Present Continuous: I'm doing, I'm not doing, Are you doing?

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PART 01

Discover

Meet today's English in a real situation — no rules yet. Read it once and try to guess the pattern in the words in bold. Underlined words open a short definition.

It is 2:00 PM on a Tuesday. Inside the office, everyone is very busy.

Julia is at her desk. She is typing an email to her manager. Across the room, David and Tom are drinking coffee and talking about a new project.

“What are you reading?” Julia asks David.

“I am looking at the project report,” David replies. “But Tom isn’t reading it. He is listening to music!”

Tom laughs and removes his headphones. “I am not listening to music. I am thinking about our next client.”

Outside, it is raining heavily. A delivery driver is running to the front door with a package. Inside, everyone is working hard.

infoNOTE

Notice the verb to be (am, is, are) is always paired with the -ing form of the main verb: Julia is typing, they are drinking.

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PART 02

Learn

Now the rules behind what you just saw — explained simply, with examples. Underlined words open a short definition — hover on desktop, tap on a phone.

When we want to talk about actions that are happening right now, at the moment of speaking, we use the Present Continuous.

The Formula: Be + -ing

To form the Present Continuous, you always need two parts:

The helper verb to be (am / is / are)
The main verb ending in -ing

Pronoun	Verb “to be”	Main Verb	Example
I	am	working	I am working in the office.
He / She / It	is	running	She is running in the park.
We / You / They	are	talking	They are talking to the teacher.

priority_highIMPORTANT

Never forget the verb to be! Many learners say ~~“I working”~~ or ~~“She working”~~. This is incorrect. You must say: I am working or She is working.

Spelling Rules for -ing

For most verbs, you just add -ing to the end. But pay attention to these three special spelling rules:

Rule	Base Verb	-ing Form
General rule: Add -ing	play, go, study	playing, going, studying
Verbs ending in -e: Drop the -e, then add -ing	live, write, make	living, writing, making
Verbs ending in short vowel + single consonant: Double the final consonant	run, sit, swim	running, sitting, swimming
Verbs ending in -ie: Change -ie to -y, then add -ing	lie, die	lying, dying

Negative Sentences

To make a negative sentence, put not between the verb “to be” and the “-ing” verb. We usually use contractions in speech.

I am not (I’m not) sleeping.
He is not (He’s not / He isn’t) watching TV.
They are not (They’re not / They aren’t) listening.

format_quoteEXAMPLE

“Sorry, I am not listening to you. I am reading an important message.”

Questions

To ask a question, swap the subject and the verb to be (am/is/are). Do not use do or does!

Structure: Am / Is / Are + Subject + Verb-ing?

Are you cooking dinner?
Is he working today?
What are you doing?
Where is she going?

Short Answers

When someone asks you a yes/no question, you can answer quickly:

Are you studying? → Yes, I am. / No, I’m not.
Is it raining? → Yes, it is. / No, it’s not (or No, it isn’t).
Are they coming? → Yes, they are. / No, they aren’t.

warningWARNING

Do not use contractions in positive short answers! Say “Yes, I am”, not ~~“Yes, I’m”~~. Say “Yes, she is”, not ~~“Yes, she’s”~~.

Pronunciation of -ing

The -g at the end of -ing is silent. Do not make a hard “G” sound.
Try to make a soft, nasal sound: pronounce working as /wɜːkɪŋ/, not /wɜːkɪnɡ/.
Contractions like I’m, he’s, she’s, and they’re are spoken quickly, blending into the “-ing” verb: I’m-learning English.

Common Mistakes for Spanish Speakers

Leaving out the verb “to be”: Incorrect: ~~I writing a letter.~~~ Correct: I am writing a letter.
Using “do” or “does” for questions: Incorrect: ~~Do you working today?~~~ Correct: Are you working today?
Forgetting to double consonants: Incorrect: ~~siting, runing~~ Correct: sitting, running

boltQUICK REVIEW

Formula: am / is / are + verb-ing — I’m learning English right now.
Negative: am not / isn’t / aren’t + verb-ing — We aren’t sleeping.
Questions: Put the verb be before the subject — Are you listening?
Silent ‘G’: Pronounce the ending as /ɪŋ/.

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PART 03

Practice

Try it yourself. You'll see right away whether you got it right, plus a short explanation of why.

0 / 6 correct

1. Choose the correct positive sentence:

2. Which spelling is correct for the verb 'run' in the continuous form?

3. Complete the sentence: 'She _____ watch TV right now.'

4. Choose the correct question:

5. Answer the question: 'Is he working today?'

6. Complete the sentence: 'We _____ to music at the moment.'

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PART 04

Use It

Now make the language yours in a real task. Use the prompt below — the editor keeps a simple word count, and nothing is saved or graded.

PROMPT

Write a short message to a friend. Tell them where you are right now and describe three actions you are doing at this moment.

0 words