Present continuous: ESL lesson plans and exercises

Q: When do we use the present continuous?

For actions in progress and for temporary situations. Listen! The baby is crying is happening at this moment, while I'm staying with my aunt this month is true for a limited time. With a future time, the tense also gives arrangements: I'm meeting Earl at the station at six . Routines and permanent facts take the present simple: I live in Ohio .

Q: How do you form the present continuous?

Am, is or are, followed by the verb + -ing. I'm cooking , he's cooking , we're cooking . Negatives add not after the be verb ( She isn't cooking ), and yes-no questions start with it ( Are they cooking? ). Both parts are needed, so It raining and He is play are wrong. In spelling, make loses its e ( making ) and run doubles its n ( running ).

Q: Is the present progressive the same as the present continuous?

Yes, they are two names for one tense. Many American grammar books say present progressive, and British coursebooks usually say present continuous, but the grammar is identical: am , is or are + verb-ing. The lessons here call it the present continuous, and they suit a class that says progressive just as well.

Q: Are there interactive present continuous exercises?

Yes: play the exercises above, no sign-up needed. They come from the lessons on this page, and each full lesson adds more drills: drag-and-drop, gap-fills, tables to complete and quizzes. Students work through them in their own edio.ai accounts, and every answer is checked straight away. A free trial opens every present continuous lesson here, and the rest of the library too.

Q: How do I teach the present continuous to beginners?

Start with actions students can see. English A1.2 builds it in three steps: lesson 7 introduces the form at a baseball game under the midnight sun ( The sun is shining! ), lesson 22 adds questions and negatives with a bear cam ( Is it sleeping? ), and lesson 25 sets it against the present simple. Each of the three comes with a grammar scheme, drills and a speaking chapter.

Q: What are good present continuous games and speaking activities?

Games where students describe or guess an action. Miming suits A1 well ( Are you swimming? No, I'm not! ), and so does describing a busy street scene or guessing what a classmate's family is doing right now. Each lesson here has a speaking chapter: students finish a chat, then play a game like Spin the wheel or a memory game.

Q: How is the present continuous used for the future?

For arrangements: plans with a time and other people. We're leaving Chicago at two (we have tickets), I'm meeting my friends on Saturday . A plan that is only an idea, with no ticket or time yet, takes going to : I'm going to learn the guitar one day . English A2.1 teaches arrangements in lesson 22 and sets them against going to in lesson 30.

Q: Which verbs don't usually take the present continuous?

State verbs, such as know, need, want and belong. They describe a state rather than an action, so they normally stay simple even about this moment: I need access to the repo , not I'm needing . Some have an action meaning as well, and then -ing is fine: I think it's excellent is an opinion, but We're thinking about a new supplier is an action.

Q: Present continuous or present simple: how do learners choose?

By asking whether it's happening now or happens regularly. He's making a sound is this moment; Tess makes sounds for movies is her job. The questions differ in the same way: What's she doing? asks about now, What does she do? about her work. Mixed forms such as What does she doing? are a common slip at A1.

Q: Can I teach these lessons one-to-one or set them as homework?

Yes, with one student as well as a group. Live, the student follows the lesson in their own account, in sync with you, and the speaking game works with just the two of you. As homework, the drills check themselves, while some tasks, such as a short piece of writing, come to you to review.

Levels A1 to B2 8 lesson plans · 2 drill lessons Exercises that check themselves

The present continuous is the tense for actions in progress, now or around now: It's raining, They're playing baseball, What are you doing? Here are 8 ready-made lessons on it from the edio.ai library, levels A1 to B2, all interactive and in American English. Play exercises from them, see the form and its uses in their grammar schemes, and find a lesson for your class in the list by level, from a first I'm watching the game to weekend arrangements and state verbs at work.

Start free trial Try the exercises

Present continuous lesson plans and drills

8 lesson plans and 2 drill lessons, A1 to B2. Lesson plans are whole lessons with reading, listening and speaking; drill lessons are 44 to 45 self-checking exercises with no new words.

Try the present continuous exercises

One exercise from each of 6 lessons. These are the same exercises your students do in edio.

Present continuous explained

We use the present continuous for what is happening as we speak (Look! The pitcher is throwing the ball) and for temporary situations around now (This week Jordan is testing the payouts screen). It has two parts: am, is or are, then the verb + -ing. With a future time, it describes arrangements: We're rehearsing tonight at seven.

Am, is or are + verb-ing

The form of be matches the subject, and the main verb adds -ing: I'm watching the game, The sun is shining. The table runs through every person in long and short form.

Now: am / is / are + verb-ing

I / you / he / she / it / we / theyam / is / areverb + -ing

The sun is shining.

They're playing baseball.

I'm watching the game.

am, is, are + -ing: every person

Who	Long form	Short form
I	I am playing.	I'm playing.
you	You are playing.	You're playing.
he	He is playing.	He's playing.
she	She is playing.	She's playing.
it	It is raining.	It's raining.
we	We are playing.	We're playing.
they	They are playing.	They're playing.

From the lesson Baseball at midnight? (English A1.2)

-ing spelling: making, running, playing

Most verbs simply add -ing: eating, watching. A final -e drops (write, writing), though see gives seeing. When a short verb ends in one vowel and one consonant, the consonant doubles: swim, swimming. W and y never do: throwing, playing.

Rule	Examples
Most verbs: + ing	play → playing, throw → throwing, eat → eating, watch → watching
Verb + e: drop the e, + ing	make → making, shine → shining, write → writing (but: see → seeing)
Short verb, one vowel + one consonant at the end: double the last letter	run → running, swim → swimming, sit → sitting, clap → clapping (not w or y: throwing, playing)

From the lesson Baseball at midnight? (English A1.2)

Negatives and questions without do

Not goes straight after am, is or are (It isn't swimming), and questions put that verb before the subject: Is it sleeping? There's no do or does anywhere, and short answers drop the -ing: Yes, it is, No, I'm not.

✗ Say no: am / is / are + not + verb-ing

Who	Long form	Short form
I	I am not sleeping.	I'm not sleeping.
you	You are not swimming.	You aren't swimming.
he	He is not cooking.	He isn't cooking.
she	She is not reading.	She isn't reading.
it	It is not fishing.	It isn't fishing.
we	We are not watching TV.	We aren't watching TV.
they	They are not eating.	They aren't eating.

Questions and short answers: every person

Who	Question	Short answers
I	Am I doing it right?	Yes, you are. / No, you aren't.
you	Are you watching the cam?	Yes, I am. / No, I'm not.
he	Is he cooking?	Yes, he is. / No, he isn't.
she	Is she reading?	Yes, she is. / No, she isn't.
it	Is it sleeping?	Yes, it is. / No, it isn't.
we	Are we going home?	Yes, we are. / No, we aren't.
they	Are they fishing?	Yes, they are. / No, they aren't.

From the lesson What's the bear doing now? (English A1.2)

Signal words: now or every day?

Now, right now, at the moment, Look! and Listen! call for the present continuous: Look! It's snowing. Routine words such as every morning, on Sundays and usually belong to the present simple: It usually snows in January.

Present simple

every day, every morning
on Mondays, on Sundays
usually, always, often, never

Present continuous

now, right now
at the moment
Look! Listen!

From the lesson Who makes the sounds in movies? (English A1.2)

Arrangements: the present continuous for the future

Add a future time and the same form gives an arrangement, a plan with a time, a place and other people: Tessa is performing at noon tomorrow. So The choir is singing can mean now or later, and the time word shows which.

An arrangement

am / is / areverb + -inga time word

Tessa is performing at noon tomorrow.

We're rehearsing tonight at seven.

The same form: look at the time word!

Now

Look! Tessa is playing the guitar right now.
Shh! The choir is singing.
now, right now, Look!, Listen!, Shh!

Later: an arrangement

Tessa is playing on her stoop at noon tomorrow.
The choir is singing at two on June 21.
tonight, tomorrow, this evening, on Saturday, at six

From the lesson Music on every street (English A2.1)

State verbs: no -ing, even right now

Verbs for knowing, wanting, owning and other states normally stay simple, even about this moment: We need a new supplier, not We are needing; It depends on the price, not It's depending. The table groups them by meaning.

Meaning	Verbs	Example
Knowing and believing	know, believe, understand, mean	I know that coffee. (not I'm knowing)
Wanting and liking	want, need, prefer, like, love	We need a new supplier. (not we are needing)
Owning	own, belong, have (= own)	Kade has twenty-eight hotels. The grinder belongs to the fair.
Other states	seem, depend	It depends on the price. (not it's depending)

From the lesson Making Contacts (Business English B2)

Questions about the present continuous

When do we use the present continuous?

For actions in progress and for temporary situations. Listen! The baby is crying is happening at this moment, while I'm staying with my aunt this month is true for a limited time. With a future time, the tense also gives arrangements: I'm meeting Earl at the station at six. Routines and permanent facts take the present simple: I live in Ohio.

How do you form the present continuous?

Am, is or are, followed by the verb + -ing. I'm cooking, he's cooking, we're cooking. Negatives add not after the be verb (She isn't cooking), and yes-no questions start with it (Are they cooking?). Both parts are needed, so It raining and He is play are wrong. In spelling, make loses its e (making) and run doubles its n (running).

Is the present progressive the same as the present continuous?

Yes, they are two names for one tense. Many American grammar books say present progressive, and British coursebooks usually say present continuous, but the grammar is identical: am, is or are + verb-ing. The lessons here call it the present continuous, and they suit a class that says progressive just as well.

Are there interactive present continuous exercises?

Yes: play the exercises above, no sign-up needed. They come from the lessons on this page, and each full lesson adds more drills: drag-and-drop, gap-fills, tables to complete and quizzes. Students work through them in their own edio.ai accounts, and every answer is checked straight away. A free trial opens every present continuous lesson here, and the rest of the library too.

How do I teach the present continuous to beginners?

Start with actions students can see. English A1.2 builds it in three steps: lesson 7 introduces the form at a baseball game under the midnight sun (The sun is shining!), lesson 22 adds questions and negatives with a bear cam (Is it sleeping?), and lesson 25 sets it against the present simple. Each of the three comes with a grammar scheme, drills and a speaking chapter.

What are good present continuous games and speaking activities?

Games where students describe or guess an action. Miming suits A1 well (Are you swimming? No, I'm not!), and so does describing a busy street scene or guessing what a classmate's family is doing right now. Each lesson here has a speaking chapter: students finish a chat, then play a game like Spin the wheel or a memory game.

How is the present continuous used for the future?

For arrangements: plans with a time and other people. We're leaving Chicago at two (we have tickets), I'm meeting my friends on Saturday. A plan that is only an idea, with no ticket or time yet, takes going to: I'm going to learn the guitar one day. English A2.1 teaches arrangements in lesson 22 and sets them against going to in lesson 30.

Which verbs don't usually take the present continuous?

State verbs, such as know, need, want and belong. They describe a state rather than an action, so they normally stay simple even about this moment: I need access to the repo, not I'm needing. Some have an action meaning as well, and then -ing is fine: I think it's excellent is an opinion, but We're thinking about a new supplier is an action.

Present continuous or present simple: how do learners choose?

By asking whether it's happening now or happens regularly. He's making a sound is this moment; Tess makes sounds for movies is her job. The questions differ in the same way: What's she doing? asks about now, What does she do? about her work. Mixed forms such as What does she doing? are a common slip at A1.

Can I teach these lessons one-to-one or set them as homework?

Yes, with one student as well as a group. Live, the student follows the lesson in their own account, in sync with you, and the speaking game works with just the two of you. As homework, the drills check themselves, while some tasks, such as a short piece of writing, come to you to review.

More English grammar

Lessons for every grammar point, from the verb to be to reported speech. All grammar points

Present continuous: ESL lesson plans and exercises

Present continuous lesson plans and drills

Baseball at midnight?

What's the bear doing now?

Who makes the sounds in movies?

Present continuous: what's happening now?

Music on every street

Across America by train

Present continuous for plans: what are you doing tonight?

Who's that runner coming from behind?

Why is it called a scrum?

Making Contacts