Positive statements
To form a positive statement using the present progressive, use the form of to be am/is/are + the verb + -ing:
- The farmer's wife is just feeding the hens.
- They are going downtown to see a movie.
- I am reading a very interesting book at the moment.
- She is looking for her set of keys.
However, there are some exceptions concerning some groups of verbs:
If you use verbs that end with an -e like to come, to make, to take, to brake, to bake, to save, you have to leave out the -e when adding -ing:
- to take
She is taking her son to the doctor. - to come The family is coming down the street right now.
- to bake I am baking a cake.
- to save We are saving money to buy a new car.
If you use verbs that end with -ie like to lie, to die, you have to change the -ie into y when adding -ing:
- to lie I think he is lying to me.
If you use verbs that end with a short vowel + a consonant like -m, -n, -p, -t like to run, to hop, to cut, to shut, you have to double the consonant when adding -ing:
- to run The kids are running around the yard.
- to hop They are hopping around the room like rabbits.
- to cut She is cutting out something.
Now practise the present progressive tense. Read the sentences below and choose the correct forms.
Bejahte Aussagen
Um eine bejahte Aussage in der Verlaufsform der Gegenwart zu formulieren, nutze die Form von to be am/is/are + das Verb + -ing:
- The farmer's wife is just feeding the hens.
- They are going downtown to see a movie.
- I am reading a very interesting book at the moment.
- She is looking for her set of keys.
Es gibt jedoch einige Ausnahmen bezüglich mancher Verbgruppen:
Wenn du Verben benutzt, die auf ein -e enden, wie to come, to make, to take, to brake, to bake, to save, musst du das -e weglassen, wenn du -ing anhängst:
- to take She is taking her son to the doctor.
- to come The family is coming down the street right now.
- to bake I am baking a cake.
- to save We are saving money to buy a new car.
Wenn du Verben benutzt, die auf -ie enden, wie to lie, to die, musst du das -ie zu y abändern, wenn du -ing anhängst:
- to lie I think he is lying to me.
Wenn du Verben benutzt, die auf einen kurzen Vokal + einen Konsonanten wie -m, -n, -p, -t enden, wie to run, to hop, to cut, to shut, musst du den Konsonanten verdoppeln, wenn du -ing anhängst:
- to run The kids are running around the yard.
- to hop They are hopping around the room like rabbits.
- to cut She is cutting out something.
Übe nun die Verlaufsform der Gegenwart. Lies die unten stehenden Sätze und wähle die richtige Form.
Yes-no-questions
You pose a yes-no-question using the present progressive in the same way as you would pose a yes-no-question with "to be". If you can't remember the rules, click here.
Just change the word order of the sentence. The question has the following word order:
Form of to be + noun/pronoun (+ adverb) + verb + -ing + ….?
If you look at the question closely, you can see that you only switch the subject of the sentence and the form of "to be":
- The weather is getting better. Is the weather getting better?
- He is taking the garbage outside. Is he taking the garbage outside?
- The kids are running around the yard. Are the kids running around the yard?
It's the same with negative statements and yes-no-questions:
- The weather is not getting better. Is the weather not getting better?
- He is not taking the garbage outside. Is he not taking the garbage outside?
- The kids are not running around the yard. Are the kids not running around the yard?
Wh-questions
Click here to read how to pose a Wh-question.
Here are some examples of Wh-questions using the present progressive:
- What are you doing?
- Where are you going?
- Who is calling?
Entscheidungsfragen
Du stellst eine Entscheidungsfrage in der Verlaufsform der Gegenwart genau so wie du eine Entscheidungsfrage mit "to be" formulierst. Wenn du dich nicht mehr an die Regeln erinnern kannst, klicke hier.
Ändere einfach die Satzstellung des Satzes. Die Frage hat folgende Satzstellung:
Form von to be + Nomen/Pronomen (+ Adverb) + Verb + -ing + ….?
Wenn du dir die Frage genau anschaust, kannst du sehen, dass du nur das Subjekt des Satzes mit der Form von "to be" tauschst:
- The weather is getting better. Is the weather getting better?
- He is taking the garbage outside. Is he taking the garbage outside?
- The kids are running around the yard. Are the kids running around the yard?
Es ist genau das selbe mit verneinten Aussagen und Entscheidungsfragen:
- The weather is not getting better. Is the weather not getting better?
- He is not taking the garbage outside. Is he not taking the garbage outside?
- The kids are not running around the yard. Are the kids not running around the yard?
Fragen mit Wh-Fragewörtern
Klicke hier, um nachzulesen, wie man eine Frage mit Wh-Fragewörtern stellt.
Hier sind einige Beispiele für Fragen mit Wh-Fragewörtern in der Verlaufsform der Gegenwart:
- What are you doing?
- Where are you going?
- Who is calling?
Use
You use the present progressive tense in three different cases:
- to describe what someone is doing at the moment of speech or around the time of speech:
- Where are the kids? – They are playing outside.
At the time when the person asks the question, the kids are playing outside.
- Where are the kids? – They are playing outside.
- to talk about something that is happening and has not finished yet:
- I am reading a really good book at the moment. ,
The person is reading it at the time, he or she has not finished it yet.
- I am reading a really good book at the moment. ,
- to express that something is happening out of the ordinary:
- Usually we don't spend much money on cars, but this time we are getting a really expensive one.
Verwendung
Du verwendest die Verlaufsform der Gegenwart in drei verschiedenen Fällen:
- um zu beschreiben, was jemand zum Zeitpunkt des Sprechens oder um den Zeipunkt des Sprechens herum tut:
- Where are the kids? – They are playing outside.
Zu dem Zeitpunkt, zu dem die Person die Frage stellt, spielen die Kinder draußen.
- Where are the kids? – They are playing outside.
- um über etwas zu sprechen, das geschieht und noch nicht abgeschlossen ist:
- I am reading a really good book at the moment. ,
Die Person liest gerade das Buch, sie hat es noch nicht beendet.
- I am reading a really good book at the moment. ,
- um auszudrücken, dass etwas außergewöhnliches passiert:
- Usually we don't spend much money on cars, but this time we are getting a really expensive one.