The Present Continuous

(Also called the present progressive tense)

FORM:
VERB TO BE + PRESENT PARTICIPLE:
I am working, etc.

USE:
1. Present Continuous indicates an activity in progress at the very moment of
speaking, thus we use it for an action happening now.

• I’m working at the moment.

• Please call back – we are eating dinner.
• Julie is sleeping.
• You are studying the present continuous.
• It is snowing.
• Why are you sitting at my desk?
• Do be quite ! I am trying to hear what the man is saying.

2. We can also use this tense for longer actions in progress ( actions
happening around the time of speaking but not necessarily at the moment of
speaking)

In English, "now" can mean: this second, today, this month, this year, this century, and
so on.

 I am reading a play by Shaw.

 I am not reading any books right now.
 Are you working on any special projects at work?
 Aren't you teaching at the university now?
 She is teaching French and learning Italian ( She may not be doing either at the
moment of speaking )
3. Present Continuous refers to the actions of limited duration –an activity is
taking place in the present time period and will continue for a limited time.

• She’s staying with her friend for a week.

• I’m living in London for a few months.
• John’s working in a bar until he finds a job in his field.
• I’m reading a really great book.

( We can compare this with the present simple, which is used for permanent situations
that we feel will continue for a long time.)

4. We can use the present continuous for habits but they have to be
temporary or new habits (for normal habits that continue for a long time, we use
the present simple).

• He’s eating a lot these days.

• She’s swimming every morning (she didn’t used to do this).
• You’re smoking too much.
• They’re working late every night.
• At 8 o’clock I am usually driving to work so phone me on my mobile.

5. Another present continuous use is for annoying habits, when we want to

show that something happens too often and we don't like it . This kind of
action seems unreasonable to speaker. In this case we need to use adverbs like
‘always’ / ‘forever’ / ‘constantly'.

• You’re always losing your keys!

• She’s constantly missing the train.
• He’s always sleeping in.
• They’re forever being late.
• Tom is always going away for weekend. ( Imply that he goes away very often ,
probably to often in speakers opinion . But it does not necessarily mean that he
goes away every weekend .)
 6. The next use is for definite future arrangements (with a future time
word). In this case we have already made a plan and we are pretty sure that the event
will happen in the future.

• I’m meeting my father tomorrow.

• We’re going to the beach at the weekend.
• I’m leaving at three.
• They’re coming to the party at the weekend.
• I’m meeting with Peter tonight .He is taking me to the theatre.

7. Present Continuous can be used in order to express certain trend.

 More and more people are using their computers to listen to music.

8. It is possible to use the Present Continuous rather then Present Simple

with the verb wonder if we wont to be especially friendly or polite
particularly if we are unsure about the other person’s feelings towards
something or how they will react to what we say.

 You said that there were only 50 books in the boxes. I’m just wondering whether
you counted them all .

9. Present Continuous has also colloquial narrative and commentary use.

The narrative use of present continuous is expressed in jokes, where it is
used instead of past continuous:

 A man goes to see his psychiatrist. He says he is having problems because he

imagines he’s pair of curtains.

And in sport commentaries, present continuous is used in commentaries

for continuous and changing events:

 And the two Italians are moving up in the outside lane.

10.It can refer also to a situation that is in the process of changing, with verbs
such as change, get and adjectives like grow, increase etc.

 Venice is falling into the sea.

 Computers are changing all the time.
 It’s getting dark.
 The number of cars on the road is increasing rapidly each year.
 I’m getting better at playing the piano.
 The weather is improving.

11. In explanations and in the descriptions of situations, present continuous

describes something more temporary or something not always the case:

 Professor Thorne explains that some patients are eating too much because they are
growing up in families with poor eating habits.

12. With some verbs describing mental states (e.g. find realize, regret ,think
understand) we can use the present continuous to emphasize that we have
recently started to think about something or that we are not sure about
something.

 I am regretting my decision to give her the job (Implies that the speaker is
increasingly aware that it was the wrong decision)

13. We know that we can’t use this tense (or any other continuous
-progressive tenses ) with state verbs nevertheless there are exceptions,
verbs like attract, like, look, love, sound, believe, consist of, doubt, own, etc.
have the form of present participle when the intention is to emphasise that a
situation is temporary or for a period of time around the present.

 Jane’s with us at the moment. The children are loving having her here.

The Present Continuous Tense and its equivalents in Serbian:

• Present continuous is expressed as a referential present action in Serbian language.

• There are two equivalents that are used in Serbian language for present
continuous, and these are:
• Serbian present:

Are you all listening to me carefully? – Slusate li me svi pazljivo?

His daughter is studying chemistry. - Njegova cerka studira hemiju.

Tom is always finding fault with me. – Tom mi uvek nesto zamera.

Bob and Sue are meeting tonight. – Bob i Sue se sastaju veceras.

He is making plans how to earn money. – On pravi planove kako da zaradi novac.
• Serbian future:

We’re probably spending next weekend at home. – Mi cemo verovatno provesti

sledeci vikend kuci.

I’m going to meet Tom at the station at six. – Videcu se sa Tomom veceras na
stanici u sest.

He is going to be a dentist when he grows up. – On ce biti zubar kad poraste.

I’m going to play you Bach fugue. – Odsviracu ti Bahovu fugu.

My sister is going to have a baby in March. – Moja sestra ce dobiti bebu u martu.

• These sentences translated into Serbian future can be also translated with Serbian
present.

Jelena Milosavljević 468/09

Dragana Kovačević 532/09