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Present Continuous – El presente continuo
El Present Continuous (también llamado Present Progressive) se usa para hablar de acciones que están ocurriendo ahora mismo, en el momento de hablar. En español equivale a «estar + gerundio»: «Estoy estudiando» → I am studying.
¿Cómo se forma?
La estructura es: sujeto + to be (am/is/are) + verbo con -ing
| Pronombre | To be | Verbo + -ing | Frase completa | Traducción |
|---|
| I | am | playing | I am playing football. | Estoy jugando al fútbol. |
| You | are | reading | You are reading a book. | Estás leyendo un libro. |
| He / She / It | is | eating | She is eating lunch. | Ella está comiendo. |
| We | are | watching | We are watching TV. | Estamos viendo la tele. |
| They | are | singing | They are singing a song. | Están cantando una canción. |
Reglas para añadir -ing
| Regla | Ejemplo | Resultado |
|---|
| La mayoría: solo se añade -ing | play → playing, eat → eating | read → reading, sleep → sleeping |
| Verbo acabado en -e: se quita la -e y se añade -ing | make → making, write → writing | dance → dancing, live → living |
| Verbo de 1 sílaba con consonante-vocal-consonante: se dobla la última consonante | run → running, swim → swimming | sit → sitting, stop → stopping |
| Verbo acabado en -ie: se cambia -ie por -y + -ing | lie → lying, die → dying | tie → tying |
⚠️ Importante¡Cuidado con estos verbos!
• run → running (se dobla la n)
• swim → swimming (se dobla la m)
• make → making (se quita la e)
• write → writing (se quita la e)
Forma negativa
Para la negativa, añadimos not después de am/is/are:
| Afirmativa | Negativa | Contracción |
|---|
| I am playing. | I am not playing. | I'm not playing. |
| She is reading. | She is not reading. | She isn't reading. |
| They are eating. | They are not eating. | They aren't eating. |
Forma interrogativa
Para preguntar, ponemos am/is/are antes del sujeto:
| Pregunta | Respuesta corta (sí) | Respuesta corta (no) |
|---|
| Am I doing it right? | Yes, you are. | No, you aren't. |
| Is she sleeping? | Yes, she is. | No, she isn't. |
| Are they playing? | Yes, they are. | No, they aren't. |
¿Cuándo usamos el Present Continuous?
| Uso | Ejemplo | Traducción |
|---|
| Acciones que pasan ahora mismo | I am reading a book now. | Estoy leyendo un libro ahora. |
| Acciones temporales | She is staying with her grandma this week. | Se está quedando con su abuela esta semana. |
| Situaciones que están cambiando | The weather is getting colder. | El tiempo se está poniendo más frío. |
Expresiones de tiempo con Present Continuous
Palabras clave que nos indican que debemos usar el Present Continuous:
📘 Ejemplonow (ahora) → I'm reading now.
right now (ahora mismo) → She's sleeping right now.
at the moment (en este momento) → They're playing at the moment.
today (hoy) → I'm wearing a red shirt today.
this week (esta semana) → We're studying English this week.
Look! (¡Mira!) → Look! The cat is climbing the tree.
Listen! (¡Escucha!) → Listen! The birds are singing.
Present Simple vs. Present Continuous
¡No los confundas! Son tiempos diferentes:
| Present Simple | Present Continuous |
|---|
| Rutinas y hábitos | Acciones que pasan ahora |
| I play football every Saturday. | I am playing football now. |
| She reads before bed. | She is reading a book right now. |
| We eat lunch at 2 o'clock. | We are eating lunch at the moment. |
| Palabras clave: every day, always, usually, never | Palabras clave: now, right now, at the moment, Look! Listen! |
📖 Reading comprehensionLook at the picture and read:
It's Saturday morning. The García family is at home. Dad is cooking breakfast in the kitchen. Mum is reading the newspaper in the living room. Carlos is playing video games in his bedroom. His sister María is not playing — she is doing her homework. The dog is sleeping under the table. The cat is sitting on the sofá. Outside, it's raining, so nobody is playing in the garden.
Questions:
1. What is Dad doing? ___
2. Where is Mum reading? ___
3. Is Carlos doing his homework? ___
4. What is María doing? ___
5. Is the dog sleeping on the sofá? ___
6. Why is nobody in the garden? ___
✏️ Ejercicios1. Escribe la forma -ing de estos verbos:
a) play → ___ b) run → ___ c) make → ___
d) swim → ___ e) dance → ___ f) sit → ___
2. Completa con el Present Continuous:
a) I ___ (read) a book now.
b) She ___ (play) the piano.
c) They ___ (eat) lunch.
d) He ___ (run) in the park.
e) We ___ (watch) a film.
3. Escribe en negativa:
a) She is sleeping. → ___
b) They are playing. → ___
c) I am writing. → ___
4. Escribe preguntas:
a) He / read / a book → Is he reading a book?
b) They / play / football → ___
c) She / cook / dinner → ___
5. ¿Present Simple o Present Continuous? Elige el correcto:
a) I ___ (play / am playing) tennis every Saturday.
b) Look! She ___ (dances / is dancing)!
c) We ___ (watch / are watching) TV right now.
d) He usually ___ (walks / is walking) to school.
6. Describe lo que está pasando ahora mismo a tu alrededor (5 frases en inglés).
7. Traduce al inglés:
a) Estoy estudiando inglés. → ___
b) Ella no está durmiendo. → ___
c) ¿Están jugando al fútbol? → ___
🎯 Actividad prácticaMime game (Juego de mímica):
1. Un alumno hace una mímica (leer, cocinar, nadar, dormir...).
2. Los demás preguntan: «Are you swimming?» «Are you reading?»
3. El que hace la mímica responde: «Yes, I am!» o «No, I'm not!»
4. El que adivina hace la siguiente mímica.
🤔 ¿Sabías que...?Hay algunos verbos que no se usan normalmente en Present Continuous porque describen estados, no acciones. Se llaman stative verbs: like, love, hate, know, understand, want, need, believe. No decimos «I am liking pizza» sino «I like pizza». Pero sí decimos «I am eating pizza» porque comer es una acción.
📋 Resumen de la lección- El Present Continuous se forma: am/is/are + verbo-ing.
- Se usa para acciones que ocurren ahora mismo.
- Negativa: am not / isn't / aren't + verbo-ing.
- Pregunta: Am/Is/Are + sujeto + verbo-ing?
- Palabras clave: now, right now, at the moment, Look!, Listen!
- No confundir con Present Simple (rutinas) vs. Present Continuous (ahora).