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The present continuous tense is formed with the subject plus the present particle form (-ing) of
the main verb and the present continuous tense of the verb to be: am, is, are.

One simple example of this tense is: He is swimming. "He" is the subject, "is" is the present tense
of the verb to be and "swimming" is the present participle verb form. Some other forms of this

verb tense are:
 I am singing at church today.
 The boys are playing ball after school.

Examples of the Present Continuous Tense

The following are basic examples of the present continuous tense. The verb tense in each
sentence is underlined.

 She is crying.
 He is talking to his friend.
 The baby is sleeping in his crib.
 We are visiting the museum in the afternoon.

Present continuous tense can be used to express something happening right now or to express

something that is not happening right now. Examples of this use include:

 He is not standing.
 Anthony is sitting in the chair.
 You are not watching the movie.
 Rose is reading a book.

Present continuous tense can also be used to show that something will or will not happen in the

near future. Examples of this use include:

 She is not going to the game tonight.
 He is meeting his friends after school.
 Are you visiting your cousin this weekend?
 I am not going to the meeting after work.
 Is John playing football today?