Six Tenses in Progressive Forms of Verbs
A verb has a special form to show that the action is continuing or progressing at the time indicated by a particular tense. Explore The Tenses of Verbs to master complete sentence structure rules.
- I am studying English grammar.
- She is contemplating marriage.
What is Present Progressive Tense?
A. Present progressive tense shows continuing action, something going on now. It may also show that something will happen in the future. It is formed by combining the present tense of the verb to be with the present participle of another verb (the form of the verb that ends in ing.)
- I am speaking as a representative of my people.
The verb “am” is the present tense of the verb to be and is combined to the present participle of the verb speak (actually the ing form).
- We are going to London.
The verb “are” is the present tense of the verb to be and is combined to the present participle of the verb go (actually the ing form).
- Our classmates are arriving in 30 minutes.
- You are irritating me.
- This parrot is calling my name.
What is Past Progressive Tense?
B. Past progressive tense shows continuing action, something that was happening at some point of the past. It is formed by combining the past tense of the verb to be with the present participle of another verb (again the ing form).
- I was singing when you came.
The verb was is the past tense of the verb to be and is combined to the present participle of the verb sing (actually the ing form).
- We were drinking beer when the cop barged inside.
- Jolina was smiling when he gave her his picture.
- You were chatting in the internet when your manager came.
What is Future Progressive Tense?
C. Future progressive tense shows continuing action something that will be happening at some point in the future. It is formed by combining the future tense of the verb to be with the present participle of another verb.
- I shall be calling you every day.
- In another six years, politicians will be running in another election.
- By the end of the day, we shall be paying you.
What is Present Perfect Progressive Tense?
D. Present perfect progressive tense shows a continuous action that has been finished at some point of the past at that was initiated in the past and continuous to happen. It is formed by combining the present perfect tense of the verb to be with the present participle of another verb (ing form).
- I have been calling you.
- She has been checking the papers of our students.
What is Past Perfect Progressive Tense?
E. Past perfect progressive tense shows a continuous action completed at some point in the past. It is formed by combining the past perfect tense of the verb to be with the present participle of another verb (ing form).
- I had been running but I felt tired.
- Joshua had been recording his songs all morning.
What is Future Perfect Progressive Tense?
F. Future perfect progressive tense shows a continuous action that will be completed at some point in the future. It is formed by combining the future perfect tense of the verb to be with the present participle of another verb (ing form).
- On my retirement day, I shall have been teaching for thirty years.
- By sunset, we shall have been working on this project for eight hours.
Verb CARE — Progressive Forms
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| First person | I am caring | we are caring |
| Second person | you are caring | you are caring |
| Third person | he, she, it is caring | they are caring |
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| First person | I was caring | we were caring |
| Second person | you were caring | you were caring |
| Third person | he, she, it was caring | they were caring |
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| First person | I shall be caring | we shall be caring |
| Second person | you will be caring | you will be caring |
| Third person | he, she, it will be caring | they will be caring |
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| First person | I have been caring | we have been caring |
| Second person | you have been caring | you have been caring |
| Third person | he, she, it has been caring | they have been caring |
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| First person | I had been caring | we had been caring |
| Second person | you had been caring | you had been caring |
| Third person | he, she, it had been caring | they had been caring |
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| First person | I shall have been caring | we shall have been caring |
| Second person | you will have been caring | you will have been caring |
| Third person | he, she, it will have been caring | they will have been caring |
Exercise: Tense Usage
Test Your Grammar Knowledge
- The exposure of Angue’s art and aesthetics in the rural areas (has, had, have) earned him the title, “Philippine’s Artist.”
- It (has, had, will have) been seven years since the Law was declared.
- On the crowded beach last summer, a small boy (creates, created) his own magic world of sandcastles.
- The fire broke out a few minutes after they (ate, have eaten, had eaten) their supper.
- Although it is nearly two years since I last visited our province, I (could, can, would) still remember vividly its rustic sceneries.
✅ Show answers
- has earned
- has been
- created
- had eaten
- can still remember
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Key Takeaways
- Progressive forms of verbs use special forms to indicate continuing or progressing actions.
- Present progressive tense combines the present tense of the verb to be with a present participle ending in ing.
- Past progressive tense uses the past tense of the verb to be combined with a present participle.
- Future progressive tense expresses continuing actions that will occur at some point in the future.
- Perfect progressive tenses (present, past, and future) track continuous actions initiated, completed, or spanning across different time frames using the verb to be and present participles.
Quick Practice
Write your answers to the following questions in the comments below:
- Which verb tense is used in the sentence: “I am studying English grammar”?
- How is the past progressive tense formed?
✅ Show answers
- Present progressive tense — am + the present participle (studying).
- The past tense of the verb to be (was/were) + the present participle (-ing form).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between present progressive and past progressive tense?
How do you form future progressive tense?
More Lessons to Try
Continue improving your English grammar and writing skills with these related lessons:
- The Tenses of Verbs
- Group of Verbs
- Six Tenses of the Verb
- Verbs
- Verbs: Voice (Active and Passive Voice)
- Explore All Grammar Lessons on english-grammarblog.blogspot.com
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