Explanations

PRESENT CONTINOUS TENSE

Subject + to be + verb+-ing
- eat: I am eating
- listen: he is listening to music
- dance: we are dancing

NEGATIVE & INTERROGATIVE
- Am I eating? No, I'm not eating
- Is he listening to music? No, he's not listening to music (= he isn't listening to music)
- Are we dancing? No, we aren't dancing (= we're not dancing)


PRESENT CONTINUOUS vs SIMPLE PRESENT

We use the simple present to talk about things happening habitually, and we use the present continuous to talk about things happening now, at this moment:

- I usually go to school at 9:00, but today I'm late, I'm going to school at 9:30
- He's not speaking German, he's speaking French. I don't speak German, I can't.
- What is she doing? She is studying. She always studies in the afternoon at this time.
- What are you doing? Oh, sorry, I was looking out of the window, are you talking to me? - Yes, you never listen to me!

SPELLING spelling rules for the -ing form

IMPORTANT
Some verbs are not usually used in the present continuous form. With these verbs we always use the simple present, even for actions happening at this moment. This happens with verbs of the heart (emotional verbs) and verbs of the head (intellectual actions):

- I love you (not: I'm loving you)
- I feel happy (not usually: I'm feeling happy)
- I think she's at home (not: I'm thinking she's at home)
- You don't understand (not: you are not understanding)

Here is some vocabulary about emotions emotion adjectives