Continuous (also called progressive) tenses use verb forms ending in -ing to show actions in progress. They include present continuous, past continuous, and future continuous. Each tense has a specific time frame and usage for expressing ongoing actions.
What Are Continuous Tenses?
Continuous tenses describe actions that are ongoing or in progress at a certain time.
- They use the helping verb be + main verb -ing.
- They focus on the process or duration of the action.
- They can show actions happening right now, at a specific past time, or in the future.
Present Continuous
The present continuous tense shows actions that are happening right now or around the current time.
Form
\[
\text{Subject} + \text{am/is/are} + \text{verb}-ing
\]
Examples
| Subject | Form | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | am + verb-ing | I am reading a book. | Happening right now |
| She | is + verb-ing | She is cooking dinner. | Happening right now |
| They | are + verb-ing | They are playing outside. | Happening now/around now |
Usage
- Actions happening at the moment of speaking: *I am talking to you.
- Temporary actions around now: *She is staying with a friend.
- Planned near-future actions: *We are meeting at 6 pm.
- Describing changing situations: *The weather is getting colder.
Past Continuous
The past continuous tense describes actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past.
Form
\[
\text{Subject} + \text{was/were} + \text{verb}-ing
\]
Examples
| Subject | Form | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | was + verb-ing | I was reading when you called. | Interrupted action |
| She | was + verb-ing | She was cooking dinner at 7. | Ongoing past action |
| They | were + verb-ing | They were playing outside yesterday. | Ongoing past action |
Usage
- Actions in progress at a specific past time: *At 8 pm, I was studying.
- Interrupted actions: *I was walking when it started to rain.
- Background actions in stories: *She was talking while he cooked.
Future Continuous
The future continuous tense describes actions that will be in progress at a specific future time.
Form
\[
\text{Subject} + \text{will be} + \text{verb}-ing
\]
Examples
| Subject | Form | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | will be + verb-ing | I will be working at 9 pm. | Ongoing future action |
| She | will be + verb-ing | She will be traveling tomorrow. | Ongoing future action |
| They | will be + verb-ing | They will be playing during the party. | Ongoing future action |
Usage
- Actions in progress at a specific future time: *At noon, I’ll be eating lunch.
- Polite inquiries about someone’s plans: *Will you be using the car?
- Predicting ongoing future actions: *Don’t call her now; she’ll be sleeping.
Which auxiliary verbs are used in future continuous?
will be
Future continuous always uses the auxiliary verbs will be plus verb-ing.
Key Tips
- Use simple continuous form: be + verb-ing (no other endings).
- Use am/is/are for present continuous (matching subject).
- Use was/were for past continuous (matched to subject).
- Use will be + verb-ing for future continuous.
- Use continuous tenses to emphasize the action in progress or ongoing.
- Don’t use continuous with stative verbs (like know, love, want).
Use continuous tenses naturally to describe actions as they unfold in time!
What should you never use with continuous tenses?
Stative verbs like know, love, want.
Continuous tenses are not used with stative verbs because these describe states, not actions.
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
