eng5-4.4· UNIT 7. What's he wearing?· ~14 min

Present Continuous: questions & short answers

Asking what someone is doing at this moment.

The Present Continuous says what is happening NOW — at the time of speaking, right now, at this moment. It is built from two parts: a form of 'be' (am, is, are) and the -ing form of the verb. 'They are meeting in the cafeteria.' To ask a question, move the 'be' part in front of the subject; nothing else changes. 'Am I meeting at the movie theater?' 'Are you wearing your glasses?' 'Are we waiting by the library?' 'Are they meeting in the cafeteria?' 'Is he wearing jeans?' 'Is she waiting for me in the cafeteria?' 'Is it opening now?' The -ing form stays exactly where it is. The short answers repeat the 'be' form: 'Yes, I am.' 'Yes, you are.' 'Yes, we are.' 'Yes, they are.' 'Yes, he is.' 'Yes, she is.' 'Yes, it is.' The negatives are 'No, I'm not.' 'No, you're not.' 'No, we're not.' 'No, they're not.' 'No, he's not.' 'No, she's not.' 'No, it's not.' Notice that a positive short answer is never contracted — 'Yes, I am', not 'Yes, I'm'. Wh- questions put the question word first: 'What are you wearing?' — 'I'm wearing my jeans, a green top and green socks.'

Key terms

Present Continuous — The tense for what is happening at the time of speaking: now, right now, at this moment.
-ing form — The second half of the tense: wearing, waiting, meeting, opening. It never changes for the subject.
be form — am, is or are — the part that moves to the front to make a question and comes back in the short answer.
short answer — 'Yes, she is.' / 'No, she's not.' — the be form only, with no -ing verb.
now / right now / at this moment — The time expressions that go with this tense — they mean the moment of speaking.
contraction — The short form: I'm, you're, he's. It is used in negative short answers but never in positive ones.
Questions and short answers
QuestionYesNo
Am I meeting at the movie theater?Yes, I am.No, I'm not.
Are you wearing your glasses?Yes, you are.No, you're not.
Are we waiting by the library?Yes, we are.No, we're not.
Are they meeting in the cafeteria?Yes, they are.No, they're not.
Is he wearing jeans?Yes, he is.No, he's not.
Is she waiting for me in the cafeteria?Yes, she is.No, she's not.
Is it opening now?Yes, it is.No, it's not.

The -ing verb never appears in the answer.

From statement to question
StatementQuestionWhat moved
He is wearing jeans.Is he wearing jeans?is moves in front of he
They are meeting in the cafeteria.Are they meeting in the cafeteria?are moves in front of they
You are wearing your glasses.Are you wearing your glasses?are moves in front of you
I am meeting at the movie theater.Am I meeting at the movie theater?am moves in front of I

Only the be form moves. The -ing verb stays put.

Which be form goes with which subject
SubjectQuestion starts withPositive answerNegative answer
IAmYes, I am.No, I'm not.
you / we / theyAreYes, you/we/they are.No, you're/we're/they're not.
he / she / itIsYes, he/she/it is.No, he's/she's/it's not.

This is the same am/is/are you already know from the verb to be.

✎Asking and answering with a correction
  1. 1The situation: They are listening to music, not playing volleyball.
  2. 2Step 1: the question: 'Are they playing volleyball?'
  3. 3Step 2: the short answer: 'No, they're not.'
  4. 4Step 3: say what is really happening: 'They're listening to music.'
✎A Wh- question about right now
  1. 1The question word: 'What'
  2. 2Then the be form and the subject: 'What are you …'
  3. 3Then the -ing verb: 'What are you wearing?'
  4. 4The answer is a full sentence: 'I'm wearing my jeans, a green top and green socks.'
🚫Common mistake

Do not contract a positive short answer. 'Yes, I'm.' is wrong — it must be 'Yes, I am.' The negative one can be contracted: 'No, I'm not.'

🚫Common mistake

Do not put the -ing verb in the short answer. 'Is he wearing jeans?' — 'Yes, he is.' Not 'Yes, he is wearing.'

🚫Common mistake

Do not forget the be part. 'He wearing jeans?' is not a question in English; it needs 'Is he wearing jeans?'

⚠️Caution

Do not use 'do' or 'does' with this tense. 'Does he wearing jeans?' is wrong — the Present Continuous makes its questions with am/is/are.

💡Note

This tense is for the moment of speaking: now, right now, at this moment. For a routine — every day, on Sundays — use the Present Simple instead.

Rules

  1. 1Question: am / is / are + subject + verb-ing …? — 'Is he wearing jeans?'
  2. 2Short answer: repeat the be form — 'Yes, he is.' / 'No, he's not.'
  3. 3The -ing form never moves and never changes: wearing, waiting, meeting, opening.
  4. 4Never contract a positive short answer: 'Yes, I am.' — not 'Yes, I'm.'
  5. 5Wh- question: question word + be + subject + verb-ing — 'What are you wearing?'
  6. 6Use this tense for now / right now / at this moment — the time of speaking.

Practice

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