinking beer (right now). I do not drink beer (generally).
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