What Are You Doing? — Present Continuous | Common Core Lesson

Today, we learn a new tense: the Present Continuous. We use it to talk about things happening right now, at this exact moment!

How Do We Make It?

The Present Continuous has a simple form: am/is/are + verb-ing.

am counting

You / We / They

are counting

Don't Forget

He, She, It → is + verb-ing

المضارع المستمر يتكون من: am/is/are + الفعل+ing. am مع I، are مع you/we/they، is مع he/she/it.

Spelling Rules for '-ing'

Adding “-ing” is usually simple, but a few verbs change their spelling:

Three Patterns

Most verbs: watch → watching. Verbs ending in “e”: dance → dancing. Short verbs: run → running (double letter)

إضافة “ing” بسيطة عادة، لكن بعض الأفعال تغير إملاءها: watch → watching (معظم الأفعال)، dance → dancing (حذف حرف e)، run → running (مضاعفة الحرف في الأفعال القصيرة).

Actions Happening Right Now

We use the Present Continuous for things happening at this exact moment:

Example

I am counting my money right now.
She is working at the bank today.

💡 Easy Tip

Look for words like “now,” “right now,” and “at the moment” — they often signal the Present Continuous!

نستخدم المضارع المستمر لأشياء تحدث في هذه اللحظة بالضبط. كلمات مثل “now” و”right now” و”at the moment” تشير غالبا لهذا الزمن.

Questions and Negatives

To ask a question, we move am/is/are to the front. To say “no,” we add “not”:

Example

Are you working? No, I’m not working.
Is he saving money? Yes, he is.

لطرح سؤال، ننقل am/is/are إلى بداية الجملة. ولقول “لا”، نضيف “not” بعدها. مثال: “Are you working? No, I’m not working.”

What Are You Doing? — Summary Card

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Test Yourself!

“I ___ my money right now.” (count)
“She ___ at the bank today.” (work)
run → ___
“___ you working?”