present tenses 4: progressive or ‘continuous’

present progressive: forms
ami are! is + -ing I am waiting.
Are you listening? She isn’t working today.
For double letters in words like sitting, stopping, see spelling 7: doubling final consonants.
For passive forms (e.g. The work is being done), see passives 1: passive structures and verb forms.
use: ‘around now’
We use the present progressive to talk about temporary actions and situations that are going on now or ‘around now’: before, during and after the moment of speaking.
Hurry up! We’re all waiting for you! (NOT We-aU-wai-t-…)
What are you doing?present tenses : progressive I’m writing letters, (NOT … I write-letters.) ?
Why are you crying? Is something wrong? (NOT Why do you cry? …) He’s working in Saudi Arabia at the moment.
present progressive: temporary actions and situations going on now or around now
Why are you crying?
We’re all waiting for you.
FUTURE
repeated actions
The present progressive can refer to repeated actions and events, if these are just happening around the present (for more details, see present tenses 6: advanced points).
Why is he hitting the dog? I’m travelling a lot these days.
changes
We also use the present progressive to talk about developments and changes. That child’s getting bigger every day. House prices are going up again.
talking about the future
We often use the present progressive to talk about the future (see future 4: present progressive).
What are you doing tomorrow evening?
Come and see us next week if you’re passing through London.
things that happen all the time: not used
We do not normally use the present progressive to talk about permanent situations, or about things that happen regularly, repeatedly or all the time. Compare:
Look – the cat’s eating your breakfast!
What do bears eat?present tenses : progressive Everything, (NOT What are bears eating?-…)
Why is that girl standing on the table?
Chetford Castle stands on a hill outside the town, (NOT … is standing …)
My sister’s living at home for the moment.
Your parents live in North London, don’t they?
verbs not used in progressive forms
Some verbs are not used in progressive forms (see progressive 2: non-progressive verbs), even if the meaning is ‘just around now’.
I like this wine, (NOT I’m liking this wine.)
Do you believe what he says? (NOT Are you believing …?)
The tank contains about 7,000 litres at the moment, (NOT The tank is containing…)
how long? present tenses not used
We use a perfect tense, not a present tense, to say how long something has been going on. (see present perfect 6: present perfect or present? for details.)
I’ve been learning English for three years, (NOT I’m learning English for three years.)