Present Continuous — Test Questions
Eight questions on the present continuous: actions happening now, temporary situations, and future arrangements. Part of the Present Tenses Test.
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He ___ at his desk right now.
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is working
Present continuous for an action happening now — 'is working'.
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What ___ this evening?
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are you doing
Present continuous for a future arrangement — 'are you doing'.
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I ___ a great book at the moment.
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'm reading
Present continuous for an action 'around now' — 'I'm reading'.
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The kids ___ in the garden — listen to them!
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are playing
Present continuous for an action happening now — 'are playing'.
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She ___ Italian this term.
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's studying
Present continuous for a temporary situation — 'this term'.
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Look! It ___ snowing outside.
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's
Present continuous with 'it' for the weather right now — 'it's snowing'.
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I ___ for you in the café — where are you?
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'm waiting
Present continuous for an action in progress now — 'I'm waiting'.
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Why ___ at me like that?
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are you looking
Present continuous question about something happening now — 'are you looking'.
Present Continuous: Now, Temporary, and Future Arrangements
This block tests the present continuous (am/is/are + -ing) in its three main uses: an action in progress at the moment of speaking, a temporary situation limited to a stated period, and a personal arrangement already fixed for the future. Recognising which of the three applies matters less for the verb form itself — all three use the same 'be + -ing' structure — than for correctly ruling out the present simple, which would be the wrong choice in every one of these contexts.
Happening Right Now
An action visibly in progress at the moment of speaking, often signalled by an imperative like 'Look!' or 'Listen!', or by 'right now' and 'at the moment', takes the present continuous.
I'm reading a great book at the moment.
The kids are playing in the garden — listen to them!
Look! It's snowing outside.
Temporary Situations
A situation explicitly limited to a stated period — 'this term', 'this month', 'these days' — is treated as temporary and takes the present continuous, even if it sounds like a stable fact about the person.
Personal Future Arrangements
A plan already fixed with another person for a specific future time uses the present continuous, not 'will' or the present simple.
Common Mistakes
✗ Look! It snows outside. → ✓ Look! It's snowing outside.
✗ What do you do this evening? (asking about a plan) → ✓ What are you doing this evening?
Last updated: · Satori Editorial