The Present Progressive Tense is also called the Present Continuous Tense in English Grammar. The present progressive tense is one of the most important and frequently used tenses in the English language because, in real time, time exists only around "now"; time doesn't know past or future, nor the past or future are in our control. We continuously live in this tense. It never ends. It ends when our lives end. In fact, life is one of the best examples of the present progressive tense. We start life as infants, we become young, and then we become old, and life (activity) ends. So, the present progressive tense means the time we actually live in.
USAGES
The present progressive tense is used to indicate activity in progress at the moment of speaking.
Example:
She can't meet you because she is attending a crucial meeting.
In the above example, we can see that the action of attending a meeting is in progress. It covers all three basic tenses, i.e., past, present, and future. It started in the past, still continues, and will continue in the future. We don't know when it will end.
The present progressive tense is used to express a more general present.
Example:
What is Mike doing these days?
He is writing a novel.
It doesn't mean that Mike is sitting at his desk and writing the novel, but that he has started writing the novel and has not finished yet.
The present progressive tense is used with the word "always" to describe an activity that happens more frequently.
Example:
Where is Bob?
He might be on the ground. He is always playing soccer.
It doesn't mean that he plays soccer 24 hours a day without any breaks, but it means he plays a lot. Some other examples are, he is always sleeping or he is always working.
The present progressive tense is used to describe future planning.
Example:
She is coming to meet her parents next Sunday.
It is very clear that the action will take place in the future, as meeting her parents has been planned for the future.
The present progressive tense is used when we talk about an activity surrounding or covering a specific time.
Examples:
She looks good when she is speaking English.
At noon, they are usually working on welfare projects.
The present progressive tense is used to talk about evolving situations despite their longevity.
Examples:
The universe is expanding.
My son is getting bigger every day.
The summers are getting warmer due to climate change.
The present progressive tense is used to express physical feelings. The verbs refer to feelings like feel, hurt, ache, etc, are used in simple or progressive tenses without much difference.
Examples:
How are you feeling? Or how do you feel?
My head is aching. Or my head aches.
Some verbs are not used in the present progressive tense, i.e, believe, doubt, imagine, know, like, dislike, love, hate, prefer, realize, recognize, remember, suppose, want, wish, etc.
Examples:
I like this book. (Not I am liking this book)
Do you believe this (Not Are you believing this)
STRUCTURE
Positive or Affirmative Sentence
He is fixing the car.
Formula:
Subject + am/is/are + Base form of verb + ing + Object.
"Am, is, and are" are auxiliary or helping verbs used to express continuation. They help the main verb in its tense.
Negative Sentence
He is not fixing the car.
Formula:
Subject + am/is/are + not + Base form of verb + ing + Object.
To make a negative sentence in the present progressive tense, we always put "not" after the helping verb. Nothing else changes.
Interrogative Sentence
Is he fixing the car?
Formula:
Am/is/are + Subject + Base form of verb + ing + Object.
To make an interrogative sentence, we put the helping verb before the subject of the sentence, or you can say the subject and helping verb exchange their position. They replace each other to make a question sentence. The rest of the sentence remains the same as it is in the positive sentence.
Negative Interrogative Sentence
Isn't he fixing the car?
Is he not fixing the car?
Formula:
Am/is/are + not + Subject + Base form of verb + ing + Object
Am/is/are + Subject + not + Base form of verb + ing + Object
The negative interrogative sentences can be made in two ways. If the word "not" is contracted with the auxiliary verb, then it comes before the subject, and if it is not contracted, then the word "not" comes after the subject to make a negative interrogative sentence. In the first sentence, the word "not" has been contracted with the auxiliary verb, while in the second sentence, it has been used in expanded form, and that's why it has been put after the subject of the sentence.
The helping verbs "am, is, and are"
These are three auxiliary verbs used in the present progressive tense. The auxiliary verb "am" is used only with the first person pronoun "I" while "is" is used with the third person singular, i.e., he, she, it, and name. The helping verb "are" is used with "they, you, we, and plural names".
Expanded Form & Contraction Form
"I am" can not be contracted in short answers or on other occasions. It has a contraction form "ain't" but "ain't" is a contraction form that means not only "am not" but it can also be the contraction forms of "is not", "are not", "have not", "has not", "do not", "did not" etc.
But "ain't" is one of the most informal verb contractions in English, and its use in formal contexts may be criticized because it is associated with careless speech. It is, however, accepted in folk popular song lyrics, show titles, direct quotations, and fictional dialogue. Otherwise, "ain't" is best avoided, except as deliberate rhetorical devices and in allusive expressions such as you ain't seen anything yet.
Adding "ing" to the Base form of a Verb
We add "ing" to the base form of a verb in a normal way like cooking, fixing, cleaning, going, washing, walking, etc. but if a verb is one syllable and ends in a consonant and before that consonant, there is a vowel, then we double the consonant before adding "ing".
In the above table, all the verbs are one syllable and end in a consonant, and before the consonant, there is a vowel letter. That's why we have doubled the consonant before adding "ing".
RECOGNITION IN URDU
Examples:
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Recognition in Urdu is very important. It helps a lot in translation. If you don't know the tense of a sentence, you will be unable to translate it.