Continuous verbs in English

Hello everyone! we will learn today the use of continuous verbs in the past, present and future. You do not want to miss this lesson!

The continuous tense :

The continuous (progressive) tense is used to describe events that are happening at the moment of speaking or around the present time, or actions that were happening over a period of time in the past. The continuous form is created using a form of the verb "to be" (am, is, are, was, were) + the base verb + -ing .

1- Present Continuous Tense : 

It is used for events happening at the present moment or temporary actions .

• Form:

[Subject] + am/ is/ are + verb without to + ing . 

Examples:

I am cooking my post-workout meal now .

Rayane is reading her favorite book .

• Usage of present continuous:

1. Actions happening right now :

o Jack is studying mathematics at the moment .

2. Temporary actions:

o David and Jude are living in San Diego for now .

3. Future plans or arrangements:

o I am meeting Sami tomorrow.

The conjugation of the verb “to play” in the present simple continuous : 

Personal pronouns	The conjugation
I	am    playing
You	are playing
He / she / it	is    playing
We	are playing
You	are playing
They	are playing

2- Past Continuous Tense : 

It is used to describe events that were happening during an ongoing situation in the past .

• Form:

[Subject] +                                                                      

• Was ( for : he / she /it )                        
• Were ( for : I / you / we / you / they ) 

+ verb without to + ing.

Examples:

I was listening to a podcast when she called .

My friends were playing football all afternoon .

• Usage of Past Continuous:

1. Events happening in the past at a particular time  :

o At 8 o’clock last night, I was working on editing my videos .

2. Two actions happening at the same time:

o While Willian was cooking , his wife Sarah was cleaning.

The conjugation of the verb “to play” in the past simple continuous : 

Personal pronouns	The conjugation
I	was    playing
You	were playing
He / she / it	was    playing
We	were playing
You	were playing
They	were playing

3- Future Continuous Tense :

It is used to describe events that will be happening at a specific time in the future.

• Form:

[Subject] + will be + verb without to + ing .

Examples:

I will be studying for my baccalaureate exam at 7 PM tomorrow .

My neighbors will be traveling to Mexico next week.

• Usage of Future Continuous:

1. An event in progress at a specific time in the future:

o At this time next week, I will be enjoying my vacation .

2. A future action that will be in progress:

o We will be attending a very important conference in Paris .

Perfect Continuous Tenses : 

These tenses are used to show that an event has been happening for a period of time.

1- Present Perfect Continuous Tense:

• Form:

[Subject] + have/ has + been + verb without to +ing .

Example:

Celia have been studying Turkish for two years .

2- Past Perfect Continuous Tense:

• Form:

[Subject] + had + been + verb without to +ing .

Example:

They had been working remotely for three years .

3- Future Perfect Continuous Tense:

• Form:

[Subject] + will have been + verb without to + ing .

Example:

By next month, I will have been traveling to London for five years .

Tasks

Task 1 : Conjugate the verbs between () in the present simple continuous .

1) I _______ (to work) on a new branding project right now.

2) Melinda _______ (to read) a novel at the moment.

3) They _______ (to study) for their physics exams.

4) We _______ (to travel) to Chicago next week.

5) Sherine _______ (to cook) dinner at the moment.

The correction of Task 1 :

1) I am working

2) Melinda is reading

3) They are studying 

4) We are traveling

5) Sherine is cooking

Task 2 : Conjugate the verbs between () in the past simple continuous .

a) I _______ (to watch) cartoon movies when you called me.

b) They _______ (to play) volleyball when it started to rain.

c) We _______ (to have) dinner when the power went out.

d) She _______ (to write) an apology letter to her friend when I saw her.

e) He _______ (to read) Jane Austen’s most famous  book .

The correction of Task 2 :

a) I was watching 

b) They were playing

c) We were having

d) She was writing

e) He was reading

Task 3 : Conjugate the verbs between () in the future simple continuous . 

1) Mia _______ (to work) at 8 PM tonight.

2) By this time next year, my family and I _______ (to live) in a new house.

3) Jack and Zoey _______ (to visit) us next month.

4) This time tomorrow, my cousin Linda _______ (to fly) to New York.

5) I _______ (to attend) a meeting at noon tomorrow.

The correction of Task 3 :

a) Mia will be working 

b) My family and I will be living

c) Jack and Zoey will be visiting us 

d) My cousin Linda will be flying 

e) I will be attending 

Task 4 : Complete the following table with the correct form of the verb “ to buy “ .

Tense	Past perfect continuous	Present   perfect continuous	Future   perfect continuous
Personal   pronouns
I	Had   been buying	Have   been buying	Will   have been buying
You	Had   been buying	Have   been buying	Will   have been buying
He / she /   it	Had   been buying	Has   been buying	Will   have been buying
We	Had   been buying	Have   been buying	Will   have been buying
You	Had   been buying	Have   been buying	Will   have been buying
They	Had been   buying	Have   been buying	Will   have been buying

Recapitulation of the lesson

Thank you for attending today’s lesson . The continuous tense helps convey ongoing actions in the present, past, or future . Keep exercising and enjoy the journey of learning !