Present Continuous

Present Continuous 

Grammatical Rules (Grammar Rules) 

Form (Forma)

To form the present continuous auxiliary verb "to be" and the gerund (infinitive + "-ing") of the verb is used.

Structure (Estructura)

Affirmative Sentences (Frases afirmativas)

structure





Subject + auxiliary verb ("to be") + gerund ("-ing").

Example:

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  I'm talking. (Estoy hablando.)
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  He's eating. (Está comiendo.)
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  They're learning. (Están aprendiendo.)
  
  Negative Sentences (Frases negativas)

structure

Subject + auxiliary verb ("to be") + auxiliary negative ("not") + gerund ("-ing").

Example:

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  I'm not talking. (No estoy hablando.)
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  He's not [He isn't] eating. (No está comiendo.)
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  They're not [They aren't] learning. (No están aprendiendo.)

Uses (Usos)

1.The present continuous is used to talk about something that is going on at the time we spoke. Time expressions such as "now", "right now" and "at the moment" indicate the present continuous.

Example:

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  I'm studying now. (Estoy estudiando ahora.)
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  He's eating at the moment. (Está comiendo en este momento.)
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  Is it raining? (¿Está lloviendo?)

2.We also use it to talk about something that is happening today but not necessarily when we speak. In this case, time expressions like "currently", "lately" or "these days" are used.

• Example:

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  They're learning English. (Están aprendiendo inglés.)
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  She's currently looking for a job. (Actualmente está buscando un trabajo.)
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  Are you working much lately? (¿Estás trabajando mucho últimamente?)

3.We use the present continuous to talk about something that has already been decided to be made in the near future. Its use indicates that it is pretty sure that will happen as planned.

Example:

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  I'm going to the party tonight. (Voy a la fiesta esta noche.)
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  He's not [He isn't] coming to class tomorrow. (No viene a la clase manaña.)
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  Are you working next week? (¿Trabajas la semana que viene?)

Note: There are some verbs do not usually use in continuous time. You can see the list of verbs continuous time and explanation.

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be, 

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want, 

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need, 

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know, 

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prefer, 

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remember, 

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understand, 

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care, 

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see, 

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hear, 

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smell, 

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believe, 

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belong, 

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cost, 

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seem, 

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exist, 

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own, 

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like, 

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dislike, 

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love, 

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hate, 

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fear, 

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envy, 

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mind...