Continuous Tenses

Continuous Tenses usually express the action that goes on from a certain time and continues till an indefinite time either in present or in the future and so they are named present continuous, future continuous and past continuous respectively.
The continuous tense shows an action that is, was, or will be in progress at a certain time. The continuous tense is formed with the verb ‘be’ + -ing form of the verb.

The Present continuous

It can be used to show an action which is happening at the time of speaking.

Eg: I am having dinner at the moment.

The Past continuous

It can be used to show an action which was happening in the past. It is important to remember that the Past continuous is usually used to show an action which was happening when another action, which is usually shorter, happened at the same time, stopped the continuous action or started after the continuous action.

Eg: I was having dinner when Sarah called me.
I was walking along the beach when it started raining.

The Future continuous

It is used to show that an action will be happening at a time in the future.
Eg: I will be having dinner at my parents’ house tomorrow.

Here are some verbs in the continuous tense:

Have

He is having a shower now. (Present continuous)
He was having a shower when the phone rang. (Past continuous)
He will be having a shower, so take the house keys when you go out. (Future continuous)

Run

He is running right now. (Present continuous)
He was running when I saw him yesterday. (Past continuous)
He will be running tomorrow morning. (Future continuous)

Watch

I am watching a really good film now. (Present continuous)
I was watching a really good film when there was a power cut. (Past continuous)
I will be watching my favourite TV show when you arrive tomorrow. (Future continuous)

I am doing my homework at the moment. (Present continuous)
I was doing my homework all night. (Past continuous)
I will be doing my homework tonight. (Future continuous)

There are some verbs that do not take the continuous tense. These are verbs that explain or describe states rather than actions.
Eg:

I like pasta. NOT I am liking pasta.
I am tired. NOT I am being tired.
I heard the car crash from my house. NOT I was hearing the car crash from my house.

Present Continuous Tense Examples

The present continuous tense is used for actions happening now or for an action that is unfinished. This tense is also used when the action is temporary.

How to Form the Present Continuous Tense

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?

Present continuous tense can be used for actions that are still happening at the time of speaking. Examples of this use include:

Marc is making pizza now.
They are eating lunch right now.
Frances is talking on the phone at the moment.

Present continuous tense can be used in questions as well. Here are some more examples of this use:

Is she laughing?
Are they listening to the teacher?
Is the baby drinking his bottle?
Are you going?

More Uses of Present Continuous Tense

In addition to the above, the present continuous tense can be used to describe actions that are being repeated. Words like always, constantly and forever are used along with the verb. Examples of this use include:

Jack and Jill are always fighting.
She is constantly complaining about her sister.
Her mother is forever misplacing her keys.

Present continuous tense can be used when speaking about current trends. Examples of this use include:

Shopping online is growing in popularity nowadays.
The stocks are dropping constantly due to the economy.
Today, most people are using text messages instead of the phone.

Another use of this tense is when talking about a planned event in the future. Examples of this use include:

We are leaving for the beach tomorrow morning.
The kids are arriving at six o’clock.
She is speaking at the conference this evening.

When Not to Use Present Continuous Tense

There are certain verbs that cannot be used in the present continuous tense. The following verbs are non-continuous:

Communication: agree, promise, surprise
Feelings: like, love, hate
Senses: hear, see, smell, taste
Thinking: believe, know, understand

The Importance of Present Continuous Tense

As you can see the present continuous tense is most often used in English grammar to describe a continuing action, something that in unfinished. This tense is also important since it is a simple sentence structure that can show actions or events that are happening right now, in the planned future, or sometimes even in the past.

The past continuous tense

The past continuous tense is used to talk about actions or events that were going on around a particular point of time in the past.

Form: Subject + was / were + ing form of the verb.

What were you doing at 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon? I was playing with my dog.
What were you doing at 8 o’clock in the morning? I was getting ready for work.
What was he doing in the garden? He was watering the plants.
What was Sam doing yesterday evening? Sam was watching a movie on TV.
What was Maria doing yesterday? Maria was reading some books.
What were the children doing in the evening? The children were playing in the park.
What were you doing when the guests turned up? I was working in the garage.

The past continuous and simple past tenses are commonly used together. In this case, the simple past tense is used to refer to the shorter action that happens in the middle of a longer background action.

I was having (past continuous) a bath when the telephone rang (simple past).
We were having lunch when someone knocked on the door.
I was doing my homework when the lights went out.
She was cooking dinner when guests arrived.
I was watching TV when Rahul called.

Using the Future Continuous Tense

The future continuous tense, sometimes also referred to as the future progressive tense, is a verb tense that indicates that something will occur in the future and continue for an expected length of time. It is formed using the construction will + be + the present participle (the root verb + -ing).

The simple future tense is a verb tense that is used when an action is expected to occur in the future and be completed. For example, let’s suppose you have a meeting tomorrow at five o’clock.

Eg:

I will arrive at five o’clock.

I will arrive is the simple future tense of the verb to arrive. You arrive once; beyond that, you can’t keep on arriving. However, once you get there, you may be doing something that goes on continuously, at least for a certain period of time.

At five o’clock, I will be meeting with the management about my raise.

Will be meeting is the future continuous tense of the verb to meet. The construction will + be + the present participle meeting indicates that the meeting isn’t going to happen in an instant, all at once. It will have a duration. The will + be + present participle construction always indicates the future continuous tense.

Michael will be running a marathon this Saturday.

Eric will be competing against Michael in the race.

I will be watching Michael and Eric race.

The Future Continuous Tense Is for Action Verbs Only

It is important to note that the future continuous tense is only used with action verbs, because it is possible to do them for a duration. (Action verbs describe activities like running, thinking, and seeing. Stative verbs describe states of existence, like being, seeming, and knowing.) To use the will + be + present participle construction with a stative verb would sound very odd indeed.

Eg:

I will be being stressed tomorrow during my science test.

I will be stressed tomorrow during my science test.

When the sun comes out tomorrow, winter will be seeming like a distant memory.

When the sun comes out tomorrow, winter will seem like a distant memory.

After I study, I will be knowing all the answers for the test.

After I study, I will know all the answers for the test.

As you can see, only the simple future tense is suited to stative verbs like to be and to seem.