Present Continuous

Present continuous
Affirmative sentences
Let’s take a look at these examples:
• At this moment, many young people are looking for jobs.

En este momento, muchos jóvenes están buscando trabajo.
• Now, we are planning next year’s activities.

Ahora, estamos planeando las actividades del año próximo.
• The student is learning the Present Continuous tense.

El/La estudiante está aprendiendo el tiempo verbal presente continuo.
Let’s pay attention to the verbs:

are looking are planning is learning
They are examples of Present Continuous. We use this tense to speak about actions
happening at the moment of speaking. So, you are going to use them when you want
to describe activities you are doing at this moment, or in this period of time; these
actions are temporary (not permanent).
We form the Present Continuous with the verb To Be and the gerund (the -ing form of
the verb):
VERB TO BE + ING
Person Verb Gerund Example

TO BE
I AM DOING I am / I’m doing many things at the moment.
(I’M) (Estoy haciendo muchas cosas en este momento.)
HE IS WORKING He is / He’s working very hard to get his
degree.
SHE (HE’S)
(Él está trabajando muy duro para obtener su título.)
IT (SHE’S)
(IT’S) It is / It’s getting hard for me to work and study.

(Se me esta haciendo difícil trabajar y estudiar.)
YOU ARE READING You are / You’re reading this file now.
THEY (YOU’RE) (Esta / Estas leyendo este archivo ahora.)
WE (THEY’RE) We are / We’re reading in English now.

(WE’RE) (Estamos leyendo en inglés.)
Negative Sentences
Read the following passage:
Things are changing in my life – Now, I am not going out on weekends, because I have
to study; my friends and I aren’t getting together very often, because we are always
tired; and I am not getting enough sleep… I am looking forward to the holidays!
The passage is about things that are happening now, so it is in the Present Continuous
tense. But look at the verbs (am not going, aren’t getting, am not getting enough):
they speak about what people are not doing at the moment.
Let’s take a look at the negative form:
It is made up with the auxiliary verbs “is”, “am”, or “are”, the word “not”, and the
gerund of the main verb.
VERB TO BE + NOT + ING
Person Verb Negative Gerund Example

To Be
I AM NOT SPEAKING I’m not speaking Spanish now; I’m
(I’M NOT) speaking English.
(No estoy hablando es español ahora,
estoy hablando en inglés.)
HE IS NOT DANCING She is not / isn’t dancing now; she is
SHE (ISN’T) at work. (Ella no está
IT trabajando ahora; está en el trabajo.)
YOU ARE NOT RESTING You are not / aren’t resting now; you
WE (AREN’T) are studying.
THEY (No está /estás descansando ahora;
esta/estas estudiando.)
Interrogative sentences
What about questions in the Present Continuous tense? How do we ask about actions
happening now?
There are two (2) types of questions, and two (2) types of answers:
WH questions
1) What are you doing? I am speaking. The answer offers information
Question Auxiliary Subject Verb Example

word (Q) verb (A) (S) (V)
What am I doing? I am a speaking.
¿Qué estás haciendo? Estoy
hablando.
Where is he going? He’s going to the cinema.
¿Dónde está yendo? Está yendo al
cine.
When are they studying? They are studying anytime of the
day.
¿Cuándo están estudiando? En
cualquier momento del día.
Yes/No questions
Are you studying Tourism? No, I am not. / Yes, I am. The answer is Yes or No
Auxiliary Subject (S) Verb (V) Affirmative Negative
verb (A) answer answer
Am I teaching? Yes, I am. No, I am not. No,
I’m not.
Is it raining? Yes, it is. No, it is not. No,
it isn’t.
Are you reading the Yes, you are. No, you are not.
newspaper? No, you aren’t.
Quantifiers
We use quantifiers when we want to give information about the number of something:
how much or how many.
Examples:
all any enough less a lot of lots of
more most none no none of some
Some and any:

In general, we use some (also somebody/someone/something) in affirmative
sentences and any (also anybody etc.) in negative sentences:
some any
We have some problems. We don’t have any problems. No
Tenemos algunos problemas. tenemos ningún problema.
He's busy. He's got some work to do. He's lazy. He never does any work. Es
Está ocupado. Tiene algo de trabajo. vago. Nunca hace nada.
No and None:
no none
We use no + noun. We use none without a noun:
No = not a or not any: 'How much money do you have?' 'None.'
There is a strike*, there is no bus. (=there (= no money)
isn't a bus)
A little and A few:

a little a few
A little = some, a small amount: Let's A few = some, a small number:
go and have a coffee. We have a I enjoy my life here. I have a few friends
little time before the train leaves. and we meet quite often.
(a little time= some time, enough time to (a few friends= not many but enough to
have a coffee) have a good time)
Some quantifiers can be used only with count nouns:
both each either (a) few fewer neither several
We use many and few with plural nouns: many friends - many people
- few cars - few countries
Some quantifiers can be used only with uncount nouns:
a little (not) much a bit of
We use much and little with uncountable nouns: much time - much
luck - little energy - little money
We use a lot of I lots of I plenty of with both uncountable and plural nouns:
a lot of luck - lots of time - plenty of money a lot of
friends - lots of people - plenty of ideas
Plenty = more than enough:

There's no need to hurry. We've got plenty of time.

Present Continuous - Quantifiers

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Present Continuous - Quantifiers

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Let’s take a look at these examples:

• At this moment, many young people are looking for jobs.

• Now, we are planning next year’s activities.

• The student is learning the Present Continuous tense.

Let’s pay attention to the verbs:

Person Verb Gerund Example

(IT’S) It is / It’s getting hard for me to work and study.

WE (THEY’RE) We are / We’re reading in English now.

Let’s take a look at the negative form:

VERB TO BE + NOT + ING

Person Verb Negative Gerund Example

Question Auxiliary Subject Verb Example

more most none no none of some

Some and any:

A little and A few:

Some quantifiers can be used only with count nouns:

both each either (a) few fewer neither several

Some quantifiers can be used only with uncount nouns:

a little (not) much a bit of

Plenty = more than enough:

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