English — continuous tenses (be + -ing)

The continuous (progressive) shows an action in progress at a moment. Build it with be + the -ing form.

How it works

✓ Rule

continuous = be + verb-ing: I am working, she is working, they were working. It describes an action in progress: I'm reading now. She was cooking when I arrived.

Across the tenses

be + -ing
Tense	Example
present continuous	I am working now.
past continuous	She was sleeping at 10.
future continuous	We will be travelling tomorrow.

Good to know

⚠ Note

State verbs (know, like, want, believe, understand) are not usually used in the continuous: say I know (not I am knowing). Spelling: make → making, run → running, lie → lying.