| I | am (not) | verb + ing |
|---|---|---|
| He she it | is (not) | verb + ing |
| we you they | are (not) | verb + ing |
Explanations
In the positive sentence, the subject comes first, (I, you, he, she, it etc) then the auxiliary verb, (am, is, are) followed by the verb + ing. ( working, running, talking etc.)
In the negative sentences, we put the word not after the auxiliary verb. (am not, are not is not.)
In the questions sentences, we put the auxiliary verb before the subject. (am I, are you /they /we, is he /she / it.
If you would like to read about how to use the present continuous, look over here.
| Positive Sentences | Short Forms |
|---|---|
| I am reading. You are working. He is driving. She is cleaning. It is raining. We are talking. They are playing. | I'm reading. You're working. He's driving. She's cleaning. It's raining. We're talking. They're playing. |
| Negative Sentences I am not reading. You are not working. He is not driving. She is not cleaning. It is not raining. We are not talking. They are not playing. | I'm not reading. You're not working. He's not driving. She's not cleaning. It's not raining. We're not talking. They're not playing. |
| Question Sentences: Am I reading? Are you working? Is he driving? Is she cleaning? Is it raining? Are we talking? Are they playing? | We can't use the short forms in these sentences. |
| 'Wh' Questions: What am I reading? Where are you working? What car is he driving? What is she cleaning? Why is it raining now? What are we talking about? What game are they playing? | No short form |
- To practise using the present continuous tense, please click below.
To learn when to use the present continuous tense in English, please go here.
