One of the best ways to see how Present Continuous works is to see some Present Continuous tense examples. Explanations of how a tense works can be very useful, but sometimes, it is just nice to see how people use a tense in proper English sentences.
This post is not going to go into the specifics of grammar. However, if you would like to know more about this, you can look at our post on the Present Continuous tense.
To see how good you are at present continuous, you can try our present continuous tense test.
To make this as easy as possible for you, we will split up our examples based on usage. We will also try to include a mix of easier and more complex sentences. This way you will be able to see the different ways we use the Present Continuous tense, and you can get a sense of how to use these verbs in English in more advanced ways.
We have also tried to mix in some more casual-sounding sentences as well. For example, we don’t generally start sentences with “because” in formal English, but in spoken English, this is often done.Â
As someone who has learned a language before, I appreciate that it can be difficult to know if you are using a tense correctly. Oftentimes, the best way to learn is to experiment. If you have a Present Continuous sentence that you have made but aren’t sure if it is correct, we would be happy to take a look. Drop us a message in our comments or hit the image below and send your sentence to us privately.
Present Continuous Tense Examples
1. An Action that is Happening Right Now
What is he doing right now? He is sleeping.
What are they playing? They are playing video games.
What are your friends doing? My friends are looking for dinner.
Where are you going? I am going to the park.
How are you doing? (a colloquial form of ‘How are you?’) I am doing great. (I am doing well)
What is he doing in his room? He is playing with his toys.
What are the dogs doing in the pool? The dogs are swimming in the pool.
What is happening on the news? The news anchor is talking about the election.
I can’t see. What is he doing now? Nothing, he’s just sitting there.
Why is Emma running? Because Allison is chasing her.
2. A Temporary SituationÂ
Where are you living right now? I am living with my parents until I find a new apartment.
Where are you working? I am working at Starbucks until school starts.
Why is the store closed? The store is closing while we are doing renovations.
Why is he gone this month? Because he is working in Toronto this month.
Where is John playing baseball while the field is being repaired? John is playing baseball in Oakland while the field is being repaired.
What is he doing while his wife is gone? He is eating takeaway and watching TV while his wife is gone.
What is happening at work while he is sick? We are doing our best while he is sick.
Who is helping while Joe is gone? Jane is helping while Joe is gone.
How is Joe getting to school while his mom is busy? Joe is riding his bike to school while his mom is busy.
What are you doing while the oven heats up? I am chopping vegetables while the oven is heating up.Â
3. Plans for the Near Future
What are you doing tomorrow? I am eating lunch with Sally tomorrow.
What are you doing this afternoon? I’m seeing Jane this afternoon.
When is Joe going to see Alice’s new baby? Joe is going to see Alice’s new baby tomorrow morning.
When is the movie opening? The movie is opening tomorrow afternoon at the movie theatre.
How are Frank and Sal going to work today? They are taking the bus to work today.
Where are you walking the dog today? We are walking the dog by the river today.
When are you going to your sister’s house? We are going to my sister’s house today after lunch.
What are you going to do after dinner? I’m going to watch the hockey game after dinner.
What is he going to do after he wakes up from his nap? He is going to look for a job after he gets up from his nap.
Why aren’t you going to the meeting today? Because today we are planning to see John at the mall.
4. Temporary HabitsÂ
Why is he so tired lately? Because he is swimming every morning now.Â
Has Bill lost weight? Yes, he is running every day now.
Do you smoke? No, I am currently trying to quit.
Why can’t we eat meat tonight? Because we are trying to be vegetarians for a month.Â
Why are we driving this way to school? Because they are repairing the roads we usually go down.
Why are you getting to school early this month? Because I am trying to get up earlier.
Why hasn’t Jim come over in a while? Because he is trying to spend more time at work.Â
What do you do on the weekends? Since finals are coming up, I am studying every chance that I get.Â
Why are you working so much? Because I am saving up for a new car.
What time are you open until? We are closing at 9 pm during the Christmas season.
5. Complaining about a Bad Habit
Why do people not like Tom? Because Tom is always running late.
What’s wrong Pam? I hate when people are being loud at night.
Why don’t they like Tim? They don’t like Tim because he is always being rude to others.
Why do you look so tired? Because Paul is always snoring so loudly at night.
Why don’t you want to pet my dog? Because he is always trying to bite me.
Should I trust Zoey? No, you shouldn’t. She is always lying.Â
Why should I buy an iPhone over an Android? You should buy an iPhone because Androids are always having problems.Â
When is the train going to get here? I don’t know. It’s never running on time.Â
Why don’t you want to live in London? Because it’s always raining there, and who wants that?
Why can’t John keep a job for very long? Because John is always fighting with his colleagues.
6. Describing an Overall Trend
Why is your movie theatre so busy? Because people are watching a lot of movies right now.Â
Where are all the potatoes? People are buying a lot of potatoes lately. Maybe they are sold out?
Where is the busiest travel destination? Cuba, lots of people are going there this year.
Have you heard of Kimchi? Yeah, lots of people are cooking with it nowadays.
Are you watching Game of Thrones? Yes, everybody I know is watching it.
Do you have any toys for sale? No, everyone is buying them right now and I don’t have any left.
What is the biggest problem in the world right now? Our biggest problem is that our pollution levels are constantly going up.Â
When do you leave for work? I usually try to leave around 6 am because everyone else is driving around 7 am. Â
Why is everyone wearing a hat? Hats are really popular right now, so everyone is wearing one.Â
Do many people learn another language? Yeah! More and more people are learning languages every year.
Learn Verbs with The Learner’s Nook
If you are interested in learning more about verbs in English, we have plenty of verb resources on our Verbs in English page.
Final Thoughts on Present Continuous Tense Examples
Present Continuous is a really important verb tense that you need to be able to use correctly. It’s a fairly easy verb tense, but as you can see, it can be used in many different ways with lots of different verbs in English.Â
We hope that these Present continuous tense examples have helped you better understand how you can use this English verb tense. If you need help with any of the grammar of Present Continuous tense, you can take a look at our post on how Present Continuous works.