Present continuous
የአሁን ቀጣይ ጊዜ (present continuous)
I am working. For things happening now, temporary situations, changes, and arranged future plans.
The form
am / is / are + verb-ing. It is very close to the Amharic እየ… ነው: እየሠራሁ ነው = I'm working. The be verb must be there; I working is wrong. For the negative, put not after be; for a question, put be before the subject.
In Amharic
am / is / are + ግሥ-ing። ከአማርኛው "እየ… ነው" ጋር በጣም ይቀራረባል፦ እየሠራሁ ነው = I'm working። be ግሡ መኖር አለበት፤ I working ስሕተት ነው። ለአሉታዊ not ከ be በኋላ፤ ለጥያቄ be ከባለቤቱ በፊት ይገባል።
| I | he / she / it | you / we / they | |
|---|---|---|---|
| + | I'm working. | She's working. | They're working. |
| − | I'm not working. | She isn't working. | They aren't working. |
| ? | Am I working? | Is she working? | Are they working? |
| short answers | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | Yes, she is. / No, she isn't. | Yes, they are. / No, they aren't. |
- -ing spelling: drop a final -e (make → making); double one final consonant after one short stressed vowel (sit → sitting, run → running); -ie → -ying (lie → lying).
- Wh- questions: What are you doing? Where is he going?
- I'm waiting for the bus. It's late again.
- The kids are doing their homework.
- She isn't answering her phone.
- Are you watching the game? — No, I'm not.
When to use it
On a timeline, the present continuous is a short stretch around now: it started a little before and will stop soon. Use it for (1) actions at this moment: She's cooking. (2) temporary situations, even if not this second: I'm staying with my cousin until I find an apartment. (3) changing situations: Rents are going up. (4) arranged future plans, with a time word: I'm meeting the landlord on Friday.
In Amharic
በጊዜ መስመር ላይ የአሁን ቀጣይ በአሁኑ ዙሪያ ያለ አጭር ክፍል ነው፦ ትንሽ ቀደም ብሎ ጀመረ፣ በቅርቡ ያበቃል። ይጠቀሙበት፦ (1) በዚህ ቅጽበት ለሚሆን ድርጊት፦ She's cooking። (2) ለጊዜያዊ ሁኔታ፣ በዚህ ሰከንድ ባይሆንም፦ I'm staying with my cousin until I find an apartment። (3) ለሚለወጥ ሁኔታ፦ Rents are going up። (4) ለተስማማንበት የወደፊት ዕቅድ፣ ከጊዜ ቃል ጋር፦ I'm meeting the landlord on Friday።
- Signal words: now, right now, at the moment, today, this week, these days, currently, Look! Listen!
- State verbs (know, like, want, need, own) are not normally used in this tense: I need help now (not I'm needing).
- Listen! Someone is knocking on the door.
- I'm taking an English class this semester.
- Gas prices are getting higher every month.
- We're flying to Addis on December 20th.
Present continuous or present simple?
Ask: is it a habit or fact (simple), or is it happening now / for a limited time (continuous)? Compare: He drives a truck (his job) / He's driving, so he can't answer (at this moment). I live in Las Vegas (permanent) / I'm living with my aunt for now (temporary).
In Amharic
ይጠይቁ፦ ልማድ ወይም እውነታ ነው (ቀላል)፣ ወይስ አሁን / ለተወሰነ ጊዜ የሚሆን (ቀጣይ)? ያወዳድሩ፦ He drives a truck (ሥራው ነው) / He's driving, so he can't answer (በዚህ ቅጽበት)። I live in Las Vegas (ቋሚ) / I'm living with my aunt for now (ጊዜያዊ)።
| Habit / fact (simple) | Now / temporary (continuous) |
|---|---|
| I usually cook on Sundays. | I'm cooking right now. Can I call you back? |
| She teaches math. | She's teaching a summer class this year. |
| They don't watch TV. | They aren't watching TV; they're sleeping. |
- always + continuous can mean an annoying habit: He's always losing his keys!
- I work in a kitchen, but this week I'm working at the front desk.
- My son normally walks to school. Today it's raining, so I'm driving him.
- Why are you wearing a suit? — I have a job interview.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| I'm working now. | The present continuous needs am/is/are. | |
| She is working today. | After be, use verb-ing. | |
| I know him. | know is a state verb: no continuous. | |
| What are you doing? | In questions, be comes before the subject. | |
| He's writing an email. | Drop the final -e before -ing. | |
| I'm going to the dentist tomorrow at 3. | Arranged plans: present continuous. |
Practice
Each answer is checked as you go, with the reason. Nothing here is saved.
Be quiet! The baby ___.
They ___ (wait) for the bus. (two words, or short form)
run → ___ing (write the whole word)
___ she working today?
I ___ my aunt until I find a place of my own.
Which is correct?
He ___ (not / listen). He's on his phone. (short form)
We ___ the landlord at 4 tomorrow. It's arranged.
She ___ at a bakery. It's her job.
make → ___ (the -ing form)