Present Continuous

Form: Verb to be Simple Present + -ing verbo principal

Affirmative

Negative

Interrogative

I am wearing

I am not wearing

Am I wearing?

You are wearing

You are not wearing

Are you wearing?

He / she / it is wearing

He / she / it is not wearing

Is he / she / it wearing?

We are wearing

We are not wearing

Are you wearing?

You are wearing

You are not wearing

Are you wearing?

They are wearing

They are not wearing

Are they wearing?

Usamos o Present Continuous para falar sobre situaes e aces temporrias que esto a acontecer naquele
momento: antes, durante e depois do acto de fala.
Ex: Hurry up! We are all waiting for you! Significa que estavam e continuam espera.
Tambm usamos o Present Continuous para falar sobre situaes em desenvolvimento ou mudana.
Ex: That child is getting bigger every day.
Nota: Usamos o Simple Present em vez do Present Continuous para falar de situaes mais duradouras ou
permanentes. Compare:
My sister is living at home for the moment.
Chetford Castle stands on a hill outside the town.
Da mesma forma, usamos o Present Continuous para referir aces ou eventos repetitivos, se estiverem a acontecer
no momento de fala. Mas, usamos o Simple Present em vez do Present Continuous para falar sobre aces ou
situaes repetitivas, mas que no esto prximas do momento de fala. Compare:
Jack is seeing a lot of Felicity these days.
I go to the mountains about twice a year.

Ateno:
Os verbos que referem sentimentos fsicos podem ser usados no Simple Present ou no Present Continuous sem
alterar o seu sentido.
Ex: My head aches. OU My head is aching.
Alguns verbos no so usados numa forma contnua. Verbos que exprimem:

Estados mentais e emocionais: believe (acreditar), doubt (duvidar), imagine (imaginar),

know (saber), love (amar), prefer (preferir), understand (compreender), want (querer), wish
(desejar), etc.
Uso dos sentidos: appear (aparecer), hear (ouvir), see (ver), seem (parecer), smell (cheirar),
sound (parecer um som), taste (saborear), etc.
Comunicao: agree (concordar), deny (negar), promise (prometer), etc.
Outros: be (ser / estar), own (ter), need (precisar), deserve (merecer), belong (pertencer), fit
(caber), matter (importar), involve (envolver), etc.

Past Continuous
Forma:
Verbo to be no Simple Past + ing do verbo principal
Examplo: I was eating an apple.
Excees:
-

O e silencioso desaparece
Examplo: come coming
Depois de uma vogal curta e acentuada, a consoante final dobra
Examplo: sit sitting
l final dora sempre no Ingls Britnico
Examplo: travel travelling
ie final torna-se y.
Examplo: lie lying

Usos:
Usamos o Past Continuous para expressar continuidade e uma ao prolongada no passado e aes
simultneas.
Differenas no uso entre Simple Past e Past Continuous:
Quer dizer que as aes no passado aconteceram uma depois da outra ou ao mesmo tempo?
Simple Past

Past Continuous

after another (uma depois da outra)

at the same time (ao mesmo tempo)

Simon was playing on the computer while his
brother was watching TV.

She came home, switched on the computer and

checked her e-mails.

Se quiser dizer que uma nova ao aconteceu no meio de outra, precisa dos dois tempos: Simple Past para
a nova ao e Past Continuous para a ao que j decorria.
Simple Past

Past Continuous

new action (nova ao)

My mobile rang (when I was sitting in a
meeting.)

action already in progress (ao em progresso)

While I was sitting in a meeting, (my mobile suddenly
rang.)

Quer apenas mencionar que uma ao aconteceu no passado? Ou quer colocar enfaze na sua progresso
(por exemplo, que a ao estava a decorrer a determinada altura)?

Simple Past

Past Progressive

just mentioning (apenas mencionar)

emphasizing progress (dando enfaze ao progresso)

Colin played football yesterday.

Yesterday at six o'clock, Colin was playing football.

Certos Verbos
Os verbos seguintes so, normalmente, apenas utilizados no Simple Past (no no Past Continuous).
estado: be (ser ou estar), cost (custar), fit (caber), mean (significar)

Examplo: We were on holiday.

posse: belong (pertencer), have (ter)

Examplo: Sam had a cat.

sentidos: feel (sentir), hear (ouvir), see (ver), smell (cheirar), taste (saborear), touch (tocar)

Examplo: He felt the cold.

sentimentos: hate (odiar), hope (ter esperana), like (gostar), love (amar), prefer (preferir), regret
(arrepender), want (querer), wish (desejar)

Examplo: Jane loved pizza.

Trabalho mental: believe (acreditar), know (saber), think (pensar), understand (compreender)

Examplo: I did not understand him.

Oraes introdutivas de discurso direto: answer (responder), ask (perguntar), reply (responder), say
(dizer)

Examplo: I am watching TV, he said.

Palavras que indicam estes tempos verbais:

Simple Past

Past Progressive

First (primeiro)
Then (depois)
If-clauses Type II (If I talked, )

When (quando)
While (enquanto)
as long as (enquanto que)

Simple Past
1. Write the verbs in simple past.
1. The University of Oxford (be) _________________________ the first British university.
2. The lecturers of the colleges (speak) _________________________ a very clear English.
3. That's why Oxford English (become) _________________________ known as the English of
educated people.
4. In the 19th century, Lewis Carroll (write) ________________________ 'Alice's Adventures in
Wonderland' in Oxford.
5. Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean) (study) __________________________ electrical engineering at
Oxford.
6. The first settlers (be) __________________________ the Potawatomi.
7. They (call) _________________________ this place Checagou (wild onion) because it (smell)
_____________________________ like onions.
8. Constructions on the Sears Tower (begin) _____________________________ in 1970.
9. Until 1997, the Sears Tower (be) ____________________________ the highest building in the
world.
2. Write the past forms of the irregular verbs.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Feel ______________
cost ______________
drive ______________
catch _____________
feed _____________

3. Complete the table in simple past.

Affirmative

Negative

Interrogative

The ship disappeared.

_________________________ ____________________________
_________________________ He did not criticize you.
____________________________
_________________________ _________________________
Was Amy depressed?
_________________________ She did not teach in London.
____________________________
_________________________ _________________________
Did the passengers panic?
4. Put the sentences into simple past.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

They repeat the question. _________________________________________________________

She hugs her little brother. ________________________________________________________
The snowman melts in the sun. _____________________________________________________
The candle does not burn. _________________________________________________________
Do they chat in a forum? __________________________________________________________

5. Write sentences in simple past.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Jim / his head / cover. _______________________________________________________________

she / the chapter / copy ______________________________________________________________
not / the clouds / disappear ___________________________________________________________
he / to our question / refer ___________________________________________________________
not / we / our punishment / escape _____________________________________________________

Present Continuous exercises:

A. Fill in the blanks with the right form of the Present Continuous.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

They ________________ (to have) dinner.

He __________________ (to stand) there.
She ___________________ (not / to sing).
They ___________________ (not / to eat).
Alice ___________________ (to watch) TV.
What ______________________ (to do / you) now?
Why _______________________ (they / not / to drink) water?
____________________ (he / to make) the bed?
Jean _____________________ (not / to speak) to them.
__________________________ (the Millers / to listen) to the radio?

Write simple sentences describing what you see through the window using the Present Continuous.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
B. Write in English. Use the Present Simple or the Present Continuous.
1. Eu estou a falar. (to speak)
________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Eu no falo.
________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Ela fala.
________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Ela no fala.
________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Eu no como. (to eat)
________________________________________________________________________________________
6. Ela no est a comer.
________________________________________________________________________________________
7. Ele corre. (to run)
________________________________________________________________________________________
8. Ns estamos a correr.
________________________________________________________________________________________
9. Ns bebemos gua todos os dias. (to drink)
________________________________________________________________________________________
10. Ela est a ver televiso. (to watch)
________________________________________________________________________________________
11. Ele v televiso todos os dias.
________________________________________________________________________________________
12. Eles cantam bem? (to sing)
________________________________________________________________________________________
13. O que ests a fazer aqui? (to do)
________________________________________________________________________________________
14. Eles aprendem bem? (to learn)
_________________________________________________________________________________________

C. Put the verb into the correct form Present Simple or Present Continuous.
1. He __________________ (to know) all about the film.
2. Jane __________________ (to talk) to a friend at the moment.
3. He __________________ (not / to work) on Sundays.
4. The dog _________________ (to sleep) under the table at the moment.
5. He _________________ (to want) to know what we __________________ (to do).
6. I ___________________ (to work), so please dont interrupt me.
7. I ___________________ (to do) it now because it _______________ (not / to work) and I need it.
8. Tom ___________________ (to drink) some juice because he is thirsty.
9. It ___________________ (never / to rain) in summer but it ____________________ (now / to rain).
10. ________________________ (she / to see) her friends every week?

Past Continuous exercises

1. Put in the verb in brackets into the gaps and form affirmative sentences in Past Continuous.
1) She ____________________________ hockey. (to play)
2) They ____________________________ in the pool. (to swim)
3) It ____________________________. (to rain)
4) We ____________________________ to music. (to listen)
5) The mobile ____________________________. (to ring)
6) The students ____________________________. (to text)
7) Max ____________________________ with two girls. (to dance)
8) I ____________________________ in front of the shop. (to wait)
9) The cat ____________________________ in the basket. (to sleep)
10) He ____________________________ Gerry's bike. (to repair)

2. Write the correct verb form into the gap. Use the Past Continuous.
1) __________________ Ashley _______________________ on the computer? (to work)
2) __________________ they _______________________ the bike? (to repair)
3) __________________ Melissa _______________________ out a book? (to take)
4) __________________ you _______________________ to music? (to listen)
5) __________________ Nicolas _______________________ at a picture? (to look)
6) __________________ Emma and Bertha _______________________ their friend? (to phone)
7) __________________ the girl _______________________ the window? (to open)
8) __________________ he _______________________ judo? (to do)
9) __________________ the friends _______________________ home from school?(to come)
10) __________________ Tyler _______________________ with the cooking? (to help)

Job interview

What do you feel this position should pay?

Quanto que acha que este trabalho deve pagar?

What are your long-range professional goals?

Quais so os seus objetivos profissionais a longo termo?

How successful have you been so far?

Tem sido sucedido profissionalmente at agora?

Why do you want to work for this company?

Porque que quer trabalhar nesta empresa?

How is high school did you attend?

Como era o liceu que frequentou?

Are you married? Can you tell me about your family?

casado? Pode falar-me sobre a sua famlia?

Why did you leave your last job?

Porque que saiu do seu emprego anterior?

What would you like to do in the future?

O que gostaria de fazer no futuro?

What do you do in your free time?

O que faz nos tempos livres?

Daily routine Rotina diria (Simple Present)

Questions about everyday things:

1. How often do you read the newspaper? / Watch T. V.? Three times a week / every day, etc.
2. What time do you get up? / go to work? Seven oclock. / Half past eight.
3. How do you go to work? By bus / train / car, etc.

Usually / normally (what I do typically)

1. We say: I usually / normally get up at eight oclock, but today I got up at eight-thirty.
2. We say: I usually / normally go to work by car, but today I went by train.