1. The Present Continuous Tense
Actions happening now – at the
moment of speak or around now – in
the near future

2. The Simple Present Tense
• We use simple present tense for permanent
situations (unchanging), or about that things that
happen regularly or all the time:
• My parents live in Ankara.
• I go to Istanbul every month.
• Water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius.
• I play football on Saturdays
• My mother cooks excellent food.
• Billy loves Mary.
• They sometimes job early in the morning.

3. The Present Continuous Tense
• Subject + am/is/are + Verb (1) + ing
• I am reading the papers
• You are looking at the children
• He /She/It is watching the ball game on TV
• We are eating breakfast at the kitchen
• You are having fun at the party
• They are driving home

4. Questions
• Am I making too much noise ?
• Are you doing the homework ?
• Is he/she/it sleeping in the bed?
• Are we writing the answers?
• Are you putting the food in boxes ?
• Are they swimming close to the beach ?

5. Negatives
• I am not playing with you
• You are not studying hard
• She/he /it isn’t running to the door
• We are not (aren’t) doing anything at the
moment .
• You are not (aren’t) reading a lot these days.
• They are not (aren’t) travelling with us to
Samsun.

6. The Present Continuous
Actions happening right now Actions happening around now
• I am singing in my room. • We use present continuous
• She is listening to the latest news tense to talk about temporary
on the hurricane. actions and situations that are
going on now or ‘around now
• We are just passing by in front of ‘: before , during and after the
your house. moment of speaking.
• The kettle is boiling over the • What are you doing? I am
stove. writing letters.
• It is snowing hard hard. • He is working at IBM at the
• Look, he is jumping down the hill moment.
with his parachute. • More and more women are
• My father is wearing his pyjamas. going to football matches
• My head is aching . these days.

7. The Present Continuous Tense
Actions happening in the near
Actions happening around now future
• I am staying in a hotel near Karakoy at • What are you doing tomorrow
the moment. evening?
• I am taking karate lessons this semester.
• I am working part time at McDonald’s • Come and see us if you are
this semester. passing through Istanbul.
• I am staying with my friends until the • The British prime minister is
school closes.
• The economy in Turkey is getting better.
visiting Turkey next week.
• In the last 30 years more women are • We are having a big party for
getting richer and more powerful. the manager next Friday night
• More and more people are using at Ziya’s.
mobiles to get into internet nowadays.
• People in the Middle East are fighting
• I am taking a week off from my
for individual freedom and protesting job next month.
against the old regime administrators. • I am seeing my doctor at the
hospital tomorrow at 4 pm.

8. Non Progressive Verbs: verbs refer to states rather than actions;
some refer to mental states (know, think, believe) or to the use
of senses (smell, taste, see) Modal verbs (can, must have no
progressive forms
• Some verbs are never or hardly ever used in continuous forms:
• I like this music.
• I need to talk to you.
• I see what you mean – I am seeing the doctor at 10 o’clock.
• Feel/feeling: feel can be used to talk about one’s physical or mental sensations.
• Do you feel happy?
• She began to feel cold.
• To talk about feelings that are going on at a particular moment simple or progressive form can be used.
I feel fine. – I am feeling fine / How are you feeling (there is little difference in meaning)
• I feel we shouldn’t do it.
• What are you thinking about ? What do you think of the government? (have an opinion)
• I am seeing my boy friend tomorrow .
• I see what you mean (see=understand)
• I can see (ability)
• Why are you smelling the meat? Is it bad?
• Does the meat smell bad?
• I am just tasting the cake to see if it is ok!
• The cake tastes wonderful.
• The scales broke when I was weighing myself this morning.
• I weighed 68 kilos three months ago.
•

9. Non progressive verbs
• These days more and more people are prefer/are preferring to take early retirement.
• The water tastes/is tasting better today.
• As I get older, I remember/am remembering less and less.
• I am liking it here more and more as time goes by
• I don’t like to go to a country without knowing something of the language and tradition.
• We can use “always, continually, etc” with progressive form to mean “very often”
• I’m always losing my keys.
• My grandmother is always giving children little presents.
• I am always meeting my upstairs neighbor in the supermarket (accidental, unplanned
meeting)
• When my cousins come to Istanbul from Frankfurt I always meet them at the airport.
• “Can” is often used with see, hear, feel, taste, smell, understand and remember with the
progressive meaning
• I can see Jane coming down the road
• Can you smell something burning.

10. Exercise: Fill the blanks with present simple or
present simple continuous
• 1. I ___________ (to play) football on Saturdays.
• I ________ (to practice) speaking English with my friends two hours a week at
school.
• Marry ________ (to cook) for her grandmother on Sundays.
• My baby _________ (to sleep), keep silent!
• Tarkan _________ (to sing) at AKM this Saturday.
• We __________ (to see) a lot of violence on TV channels these days.
• More and more people _________ (to use) the Internet to catch up with the news
and soap operas.
• Big screen events, like Football and basketball __________(to become) more
popular among ladies as they work in more professional jobs.
• Less and less people ___________ (to smoke) cigarettes with new government
regulations.
• We ___________ (to leave) Antalya on Monday and __________(to sail) to
Nicosia by a ferry boat from Mersin.
• Please don’t make so much noise. I ________________ (to study) .
• Why _____________ (to smile) at me like that ?