The present continuous tense is used to describe actions that are happening at the moment of speaking. It is formed by using the present participle of the verb (which ends in “-ing,” such as “eating,” “drinking,” “walking”) and the auxiliary verb “to be” (e.g. “am,” “is,” “are”).
Here are some examples of the present continuous tense:
- “I am eating breakfast right now.” (action happening at the moment of speaking)
- “She is studying for her exams.” (action happening at the moment of speaking)
- “They are playing soccer in the park.” (action happening at the moment of speaking)
In the present continuous tense, the verb “to be” is conjugated to match the subject of the sentence, and the present participle is used to describe the action that is happening.
Conjugation Table
Here is a conjugation table for the present continuous tense, showing the verb forms for the subject pronouns “I,” “you,” “he/she/it,” “we,” and “they”:
| Subject pronoun | Verb form (eat) | Verb form (drink) | Verb form (walk) |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | am eating | am drinking | am walking |
| you | are eating | are drinking | are walking |
| he/she/it | is eating | is drinking | is walking |
| we | are eating | are drinking | are walking |
| they | are eating | are drinking | are walking |
As you can see, the verb “to be” is conjugated to match the subject of the sentence, and the present participle is used to describe the action that is happening.