text: what is present continious tence? grammar [am / is / are] + [verb+ing]  use 1 now use the present continuous with continuous verbs to express the idea that something is happening now, at this very moment. it can also be used to show that something is not happening now.  use 2 longer actions in progress now in english, now can mean "this second," "today," "this month," "this year," "this century" and so on. sometimes we use the present continuous to say that we are in the process of doing a longer action which is in progress; however, we might not be doing it at this exact second.  use 3 near future sometimes, speakers use the present continuous to indicate that something will or will not happen in the near future.  use 4 repetition and irritation with "always" the present continuous with words such as "always" or "constantly" expresses the idea that something irritating or shocking often happens. notice that the meaning is like simple present but with negative emotion. remember to put the words "always" or "constantly" between "be" and "verb+ing."