The Continuous (Progressive) Tenses in English

Continuous tenses describe actions that are in progress at a specific time. They always use "be" + verb-ing.

1. Present Continuous

Use:
✔ Actions happening now (I’m eating lunch.)
✔ Temporary situations (She’s staying with friends this week.)
✔ Future arrangements (We’re flying to Paris tomorrow.)

Structure:
am/is/are + verb-ing

• "He is working right now."

Signal Words:
now, at the moment, currently, this week

Example:

• "They are watching TV." (Now)
• "I am meeting John later." (Future plan)

2. Past Continuous

Use:
✔ Actions in progress at a specific past time (At 8 PM, I was cooking.)
✔ Interrupted actions (She was reading when the phone rang.)

Structure:
was/were + verb-ing

• "We were sleeping when the alarm went off."

Signal Words:
while, when, at 5 PM yesterday, all morning

Example:

• "You were studying when I called."

3. Future Continuous

Use:
✔ Actions that will be in progress at a future time (This time tomorrow, I’ll be flying to Rome.)
✔ Polite questions about plans (Will you be using the car tonight?)

Structure:
will be + verb-ing

• "They will be traveling all day."

Signal Words:
at this time tomorrow, next week at 9 AM, all day

Example:

• "She will be presenting at the meeting tomorrow."

4. Key Notes

Non-action verbs (love, know, need) aren’t used in continuous tenses.
"I need help."

Temporary vs. Permanent:

• "She lives in London." (Permanent – Simple Present)
• "She is living with her sister this month." (Temporary – Present Continuous)

On PROMT.One Conjugator, you can find all the continuous tense forms for English verbs.