Present Continuous

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When do I use the present continuous instead of the present simple?

Use the present continuous for actions happening right now, at this moment: 'I am cooking dinner' (doing it now). Use the present simple for habits and routines: 'I cook dinner every evening'. You can also use the present continuous for temporary situations: 'She is staying with her sister this week' — she does not normally live there.

Which verbs cannot normally be used in the present continuous?

Stative verbs — verbs describing states, not actions — are normally not used in continuous forms. Examples: know, understand, believe, like, love, hate, need, want, see, hear. Say 'I know the answer', not 'I am knowing the answer'. Some verbs have both stative and active meanings: 'I see a bird' (perception) vs 'I am seeing my doctor' (appointment).

How do I form the -ing form correctly?

Most verbs: add -ing directly: go → going, read → reading. Verbs ending in -e: drop the e, then add -ing: write → writing, make → making. One-syllable verbs ending in one vowel + one consonant double the final consonant: run → running, sit → sitting, swim → swimming. Two-syllable verbs double only if the stress falls on the final syllable: begin → beginning, prefer → preferring; but listen → listening, open → opening (stress on the first syllable). Do not double after two vowels: feel → feeling.