{"id":273213,"date":"2026-09-07T03:01:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T08:01:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/?p=273213"},"modified":"2026-09-07T03:01:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T08:01:10","slug":"present-continuous-affirmative-negative-pre-a1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/fr\/blog\/present-continuous-affirmative-negative-pre-a1\/","title":{"rendered":"Learn the Present Continuous: Actions Happening Now (Pre-A1)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"lc-answer\">\n<p><strong>The present continuous helps us talk about actions that are happening at this exact moment, right now.<\/strong> It is very useful for describing what you see or what people are doing in a picture, or what you are doing as you speak. To form it, you need a form of the verb <span data-no-translation>to be<\/span> (<span data-no-translation>am<\/span>, <span data-no-translation>is<\/span>, ou <span data-no-translation>are<\/span>) and the <span data-no-translation>-ing<\/span> form of the main verb. For example, <span data-no-translation>I am reading<\/span> means you are reading at this moment. To make it negative, you simply add <span data-no-translation>not<\/span> after <span data-no-translation>am<\/span>, <span data-no-translation>is<\/span>, ou <span data-no-translation>are<\/span>, comme <span data-no-translation>She is not sleeping<\/span>. This grammar point is fundamental for describing ongoing activities in English.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>What is the Present Continuous?<\/h2>\n<p>We use the present continuous to talk about actions that are happening <span data-no-translation>now<\/span>, at <span data-no-translation>this moment<\/span>, ou <span data-no-translation>today<\/span>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It describes something in progress.<\/li>\n<li>It is not for habits or general truths.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"lc-cta lc-cta-blended\" style=\"border-radius:14px;padding:30px;margin:30px 0;text-align:center;color:#fff;background:linear-gradient(135deg,#0E63C4,#0A2540);\"><h3 style=\"color:#fff;font-size:22px;font-weight:800;margin:0 0 8px;\">\ud83c\udf93 Apprenez l'anglais gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 la m\u00e9thode mixte<\/h3><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;opacity:.95;\">Petits groupes \u00b7 Tuteur IA disponible 24 h\/24, 7 j\/7 \u00b7 Pr\u00e9paration aux examens de Cambridge<\/p><p style=\"margin:0 0 16px;font-size:18px;\">Plans provenant de <strong><span class=\"woocommerce-Price-amount amount\"><bdi><span class=\"woocommerce-Price-currencySymbol\" translate=\"no\" dir=\"auto\">$<\/span>39<\/bdi><\/span><\/strong> <s style=\"opacity:.6;\"><span class=\"woocommerce-Price-amount amount\"><bdi><span class=\"woocommerce-Price-currencySymbol\" translate=\"no\" dir=\"auto\">$<\/span>79<\/bdi><\/span><\/s> par mois<\/p><a href=\"\/fr\/\" style=\"display:inline-block;margin-top:8px;padding:13px 30px;border-radius:8px;font-weight:700;text-decoration:none;background:#fff;color:#0E63C4;\">R\u00e9servez votre cours<\/a><\/div>\n<h2>How Do We Form the Present Continuous (Affirmative)?<\/h2>\n<p>To make a present continuous sentence, we use two parts:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Le verbe <span data-no-translation>to be<\/span> (<span data-no-translation>am<\/span>, <span data-no-translation>is<\/span>, ou <span data-no-translation>are<\/span>).<\/li>\n<li>The main verb with <span data-no-translation>-ing<\/span> at the end.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The pattern is: <span data-no-translation>Subject + am\/is\/are + verb-ing<\/span>.<\/p>\n<h2>Making Sentences Negative with the Present Continuous<\/h2>\n<p>To say that an action is NOT happening now, we add <span data-no-translation>not<\/span> after <span data-no-translation>am<\/span>, <span data-no-translation>is<\/span>, ou <span data-no-translation>are<\/span>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The pattern is: <span data-no-translation>Subject + am\/is\/are + not + verb-ing<\/span>.<\/li>\n<li>You can use contractions: <span data-no-translation>isn't<\/span> (is not) and <span data-no-translation>aren't<\/span> (are not).<\/li>\n<li>For <span data-no-translation>I am not<\/span>, on dit g\u00e9n\u00e9ralement <span data-no-translation>I'm not<\/span>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Spelling Rules for -ing Verbs<\/h2>\n<p>Most verbs just add <span data-no-translation>-ing<\/span>. But some verbs have special spelling rules:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Verbs ending in -e:<\/strong> Remove the <span data-no-translation>-e<\/span>, then add <span data-no-translation>-ing<\/span>.<br \/>Exemple : <span data-no-translation>make<\/span> \u2192 <span data-no-translation>making<\/span>, <span data-no-translation>write<\/span> \u2192 <span data-no-translation>writing<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Verbs ending in consonant + vowel + consonant:<\/strong> Double the last consonant, then add <span data-no-translation>-ing<\/span>. This is common for short verbs.<br \/>Exemple : <span data-no-translation>run<\/span> \u2192 <span data-no-translation>running<\/span>, <span data-no-translation>sit<\/span> \u2192 <span data-no-translation>sitting<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table>\n<caption>Present Continuous: Affirmative and Negative Forms<\/caption>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Objet<\/th>\n<th>Affirmative Form<\/th>\n<th>Negative Form<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-no-translation>I<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>am + verb-ing<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>am not + verb-ing<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-no-translation>He \/ She \/ It<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>is + verb-ing<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>is not (isn't) + verb-ing<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-no-translation>You \/ We \/ They<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>are + verb-ing<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>are not (aren't) + verb-ing<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2>Exemples<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-no-translation>I am studying English now.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>She is watching TV at the moment.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>They are playing football outside.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>He is not sleeping.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>We are not eating dinner yet.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>The dog isn't barking.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Entra\u00eenement<\/h2>\n<div class=\"h5p-iframe-wrapper\"><iframe id=\"h5p-iframe-1149\" class=\"h5p-iframe\" data-content-id=\"1149\" style=\"height:1px\" src=\"about:blank\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"JR08 L5 READING AND GRAMMAR The present continuous\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div class=\"lc-cta lc-cta-whatsapp\" style=\"border-radius:14px;padding:30px;margin:30px 0;text-align:center;color:#fff;background:linear-gradient(135deg,#3DB16A,#1f8a4c);\"><h3 style=\"color:#fff;font-size:22px;font-weight:800;margin:0 0 8px;\">\ud83d\udcac Vous avez besoin de conseils personnalis\u00e9s ?<\/h3><p style=\"margin:0 0 16px;opacity:.95;\">En tant que centre de pr\u00e9paration agr\u00e9\u00e9 par Cambridge, nous pouvons vous aider \u00e0 choisir la formation et la certification qui vous conviennent. Discutez-en d\u00e8s aujourd'hui avec nos conseillers.<\/p><a href=\"https:\/\/wa.me\/51980473286?text=Hi%2C%20I%27m%20interested%20in%20Langcom%27s%20courses%20and%20would%20like%20some%20guidance%20choosing%20the%20right%20one.\" style=\"display:inline-block;margin-top:8px;padding:13px 30px;border-radius:8px;font-weight:700;text-decoration:none;background:#fff;color:#1f8a4c;\">Discutez avec un conseiller sur WhatsApp<\/a><\/div>\n<h2>Erreurs courantes chez les hispanophones<\/h2>\n<p>Les hispanophones commettent parfois les erreurs suivantes :<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Forgetting 'to be':<\/strong> In Spanish, you might say 'Yo comiendo' (I eating). In English, you MUST use <span data-no-translation>am<\/span>, <span data-no-translation>is<\/span>, ou <span data-no-translation>are<\/span>.<br \/>Incorrect : <span data-no-translation>She reading a book.<\/span><br \/>Correct : <span data-no-translation>She is reading a book.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Using Simple Present for 'now' actions:<\/strong> In Spanish, 'como ahora' (I eat now) is common. In English, use the present continuous for actions happening at this moment.<br \/>Incorrect : <span data-no-translation>I eat breakfast now.<\/span><br \/>Correct : <span data-no-translation>I am eating breakfast now.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Questions fr\u00e9quemment pos\u00e9es<\/h2>\n<h3>What does 'continuous' mean?<\/h3>\n<p>In grammar, 'continuous' means an action is ongoing or in progress. It is not finished.<\/p>\n<h3>Can I use the present continuous for future plans?<\/h3>\n<p>At Pre-A1 level, focus on using the present continuous only for actions happening <span data-no-translation>now<\/span>. Later, you will learn it can also be used for future plans.<\/p>\n<h3>Why do some verbs double their last letter before -ing?<\/h3>\n<p>This happens with short verbs that end in a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern (like <span data-no-translation>run<\/span>, <span data-no-translation>sit<\/span>). We double the last consonant to keep the short vowel sound clear when adding <span data-no-translation>-ing<\/span>.<\/p>\n<h2>Le\u00e7ons associ\u00e9es<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/langcom.org\/fr\/?p=272740\">Present continuous<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/langcom.org\/fr\/?p=272742\">Present continuous<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/langcom.org\/fr\/?p=272808\">Present continuous<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/langcom.org\/fr\/?p=272971\">Present continuous<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The present continuous helps us talk about actions that are happening at this exact moment, right now. It is very useful for describing what you see or what people are doing in a picture, or what you are doing as you speak. To form it, you need a form of the verb to be (am, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":192,"featured_media":274102,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"bwfblock_default_font":"","langcom_teaches":"Present continuous","langcom_cefr":"Pre-A1","langcom_type":"grammar","langcom_faq":"[{\"q\": \"What does 'continuous' mean?\", \"a\": \"In grammar, 'continuous' means an action is ongoing or in progress. It is not finished.\"}, {\"q\": \"Can I use the present continuous for future plans?\", \"a\": \"At Pre-A1 level, focus on using the present continuous only for actions happening <span data-no-translation>now<\/span>. Later, you will learn it can also be used for future plans.\"}, {\"q\": \"Why do some verbs double their last letter before -ing?\", \"a\": \"This happens with short verbs that end in a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern (like <span data-no-translation>run<\/span>, <span data-no-translation>sit<\/span>). We double the last consonant to keep the short vowel sound clear when adding <span data-no-translation>-ing<\/span>.\"}]","_kiss_seo_title":"","_kiss_seo_excerpt":"The present continuous helps us talk about actions that are happening at this exact moment, right now.","_mwseo_canonical":"","_mwseo_keywords":"","_mwseo_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[607],"tags":[651,986],"formats":[],"class_list":["post-273213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pre-a1-beginner-english-for-kids","tag-grammar","tag-the-present-continuous"],"dsm_author":{"name":"Ra\u00fal","avatar_url":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/nsl_avatars\/1de86ea706740d324aaef3dd8bf0843b.png","archive_link":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/fr\/blog\/author\/raulmaguinahamann\/","biodata":""},"dsm_categories":[{"term_name":"Pre A1 Beginner English for 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