Home » Verb Forms and Tenses » The Present Tenses » The Present Continuous » How to Form the Present Continuous
The form of the present continuous is shown in the tables below.
We do not use ‘do’ or ‘does’ to form the present continuous.
I
The ‘I’ form of the present continuous is: am (not) + v.ing.
Am not is contracted to ‘m not.
| Yes/No Question | Am I staying here? |
| Short Answers | Yes, I am. No, I’m not. |
| Question word question | Where am I staying? |
| Positive Sentence | I am staying here. |
| Negative Sentence | I’m not staying here. |
You/We/They
The form of the present continuous is the same for: You/We/They.
The form is: are (not) + v.ing.
Are not is contracted to ‘re not or aren’t.
| Yes/No Question | Are you/they/we staying here? |
| Short Answers | Yes, you/they/we are. No, you/they/we aren’t. |
| Question word question | Where are you/they/we staying? |
| Positive Sentence | You/they/we are staying here. |
| Negative Sentence | You/they/we aren’t staying here. |
He/She/It
The form of the present continuous is the same for: He/She/It.
We use he for men, she for women and it for things and animals.
The form is: is (not) + v.ing.
Is not is contracted to isn’t or ‘s not.
| Yes/No Question | Is he/she/it staying here? |
| Short Answers | Yes, he/she/it is. No, he/she/it isn’t. |
| Question word question | Where is he staying? |
| Positive Sentence | He/she/it is staying here. |
| Negative Sentence | He/she/it isn’t staying here. |
Forming the –ing form
Usually we just add -ing to the Infinitive without to: work > working.
There are some exceptions to this rule. The table below explains these exceptions.
| If the infinitive ends in: consonant + –e |
Remove the –e Add –ing |
Move > moving |
| If the infinitive has one syllable and ends in: consonant + vowel + consonant |
Double the final consonant Add –ing |
Stop > stopping |
| If the infinitive has more than one syllable and ends in: a stressed syllable and consonant + vowel + consonant |
Double the final consonant Add –ing |
Begin > beginning |
| If the infinitive ends in –ie |
Change the –ie to –y Add –ing |
Lie > lying |
Click on the links below to learn more about the Present Tenses
The Present Perfect Continuous
The Present Perfect Simple vs. The Present Perfect Continuous