PRESENT CONTINUOUS, 

PAST CONTINUOUS,
PRESENT PERFECT
CONTINUOUS AND PAST
PERFECT CONTINUOUS
 PRESENT CONTINUOUS

am/is/are + present participle.

The present continuous verb tense indicates
that an action or condition is happening now, You are watching TV. 
frequently, and may continue into the future. 
Are you watching TV? 

Questions are indicated by inverting the You are not watching TV.
subject and am/is/are. Negatives are made
with not
WHEN WE USE PRESENT CONTINUOUS?

Use the present continuous with normal verbs to express the idea
that something is happening now, at this very moment. It can also
be used to show that something is not happening now. (You are
learning English now.)
 In English, now can mean different things. Sometimes, we use
the present continuous to say that we are in the process of doing
a longer action which is in progress; however, we might not be
doing it at this exact second.(I am studying to become a doctor.)
 WHEN WE USE PRESENT
CONTINUOUS?
Sometimes, speakers use the present continuous to indicate
that something will or will not happen in the near future.(I
am meeting some friends after work)
The present continuous with words such as always or constantly
expresses the idea that something irritating or shocking often
happens. Notice that the meaning is like simple present, but with
negative emotion. Remember to put the words always or
constantly between be and verb+ing
 PRESENT CONTINUOUS TIPS 

• It is important to remember that non-continuous verbs cannot be used in any

continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for mixed verbs
cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using present continuous with
these verbs, you must use simple present.
She is loving this chocolate ice cream. Not Co
rrect 
She loves this chocolate ice cream. Correct

•   The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as
always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc. 
You are still watching TV. 

Are you still watching TV?
 TIME MARKERS FOR
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
• At this moment / at the mom
ent
• At present 
•  Still  • Currently
•  Today
•   Tonight
•  Now
 PAST CONTINUOUS

was/were + -ing verb

Past continuous tense refers to actions or states that were

continuous, meaning that they happened over a period of time.

I was doing my homework at 7

o’clock.
 We use the past continuous to:
USE 1. talk about activities in progress at a moment in
the past. At four o’clock this afternoon we were
reading. 
2. describe scenes in a story or description. The old
man was wearing a suit and he was singing an old
song. 
3. talk about an activity in progress when
another ,shorter activity happened or interrupted
it. It tells us that an action was in progress, but not
that the activity was finished.
I was watching the TV when somebody knocked at the 
door. 
 STATIVE VERBS

When dealing with stative verbs (such as like, want or believe), we t
ypically use the simple past tense instead.

When I got home,I really needed (NOT was needing) a s
hower. 
HOW TO FORM PAST CONTINUOUS
TENSE? 
In order to form the past continuous tense. We use the past tense of the verb be
followed by the present participle of the verb. The present participant is a form of a
verb that ends in the suffix -ing
He/she/it
I was You were
was
reading reading
reading
We were You were They were
reading reading reading . 

When using the past continuous tense, the verb be must agree with
the subject. 
 TIME MARKERS FOR
PAST CONTINUOUS

• at 5 o’clock yesterday 
• from 5 till 6 yesterday
• the whole evening (morning)
yesterday •
at this time yesterday  
• when mother came home  
• while  
• still
 PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

have / has + been + -ing verb

The Present Perfect Continuous is used to talk about an action that

started before now and has continued up until now.

I’m really tired. I have been carrying those bags for

half an hour.
 PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

had + been + -ing verb

The Past Perfect Continuous corresponds to the Present Perfect
Continuous, but with reference to a time earlier than ‘before now’.
We are more interested in the process.

When it was 3:00 p.m I had been waiting for Bob for two
hours.
It had been snowing for two hours before the roads were
closed.
They had been looking for the wallet for 2 hours when Susan found it. Past 
She had been writing reports since morning when the boss came into the  Perfect
office.
They had been celebrating their wedding anniversary for hours when Ro Continuous
y arrived.

She has been cleaning the room since morning.
Present They have been studying for the math exam the who
le day.
 Perfect He has been running that company for 10 years.
 Continuous 
TIME MARKERS FOR PRESENT
 PERFECT CONTINUOUS

• Lately
• Recently
• All day
• Since
• For
TIME MARKERS FOR PAST PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
• For  2, 3, 4 ... hours, days, weeks, mo
nth, years 
• since 
• before 
• then 
• because
• as
• until
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