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Oxford Online English, How to Use the Present Continuous - English Verb Tenses Grammar Lesson

How to Use the Present Continuous - English Verb Tenses Grammar Lesson

Hello, I'm Jack.

Welcome to Oxford Online English!

In this lesson, you can learn about the present continuous verb tense in English.

We'll talk about all the possible meanings of the present continuous; whether you're

a beginner or an advanced learner, you're sure to find something new.

So, let's get into it!

First, how can you form the present continuous?

To form the present continuous, you use:

'be + verb + -ing'

For example:

He's washing his car.

They're watching a film.

What about negatives and questions?

To make negatives, add 'not' after 'be'.

She isn't doing anything.

I'm not working on that right now.

Now, to make questions, move the verb 'be' before the subject.

Is he doing anything?

Are you talking to me?

The same rule works if you ask a question with a question word like 'what', 'why', or

'how'.

Move the verb 'be' before the subject.

What are you watching?

Where are they going?

Now, you can see that to make questions in the present continuous, you don't add anything.

So don't add words like 'do' or 'did'.

Just change the order of the words!

So now you know how to form sentences and questions with the present continuous.

But how do you use it?

One use is for something happening right now.

This is the most basic use of the present continuous.

He's washing his car.

They're watching a film.

These sentences are talking about something which is happening at this moment.

Now, we can also use the present continuous to talk about something which has started

but not finished.

This sounds similar to the last point.

If we say:

He's washing his car.

This means he's started washing his car, but he hasn't finished yet.

So what's the difference?

Why is this separate to the last point?

It's different because we can also use the present continuous in this way to talk about

things which are not happening right now.

For example:

I'm reading a good book at the moment.

She's looking for a new apartment.

If I say, "I'm reading a good book at the moment," I don't mean that I'm reading

right now, at this minute.

I mean that I've started a book and I haven't finished it yet.

In the same way, "She's looking for a new apartment" doesn't mean that she's out

looking for an apartment this minute.

It means she's started looking for an apartment, but she hasn't found one yet.

In these examples, we use the present continuous to talk about things happening around this

moment, not necessarily at this specific moment.

Next, describing a picture.

If you have a picture or a photo, and you want to describe it to someone, you use the

present continuous.

A picture or a photo is like a moment in time.

That's why we use the continuous form to talk about it.

For example, here, we can use the present continuous to talk about what we see:

They are sitting on a beam, high above the city.

The two men on the left are smoking.

Some of them are eating sandwiches.

It doesn't matter that the picture was taken a long time ago.

We can still use the present continuous to describe it.

Next, talking about something temporary or different from usual.

So, another use of the present continuous is to show that something is temporary.

Look at these two sentences:

He lives with his parents.

He's living with his parents.

What's the difference?

Why would you use the present continuous here?

In these sentences, the present continuous shows that the situation is temporary.

If you say "He lives with his parents," you mean that this is permanent.

If you say, "He's living with his parents," you mean that this is a temporary situation.

Maybe he's living with his parents while he saves enough money to get his own place.

Let's look at one more example here:

She works in the marketing department.

She's working in the marketing department.

Is the difference clear now?

If you say, "She works in the marketing department," you mean that this is her permanent job.

If you say, "She's working in the marketing department," you mean that she normally works

somewhere else.

She's just working in the marketing department temporarily.

Next, talking about a changing situation.

I understand there are a lot of ways to use the present continuous!

Remember that you don't have to learn all of this at once.

This video will still be here; take a break and review what we've done so far if you

need to.

Now, you can also use the present continuous to talk about a situation which is changing

over time.

For example:

The population of our city is growing by around 5% a year.

My English is slowly getting better.

The river used to be really polluted, but it's getting cleaner.

In all of these examples, we're talking about a change which is happening over time,

and which will probably continue into the future.

If I say:

The population of our city is growing by around 5% a year.

This means that I expect the population to continue growing, at least for the next few

years.

OK, so you've seen how the present continuous can be used to talk about: things happening

now; things which have started but not finished; describing pictures; talking about temporary

situations; talking about changing situations.

All of the meanings we've seen so far are similar.

They are all about something happening around a moment in time.

However, there are also some other ways to use the present continuous which are completely

different.

Let's look at a very important one:

Talking about arrangements in the future.

Many English learners use 'will' to talk about the future, but 'will' can't be used for

everything.

Actually, the present continuous is one of the most common ways to talk about the future

in English.

If you have a solid plan or arrangement, meaning you know where and/or when something will

happen, you can use the present continuous to talk about it.

Here are some examples:

We're meeting outside the cinema at 8.00.

They're coming to ours for dinner on Saturday.

What are you doing next weekend?

It's very common to use the present continuous when you talk about plans for the near future,

social plans, and so on.

Talking about something strange or annoying.

Now we're getting to more specialised, less common uses of the present continuous.

Using the present continuous together with adverbs like 'always', 'constantly' or 'continually'

can show that you find a repeated action annoying or strange.

For example:

He's always forgetting to bring the things he needs.

They're constantly gossiping about me behind my back.

My boss is continually interrupting me while I'm trying to work.

So, if you say:

He's always forgetting to bring the things he needs.

You means that he often forgets to bring things, and you find this strange or annoying.

This use of the present continuous is unusual, because we're using the present continuous

to talk about a repeated action or a habit, and we don't normally do that.

So you must use an adverb in these sentences.

You can't say:

He's forgetting to bring the things he needs.

To give it the meaning of something which you find strange/annoying, you need an adverb.

So, 'always' is the most common adverb to use in these sentences.

OK, we're nearly there!

One more to go:

The last use is talking about feelings which you are starting to be aware of.

Now again, this is a very specialised, less common way to use the present continuous.

What does it mean?

Think about these two sentences:

I realise I made the wrong decision.

I'm realising I made the wrong decision.

Now, they're both possible, but what's the difference?

In the first sentence:

I realise I made the wrong decision.

Your realisation is not a new feeling.

However, when you say:

I'm realising I made the wrong decision.

You mean that you are just starting to think about this.

The feeling -- that you made the wrong decision -- is still growing on you.

Let's do one more example:

I find it difficult to work with him.

I'm finding it difficult to work with him.

Can you see the difference?

Again, if you say:

I find it difficult to work with him.

This isn't something new for you.

You generally find him difficult, and you dislike working with him.

If you say:

I'm finding it difficult to work with him.

This means that you are just starting to realise how difficult he is, and how you dislike working

with him.

These feelings are new to you, I guess.

OK, that's the end of the lesson.

There's a lot of information in this video, so you might find it useful to review some

parts of this video again.

If you want to practice this some more, check out the full version of the lesson on our

website.

The full lesson contains notes, the full script, and a quiz to help you practise this topic.

That's all for now.

Thanks very much for watching, and see you next time!

How to Use the Present Continuous - English Verb Tenses Grammar Lesson Wie man das Present Continuous verwendet - Englische Verbformen Grammatikstunde Cómo usar el presente continuo - Lección de gramática de los tiempos verbales en inglés Comment utiliser le présent continu - Leçon de grammaire sur les temps de verbe en anglais Come usare il presente continuo - Lezione di grammatica sui tempi verbali in inglese 現在進行形の使い方-英語の動詞時制の文法レッスン Kaip vartoti Present Continuous - anglų kalbos veiksmažodžių laikų gramatikos pamoka Hoe de Present Continuous te gebruiken - Engelse werkwoordstijden Grammaticales Jak używać czasu teraźniejszego ciągłego - Lekcja gramatyki angielskich czasów czasowników Como usar o Present Continuous - Lição de gramática dos tempos verbais em inglês Как использовать настоящее продолженное время - Урок грамматики английского глагольного времени Present Continuous Nasıl Kullanılır - İngilizce Fiil Zamanları Dilbilgisi Dersi Як вживати Present Continuous - урок граматики часів англійського дієслова 如何使用现在进行时 - 英语动词时态语法课程 如何使用現在進行式 - 英語動詞時態文法課程

Hello, I'm Jack. Hallo, ich bin Jack.

Welcome to Oxford Online English! Willkommen bei Oxford Online Englisch!

In this lesson, you can learn about the present continuous verb tense in English. In dieser Lektion kannst du etwas über die Verbform Present Continuous auf Englisch lernen.

We'll talk about all the possible meanings of the present continuous; whether you're Wir werden über alle möglichen Bedeutungen des Present Continuous sprechen; ob du bist Мы поговорим обо всех возможных значениях настоящего продолженного времени; будь ты

a beginner or an advanced learner, you're sure to find something new. ob Anfänger oder Fortgeschrittener, Sie werden sicher etwas Neues entdecken.

So, let's get into it! Also, lassen Sie uns darauf eingehen!

First, how can you form the present continuous? Erstens, wie kann man das Present Continuous bilden?

To form the present continuous, you use: Um das Present Continuous zu bilden, verwenden Sie:

'be + verb + -ing' 'sein + Verb + -ing'

For example: Zum Beispiel:

He's washing his car. Er wäscht sein Auto.

They're watching a film. Sie sehen sich einen Film an.

What about negatives and questions? Was ist mit Verneinungen und Fragen?

To make negatives, add 'not' after 'be'. Um Verneinungen zu machen, fügen Sie 'not' nach 'be' hinzu. Щоб зробити заперечення, додайте "не" після "бути".

She isn't doing anything. Sie tut nichts. Вона нічого не робить.

I'm not working on that right now. Daran arbeite ich gerade nicht. Я не работаю над этим прямо сейчас. Зараз я над цим не працюю.

Now, to make questions, move the verb 'be' before the subject. Um nun Fragen zu stellen, stellen Sie das Verb „sein“ vor das Subjekt.

Is he doing anything? Tut er etwas?

Are you talking to me? Sprichst du mit mir? Вы говорите мне?

The same rule works if you ask a question with a question word like 'what', 'why', or Die gleiche Regel funktioniert, wenn Sie eine Frage mit einem Fragewort wie „was“, „warum“ oder „stellen“. То же правило работает, если вы задаете вопрос с вопросительным словом, таким как «что», «почему» или «почему». Те саме правило працює, якщо ви ставите запитання з питальним словом на кшталт "що", "чому" або

'how'. 'wie'.

Move the verb 'be' before the subject. Verschiebe das Verb „sein“ vor das Subjekt. Перемістіть дієслово "бути" перед підметом.

What are you watching? Was guckst du? Що ти дивишся?

Where are they going? Wohin gehen Sie?

Now, you can see that to make questions in the present continuous, you don't add anything. Nun, Sie können sehen, dass Sie nichts hinzufügen, um Fragen im Present Continuous zu stellen. Теперь вы можете видеть, что для того, чтобы сделать вопросы в Present Continuous, вы ничего не добавляете.

So don't add words like 'do' or 'did'.

Just change the order of the words! Просто измените порядок слов!

So now you know how to form sentences and questions with the present continuous.

But how do you use it?

One use is for something happening right now. Одно использование для чего-то происходящего прямо сейчас.

This is the most basic use of the present continuous.

He's washing his car.

They're watching a film.

These sentences are talking about something which is happening at this moment.

Now, we can also use the present continuous to talk about something which has started Теперь мы также можем использовать Present Continuous, чтобы говорить о чем-то, что уже началось.

but not finished.

This sounds similar to the last point. Это похоже на последний пункт.

If we say:

He's washing his car.

This means he's started washing his car, but he hasn't finished yet.

So what's the difference? Так в чем разница?

Why is this separate to the last point?

It's different because we can also use the present continuous in this way to talk about Это отличается, потому что мы также можем использовать Present Continuous таким образом, чтобы говорить о

things which are not happening right now.

For example:

I'm reading a good book at the moment. Я сейчас читаю хорошую книгу.

She's looking for a new apartment. Она ищет новую квартиру.

If I say, "I'm reading a good book at the moment," I don't mean that I'm reading

right now, at this minute.

I mean that I've started a book and I haven't finished it yet.

In the same way, "She's looking for a new apartment" doesn't mean that she's out

looking for an apartment this minute.

It means she's started looking for an apartment, but she hasn't found one yet.

In these examples, we use the present continuous to talk about things happening around this В этих примерах мы используем настоящее продолженное время, чтобы говорить о том, что происходит вокруг этого.

moment, not necessarily at this specific moment.

Next, describing a picture. Далее описание картины.

If you have a picture or a photo, and you want to describe it to someone, you use the Если у вас есть картинка или фотография, и вы хотите ее кому-то описать, вы используете

present continuous.

A picture or a photo is like a moment in time. Картинка или фотография подобны моменту времени.

That's why we use the continuous form to talk about it.

For example, here, we can use the present continuous to talk about what we see:

They are sitting on a beam, high above the city. Sie sitzen auf einem Balken hoch über der Stadt. Они сидят на балке высоко над городом. 他們坐在城市上空的一根橫樑上。

The two men on the left are smoking. Die beiden Männer links rauchen. Двое мужчин слева курят.

Some of them are eating sandwiches. Некоторые из них едят бутерброды.

It doesn't matter that the picture was taken a long time ago. Es spielt keine Rolle, dass das Bild vor langer Zeit aufgenommen wurde. Неважно, что снимок был сделан давно.

We can still use the present continuous to describe it. Мы все еще можем использовать настоящее продолженное время, чтобы описать его.

Next, talking about something temporary or different from usual. Als nächstes über etwas Vorübergehendes oder etwas anderes als Übliches sprechen. Далее речь идет о чем-то временном или отличном от обычного.

So, another use of the present continuous is to show that something is temporary. Eine weitere Verwendung des Present Continuous besteht also darin, zu zeigen, dass etwas vorübergehend ist.

Look at these two sentences:

He lives with his parents. Er lebt bei seinen Eltern. Он живет со своими родителями.

He's living with his parents. Er lebt bei seinen Eltern. Он живет с родителями.

What's the difference?

Why would you use the present continuous here? Зачем здесь использовать настоящее продолженное время?

In these sentences, the present continuous shows that the situation is temporary. In diesen Sätzen zeigt das Present Continuous, dass die Situation vorübergehend ist.

If you say "He lives with his parents," you mean that this is permanent. Wenn Sie sagen "Er lebt bei seinen Eltern", meinen Sie, dass dies dauerhaft ist. Если вы говорите «Он живет со своими родителями», вы имеете в виду, что это навсегда.

If you say, "He's living with his parents," you mean that this is a temporary situation.

Maybe he's living with his parents while he saves enough money to get his own place. Vielleicht lebt er bei seinen Eltern, während er genug Geld spart, um eine eigene Wohnung zu bekommen.

Let's look at one more example here:

She works in the marketing department. Sie arbeitet in der Marketingabteilung.

She's working in the marketing department. Sie arbeitet in der Marketingabteilung.

Is the difference clear now? Теперь понятна разница?

If you say, "She works in the marketing department," you mean that this is her permanent job.

If you say, "She's working in the marketing department," you mean that she normally works Если вы говорите: «Она работает в отделе маркетинга», вы имеете в виду, что она обычно работает

somewhere else.

She's just working in the marketing department temporarily.

Next, talking about a changing situation. Далее, говоря об изменении ситуации.

I understand there are a lot of ways to use the present continuous! Я понимаю, что есть много способов использовать Present Continuous!

Remember that you don't have to learn all of this at once. Denken Sie daran, dass Sie nicht alles auf einmal lernen müssen. Помните, что вам не нужно изучать все это сразу.

This video will still be here; take a break and review what we've done so far if you Dieses Video wird immer noch hier sein; Machen Sie eine Pause und überprüfen Sie, was wir bisher getan haben, wenn Sie möchten Это видео останется здесь; сделайте перерыв и просмотрите, что мы сделали до сих пор, если вы

need to. müssen.

Now, you can also use the present continuous to talk about a situation which is changing Jetzt können Sie das Präsens auch verwenden, um über eine Situation zu sprechen, die sich ändert

over time. im Laufe der Zeit. со временем.

For example:

The population of our city is growing by around 5% a year. Die Bevölkerung unserer Stadt wächst jährlich um etwa 5 %. Население нашего города растет примерно на 5% в год.

My English is slowly getting better. Mein Englisch wird langsam besser. Мой английский постепенно улучшается.

The river used to be really polluted, but it's getting cleaner. Früher war der Fluss sehr verschmutzt, aber er wird sauberer. Раньше река была очень загрязнена, но она становится чище.

In all of these examples, we're talking about a change which is happening over time, In all diesen Beispielen sprechen wir über eine Veränderung, die im Laufe der Zeit stattfindet, Во всех этих примерах мы говорим об изменении, которое происходит с течением времени.

and which will probably continue into the future. und die sich wahrscheinlich auch in Zukunft fortsetzen wird.

If I say:

The population of our city is growing by around 5% a year. Die Bevölkerung unserer Stadt wächst jährlich um etwa 5 %.

This means that I expect the population to continue growing, at least for the next few Das bedeutet, dass ich zumindest für die nächsten paar Jahre mit einem weiteren Bevölkerungswachstum rechne

years.

OK, so you've seen how the present continuous can be used to talk about: things happening OK, Sie haben also gesehen, wie das Present Continuous verwendet werden kann, um darüber zu sprechen: Dinge passieren Итак, вы увидели, как можно использовать настоящее продолженное время, чтобы говорить о том, что происходит.

now; things which have started but not finished; describing pictures; talking about temporary jetzt; Dinge, die begonnen, aber noch nicht beendet sind; Bilder beschreiben; von temporär sprechen

situations; talking about changing situations. Situationen; über sich verändernde Situationen sprechen.

All of the meanings we've seen so far are similar. Alle Bedeutungen, die wir bisher gesehen haben, sind ähnlich. Все значения, которые мы видели до сих пор, похожи.

They are all about something happening around a moment in time. Sie handeln alle von etwas, das zu einem bestimmten Zeitpunkt passiert.

However, there are also some other ways to use the present continuous which are completely

different.

Let's look at a very important one: Schauen wir uns einen sehr wichtigen an:

Talking about arrangements in the future. Apropos Arrangements in der Zukunft.

Many English learners use 'will' to talk about the future, but 'will' can't be used for

everything.

Actually, the present continuous is one of the most common ways to talk about the future

in English.

If you have a solid plan or arrangement, meaning you know where and/or when something will Если у вас есть четкий план или договоренность, то есть вы знаете, где и/или когда что-то произойдет.

happen, you can use the present continuous to talk about it.

Here are some examples:

We're meeting outside the cinema at 8.00. Wir treffen uns um 8 Uhr vor dem Kino. Мы встречаемся возле кинотеатра в 8.00.

They're coming to ours for dinner on Saturday. Они придут к нам на ужин в субботу.

What are you doing next weekend?

It's very common to use the present continuous when you talk about plans for the near future, Es ist sehr üblich, das Present Continuous zu verwenden, wenn man über Pläne für die nahe Zukunft spricht,

social plans, and so on. Sozialpläne usw.

Talking about something strange or annoying. Über etwas Seltsames oder Nerviges sprechen.

Now we're getting to more specialised, less common uses of the present continuous. Jetzt kommen wir zu spezialisierteren, weniger gebräuchlichen Verwendungen des Present Continuous. さて、ここからは、より専門的で一般的ではない現在進行形の用法について説明する。 Теперь мы переходим к более специализированному, менее распространенному использованию настоящего продолженного времени.

Using the present continuous together with adverbs like 'always', 'constantly' or 'continually' Verwendung des Present Continuous zusammen mit Adverbien wie 'always', 'constantly' oder 'continuously' 現在進行形と「常に」、「絶えず」、「絶えず」などの副詞の併用

can show that you find a repeated action annoying or strange. kann zeigen, dass Sie eine wiederholte Handlung als störend oder seltsam empfinden. は、繰り返される行為を迷惑に思ったり、奇妙に思ったりしていることを示すことができる。

For example:

He's always forgetting to bring the things he needs. Er vergisst immer, die Dinge mitzubringen, die er braucht. 彼はいつも必要なものを持ってくるのを忘れるんだ。 Он всегда забывает принести вещи, которые ему нужны.

They're constantly gossiping about me behind my back. Sie lästern ständig hinter meinem Rücken über mich. 彼らはいつも私のことを陰で噂している。

My boss is continually interrupting me while I'm trying to work. Mein Chef unterbricht mich ständig, während ich versuche zu arbeiten. My boss is continually interrupting me while I'm trying to work. 私の上司は、私が仕事をしようとしているときに邪魔をし続けている。 Мой босс постоянно прерывает меня, пока я пытаюсь работать.

So, if you say:

He's always forgetting to bring the things he needs. Er vergisst immer, die Dinge mitzubringen, die er braucht. Он всегда забывает принести вещи, которые ему нужны.

You means that he often forgets to bring things, and you find this strange or annoying. Du meinst, dass er oft vergisst, Dinge mitzubringen, und du findest das seltsam oder nervig.

This use of the present continuous is unusual, because we're using the present continuous この現在進行形の使い方は珍しい。

to talk about a repeated action or a habit, and we don't normally do that. über eine wiederholte Handlung oder eine Gewohnheit zu sprechen, und das tun wir normalerweise nicht. 繰り返される行動や習慣について話す。

So you must use an adverb in these sentences. Sie müssen also in diesen Sätzen ein Adverb verwenden. So you must use an adverb in these sentences. だから、これらの文章では副詞を使わなければならない。 Таким образом, вы должны использовать наречие в этих предложениях.

You can't say:

He's forgetting to bring the things he needs. Er vergisst, die Dinge mitzubringen, die er braucht.

To give it the meaning of something which you find strange/annoying, you need an adverb. Чтобы придать ему значение чего-то, что вы находите странным/раздражающим, вам нужно наречие.

So, 'always' is the most common adverb to use in these sentences.

OK, we're nearly there! OK, wir haben es fast geschafft! よし、もうすぐだ! Хорошо, мы почти у цели!

One more to go: Noch einer: Еще один, чтобы пойти:

The last use is talking about feelings which you are starting to be aware of. Die letzte Verwendung besteht darin, über Gefühle zu sprechen, deren Sie sich bewusst werden. 最後の使い方は、意識し始めた感情について話している。 Последнее использование говорит о чувствах, которые вы начинаете осознавать.

Now again, this is a very specialised, less common way to use the present continuous.

What does it mean?

Think about these two sentences:

I realise I made the wrong decision. Ich merke, dass ich die falsche Entscheidung getroffen habe. 私は間違った決断をしたことに気づいた。 Я понимаю, что принял неправильное решение.

I'm realising I made the wrong decision. Ich merke, dass ich die falsche Entscheidung getroffen habe. 間違った決断をしたことに気づいている。 Я понимаю, что принял неправильное решение.

Now, they're both possible, but what's the difference?

In the first sentence:

I realise I made the wrong decision.

Your realisation is not a new feeling. Deine Erkenntnis ist kein neues Gefühl. あなたの気づきは新しい感覚ではない。 Ваше осознание не является новым чувством.

However, when you say:

I'm realising I made the wrong decision.

You mean that you are just starting to think about this. まだ考え始めたばかりということか。 Вы имеете в виду, что вы только начинаете думать об этом.

The feeling -- that you made the wrong decision -- is still growing on you. Das Gefühl, dass Sie die falsche Entscheidung getroffen haben, wächst immer noch in Ihnen. 間違った決断を下したという思いは、まだ強くなっていない。 Ощущение, что вы приняли неправильное решение, все еще растет в вас.

Let's do one more example:

I find it difficult to work with him. Ich finde es schwierig, mit ihm zu arbeiten. Мне сложно с ним работать.

I'm finding it difficult to work with him. Ich finde es schwierig, mit ihm zu arbeiten.

Can you see the difference?

Again, if you say:

I find it difficult to work with him. 彼と一緒に仕事をするのは難しいと思う。

This isn't something new for you.

You generally find him difficult, and you dislike working with him. Обычно вы находите его трудным, и вам не нравится с ним работать.

If you say:

I'm finding it difficult to work with him.

This means that you are just starting to realise how difficult he is, and how you dislike working Das bedeutet, dass Sie gerade erst anfangen zu erkennen, wie schwierig er ist und wie ungern Sie arbeiten

with him.

These feelings are new to you, I guess. Diese Gefühle sind neu für dich, denke ich.

OK, that's the end of the lesson.

There's a lot of information in this video, so you might find it useful to review some

parts of this video again.

If you want to practice this some more, check out the full version of the lesson on our

website.

The full lesson contains notes, the full script, and a quiz to help you practise this topic. La lección completa contiene notas, el guión completo y un cuestionario para ayudarle a practicar este tema.

That's all for now.

Thanks very much for watching, and see you next time!