Present progressive

The present progressive generally refers to situations or actions

that are being performed at the moment and, as in Spanish,
learning this verb tense is essential to have fluency and
expression in any conversation in English.

Uses for present continuous

The present continuous has 5 main uses:

1. Clearly explain actions that happen at the same time they

are described. For example:

He is learning English  =  Él está aprendiendo inglés

2. Provide context when expressing current situations.

Normally these sentences are accompanied by adverbs
such as recently, currently or lately, among others. For
example:

She is crying a lot lately  =  Ella ha llorado mucho últimamente

3. Express with certainty events or actions of the future. For

example:

We are going to the cinema next Friday  =  Iremos al cine el

próximo viernes

4. Describe momentary actions or events. For example:

Right now he’s talking, but yesterday he was unconscious  =  Ahora

está hablando pero ayer estaba inconsciente

5. Indicate situations that happen frequently. In these

sentences it is necessary to add adverbs such as
 forever, always, constantly, among others, to reinforce
their context. For example:

He is always running at 6 am  = Él siempre está corriendo a las 6 am 

Structure of the present progressive in English

Let's look at the correct structure to use the present

continuous of English in its affirmative, negative and
interrogative modes.

Modo afirmativo del present continuous

Sujeto  +  verbo to be  +  verbo en gerundio  +  complemento

Modo negativo del present continuous

Sujeto  +  verbo to be  +  not  +  verbo en gerundio  +  complemento

Modo interrogativo del present continuous

Verbo to be  +  sujeto  +  verbo en gerundio  +  complemento  +  ?

Conjugation of the present progressive and examples

In the next table we will see how to conjugate the verb sing
in present continuous and in its different modes of
sentence.

Conjugación del verbo sing en presente continuo

Afirmativa Negativa Interrogativa

 I am singing in the I am not singing in the Am I singing in the rain?

rain rain

 You are singing in You are not singing in Are you singing in the

the rain the rain  rain? 

 He is singing in the  He is not singing in the Is he singing in the

rain rain rain? 

 It is singing in the  It is not singing in the  Is it singing in the

rain rain rain?

We are singing in the We are not singing in Are we singing in the

rain the rain rain? 

They are singing in They are not singing in  Are they singing in the

the rain the rain rain?

Conjugation rules of the present continuous.

When conjugating the present continuous, you must take into

account the following rules.

Rule No. 1

All verbs must end in -ing.

For example:

He is working at the cinema = He's working on cinema

She is not crying for you = She's not crying for you

Are they playing hide and seek? = Are they playing "hide-and-
seek"?

Rule No. 2

When a verb has a single syllable or whose stress falls on the last
syllable and ends in a consonant, the latter must be duplicated
and the -ing will be added.

For example:

I am running every morning = I'm running every morning

We are not cutting the budget = We are not cutting the budget

Are you swimming with them? = Are you swimming with them?

Rule No. 3

For verbs ending in an -e that is not pronounced, this must be

replaced with -ing.
For example:

He is dating a friend of my sister = He's dating a friend of my

sister

You are not taking it seriously = You're not taking this seriously

Is he riding a donkey? = Is he riding a donkey?

Rule No. 4

When the verb ends with -ee, only -ing should be added.

For example:

I am seeing you behind the curtains = I'm seeing you behind the
curtains

He is not fleeing from jail = He's not on the run from jail

Is your dog peeing my suitcase? = Is your dog urinating on my

suitcase?

Rule No. 5
When a verb ends in -ie, these letters must be replaced with -y
and -ing added.

For example:

He is lying about what happened = He's lying about what

happened

She is not dying of love = She's not dying of love

Are we tying it well? = Are we tying it well?

Conjugation exceptions

There are very particular verbs that cannot be conjugated with

the present continuous and are known as stative verbs or state
verbs. Below you will find a table with each and every one of
these verbs for you to keep in mind when using the present
continuous of English.

Stative verbs

Estados Sensaciones Comunicación Otros estados

emocionales o
mentales

Believe (creer) Appear Agree (estar de Be (ser/estar)

(aparecer) acuerdo)
 Stative verbs

Estados Sensaciones Comunicación Otros estados

emocionales o
mentales

Dislike (disgustar) Hear (oír) Astonish Belong

(asombrar) (pertenecer)

Doubt (dudar) See (ver) Deny (negar) Concern

(concernir)

Imagine (imaginar) Seem (parecer) Disagree (no estar Consist

de acuerdo) (consistir)

Know (saber) Smell (oler) Impress Contain

(impresionar) (contener)

Like (gustar) Sound (sonar) Mean (significar) Cost (costar)

Love (amar) Taste (saber, de Please (complacer) Depend

sabor) (depender)

Hate (odiar)   Promise (prometer) Deserve

(merecer)

Prefer (preferir)   Satisfy (satisfacer) Include (incluir)

Realize   Surprise Involve

(notar/darse (sorprender) (involucrar)
cuenta)
 Stative verbs

Estados Sensaciones Comunicación Otros estados

emocionales o
mentales

Recognize     Lack (faltar)

(reconocer)

Remember     Matter
(recordar) (importar)

Suppose (suponer)     Need

(necesitar)

Understand     Owe (deber, de

(entender) deuda)

Want (querer)     Possess

(poseer)

Wish (desear)      

In the following table you will see cases in which the conjugation
of the present continuous depends on the meaning.

Casos especiales de los stative verbs

Verbo Significado sin -ing Significado con -ing

Appear Parecer/Asemejar Ej. It Presentarse/Actuar Ej. My girlfriend is
appears to be the flu  =  Parece appearing at the play tomorrow  =  Mi
ser gripe novia se presentará en la obra mañana

Feel Opinar Ej. I feel you are upset  Sentir Ej. He is not feeling well  =  Él no
= Siento que estás enojado se está sintiendo bien

Look Parecer Ej. He looks happy  =  Ver Ej. She is looking at you  = Ella te
Él parece feliz está viendo

See Entender  Ej. I see your point  Visitar Ej. She is seeing her grandsons 
= Entiendo tu punto =  Ella está visitando a sus nietos

Think Opinar Ej. He thinks you are Pensar Ej. They are thinking how to
doing it wrong  =  Él cree que solve the puzzle =  Ellos están
lo estás haciendo mal pensando cómo resolver el acertijo