Instead of future continuous, present continuous is used. We can use progressive or simple tenses. Past Progressive Tense | What Is the Past Progressive Tense? It is common to use while with actions happening at a specific time (e.g. Present progressive and present continuous are the same tense. Question: Were you studyingwhen she called? When we say ‘the phone was ringing’ in the progressive, we are saying that this happened for some time. Both express the same idea, but the structures are different. A good easy-to-follow rule for students. The verb in the while clause is mostly progressive, expressing repetitive or detailed activities. ² present tense vs. present progressive tense– "We get together" expresses habit or custom. Questions are indicated by inverting the subject and was/were. Hello. So, during the time I was eating (let's say from 6:30-7:00 p.m.) somebody called my house (let's say they called at 6:49p.m.) (full adverb time clause with subject and verb). Please try to make an example sentence. As a result, we generally don’t use while with state verbs. If we change it to “while” she was playing basketball, the sentence is essentially the same, but you could probably argue that ‘while’ focuses on the idea that basketball was _in progress_ at that time (though this is already obvious). 3. 36 Present and Past: Perfect and erfect P Progressive 6 Complete the sentences. Past: Use "as / so long as" to describe an action that did or didn't occur over a longer period of time in the past. The text describes one thing that happens at the same time another thing is actively happening, so "While" and "...ing" work. Using “present progressive” gives us a better idea of its meaning – the word “progressive” suggests that something is in progress or changing. Can you think of any examples when it is wrong to use when and you have to use while? nataliaemanuelaespin está esperando tu ayuda. at 11 p.m.). The use of when doesn’t suggest it was an ongoing action. Present progressive and present continuous are the same tense. Hello. He usually has lunch while he takes a walk around the campus.Angela often takes notes as the meeting progresses. Phone ringing 30 seconds- is a short action While cooking takes 360 seconds- is a long action it is an answer to a friend comment. Yes. I agree with the author. You should also get familiar with itsusage and rules – visit the Present Progressive Tensepageto help you with that. This use of "while" and "as" is not as common as the time expression "when." The best I can find is that it is called "Present Progressive" or "Present Continuous". 1. To be clear, ‘banned’ doesn’t mean impossible, but very unlikely, especially while using the present progressive tense with the verb estar. — Matthew Barton / Creator of Englishcurrent.com. While she was driving, I played with the radio. Also, your sentence should say ‘matches’, not ‘match’. While the phone was ringing, I was making lunch. "During" is a preposition and is used with a noun or noun phrase. "A progressive tense is usually used for the longer 'background action'". negative. GRAMMARSAURUS TEACHES *ALL* SUBJECTS!! Live is a state verb, and also, the action of living in my hometown probably had a duration of 18 years. Grammar Rule Examples I play tennis every Sunday. I’M ROBERTO THIS IS MORE DIFFICULT I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND. Complete List of Past Continuous Forms I will never play golf as long as I live.She will never return so long as she breathes. The table below provides an overview of the future progressive tense in positive, negative and interrogative sentences. Instead, state verbs describe states or conditions (e.g. (full adverb time clause with subject and verb), They are going to visit the Empire State Building as they visit New York. – A car crashed into a tree when/ while I was crossing the street. Notice that the preposition "during" is often Present continuous tense expresses the ongoing action or task of the present. Two actions cannot occur at the same time if one is in the present and one is in the past. Click here for the full info, rules, examples and exercises on the present progressive and how to use it. (The action started is short; it is not something in progress). "As long as" and "so long as" are similar in use to "while" and "as." Why is #2 not natural? Do you want to practise using present simple and present continuous in English? can you post some activities based on it?? As per the lesson above, ‘while’ is often used with the continuous (progressive) tenses. We discussed the situation while we were eating lunch. This use of "while" and "as" is not as common as the time expression "when." Am I right? The meaning is basically the same. Your explanation really helps me when I have to teach my adult students. In some sentences, you can use either without a great change in meaning. Although it would probably be more common to use When I lived in India, this sentence is correct. MB, thank you i have a question is there any differences between these sentences: while she was cooking , i was studying when she was cooking , i was studying. We use while to focus on an action happening at a specific time. The Present Progressive (Continuous) is a form of the verb that shows the action or state is in progress (continues) in the present. Example: While I was eating, the telephone rang. Time: 5 min. so need not change the example. While I was washing the dishes, my wife came home. They are going to visit the Empire State Building during their visit to New York (noun phrase). Beare, Kenneth. 1. Chris _____(fall) off the ladder while This means that the action (ring) happened over a period of time that had a start and end. In English grammar , the present progressive is a verb construction comprised of a present form of the verb "to be" plus a present participle that usually conveys a sense of ongoing action at the present time. positive. When they were washing the dishes, she did her homework. Re: “She hurt her ankle when she was playing basketball.” I’m not sure it’s necessarily to ‘respond to when’ she hurt her ankle. While I was washing the dishes, my wife came home. The Present Progressive is used when we talk about something which is happening now. Añade tu respuesta y gana puntos. jump, kick, shower, drink). Doug was drying the dishes while we were watching TV.Peter took notes as we discussed the merger. Your email address will not be published. Main clause: past simple OR past continuous. Driving is an action verb and the action is limited in duration. For example: Subject + past form of “to be” + present participle ( ‘-ing’) form of the verb The boy + … Then write since or for. Master Verb Tenses With This Sentence Structure Chart, M.A., Music Performance, Cologne University of Music, B.A., Vocal Performance, Eastman School of Music. favorite spot (expression) – a preferred restaurant, café, bar, plaza Also, we use while to show that a shorter action (usually in the past simple, e.g. "While" and "as" are time expressions and take a subject and verb. In this lesson, we will explain the basic rules for the present progressive in Spanish. The conjugation is that same for all forms. two actions happening at the same time (in the past) Example: While she was preparing dinner, he was washing the dishes. Negatives are made with not. it is too easy assay and very beautiful showing which using simple words to display the idea of these similar conjunctions . (Natural). Present perfect progressive tense: Perfect progressive tense describes actions that have been ongoing. Notice the use of tenses: Future: Use "so / as long as" that something will not happen for the entire period of time expressed by the time clause with "as / so long as.". "We are getting together" expresses a plan that is about to happen. Negative: You were not studyingwhen she called. If you found this page helpful, consider a donation to our hosting bill to show your support! Past: "While" and "as" are used in the past to express an action that was occurring at the moment when something important happened. Key question: How many times did the phone ring? There’s another reason. Telling a story (as the both share this point) 2 English Current recommends Grammarly as a learning tool to reduce English mistakes. It is about the question you are asking. We don’t use ‘while’ to talk about long periods of our lives. The simple present tense Habits Actions which happen regularly (for example, every day or Time clause: past simple OR past continuous, Main clause: past simple OR past continuous. State verbs are not action verbs (e.g. (2020, August 25). Therefore, the most natural verb tense to use is a progressive tense, which shows that an action is in progress at a certain time. Privacy Policy . Notice how the meaning remains the same in both structures: We discussed the situation during lunch. Note: Past Progressive → were sitting at the table. Generally, if you want to focus on an action that has a duration being in progress, use a while + a progressive tense. When it started to rain, we went inside. While we were sitting at the breakfast table, the telephone rang. The teacher will time the drill and ask pairs to pass on their card to the next pair after 1 minute. Take a look at the following examples to note the difference. Also, your sentence should Present: Use "while" or "as" to express what always happens when something else important takes place. We will learn to form the gerund in Spanish of –AR, -ER and –IR verbs and will show you many examples using ESTAR + gerund to talk about actions in progress in Spanish. the phone rang) happened during as a longer action (usually in past progressive, e.g. Notice that the preposition "during" is often used in place of "while" or "as" to express the same idea. In other words, driving is a short activity that has a clear start and end. 1. actions happening at the moment of speaking (now, at the moment) I don’t think so. ThoughtCo, Aug. 25, 2020, thoughtco.com/while-as-as-so-long-as-1209911. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. "We usually use 'while' to say that two longer actions or situations go/went on at the same time. I will be sleeping at 11:00 p.m. tonight, so don’t phone me. Hello. People in many countries enjoy ice swimming. It is also called present progressive tense. Listen to … The action in Simple Past interrupted the action in Past Progressive. The past progressive indicates a limited duration of time and is thus a convenient way to indicate that something took place while something else was happening: Examples Carlos lost his watch while he was running. While, As, As/So Long As: Describing Action. Updated September 21, 2019. The verb in the when clause is mostly nonprogressive, expressing an activity without particular focus on duration. For example: While I was living in India, there was a big earthquake. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/while-as-as-so-long-as-1209911. Present: Use "while" or "as" to express what always happens when something else important takes place. This is correct. For example: Lisa is dancing right now. It is also called Present Continuous . While I was cooking dinner, the phone rang. (Thanks to Clive at Englishforums for this point.). Instead, we use when and past simple. We're going to speak about the modifications as you eat lunch.She'll work out the order details while we discuss what to do next. "As / so long as" are also used to stress that something will happen, happens or happened over the entire period of time in an emphatic manner. This is fantastic ,, wow I really got what I want, If you folow thé difenition ,focus on you will figure out everything Becuse i do think thet you miss understend such es thé période of cooking it wes not long so you re eble to ennonce thé first enswers to be thé correct one, Thank you so much it really helped me :-). Use of Past Progressive puts emphasis on the course of an action in the past Example: He was playing football. Dear Team, I hope this comment finds you perfectly well, Kindly, I would like to know the differences between using the "present simple" and "present continuous" in the following: 1. As long as he plays piano, I go for a walk.She visits with her month, so long as her husband has to take care of business in town. A sensible rule is to use while with the progressive tenses and when with the simple tenses. The above examples of Present Progressive Tense are here to helpyou understand and use this tense properly and naturally. Beare, Kenneth. Well, when an action is too long (e.g. I will break up the verbs on the ‘banned list’ into two smaller groups because I think you are more likely to have problems with the first group. How Many Verb Tenses Are There in English? Thankyou very much! Here are a few examples: – She hurt herself when / while she was playing basketball. 4 minutes. Because we’re using when, we don’t know. It became popular when+simple present tense , progressive past tense. The past progressive tense, also known as past continuous tense, is made up of the past form of the verb “to be” plus the present participle, or the ‘-ing’ form of the verb. Present: Use "as / so long as" to express that something happens or doesn't happen over the entire period of time that another event occurs. (While is not natural). * (Washing the dishes has a duration, e.g. Hosted by Dreamhost. Contractions in the Present Progressive (Continuous) In general we contract (or shorten) the subject (the person or thing doing the action), and form of be: I am > I’m – I’m going to the store in about ten minutes. In some uses as, when and while can mean the same, but they can also have slightly different meanings. While When I lived in my hometown, my mother made me dinner. Thank you. Simple Past → the telephone rang. English as a Second Language (ESL) Expert. Teacher prepares cards with Words on them and explains to students they must form sentences using the Present Continuous / Progressive Tense. Can you try to write an example sentence? Both ‘while ‘ and ‘when’ sometimes can be used without any difference in meaning although ‘While’ sounds more suitable. Wonderful teaching! The Difference: When vs. We do not use progressive tenses with state verbs. Although examples are provided for ​the past, present and future, "as long as" and "so long as" are generally used with future forms. The past progressive is formed using was or were and the ing (present participle) form of the verb. Yes. In my understanding, we use “while” when the focus is on the duration or progress. Here’s are two better examples to show what I mean: The longer action (making lunch) was happening when a shorter action happened (phone rang). On the other hand, we use ‘when’ to give emphasis on the time or when something happened. Play our present simple and present continuous games and have fun while you learn. One thing happened ( simple past ) during the period of time another thing was happening ( past progressive .) For example, I am eating the meal. She didn't get any exercise as long as she was working 60 hours a week.Peter didn't enjoy his company so long as he was in the house. Often this shorter action interrupts the longer action. BE, live, understand, know, exist). Which one is correct? Write a simple dialoque using the present progressive. Can you try to write an example sentence? !Get your grammar groove on with Grammarsaurus teaching videos. All the best. Because we are using While + present progressive, we are focusing on duration. However, "as / so long as" is used for longer period of times, while "when" and "as" are used for more specific, shorter periods of time. 2. If a sentence uses while, it suggests that the action happened over a period of time. Progressive tenses use the BE verb + a verb in ~ing form. Present: Present Progressive Use Describing things that happen at the moment of speech or things that happen exceptionally; talking about a plan that happens in the near future We can use as, when and while to mean ‘during the time that’, to connect two events happening at the same time: Another coach-load of … Please read the page. 1. This construction is also known as the durative aspect. Please I m asking if while match with present continuous. How many times did the phone ring here? I was cooking dinner). We use them to introduce subordinate clauses. I hope these ideas have been useful. 1. More than once. You could use while with a state verb like ‘live’ if you really want to focus on the fact that an action was in progress at a specific time. Thank you very much.I have got what I need. Past Progressive Vs. The phone may have rang once and stopped. I don’t have any specific activities for when vs while. ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/while-as-as-so-long-as-1209911 (accessed April 8, 2021). In other cases when you don’t need to emphasize that an action was in progress or the action is short and without a significant duration, use when and a simple tense. What’s the difference between the subordinate conjunctions when and while? The speaker chooses to use ‘While’ + present progressive’ to focus on an action being in progress (living) when another action happened. While they were washing the dishes, she did her homework. There will be exceptions depending on what the speaker wants to emphasize. "While, As, As/So Long As: Describing Action." Also, “While I was a child” is unnatural because the BE verb (was a child) is a state verb. Like all future tenses, the future continuous cannot be used in clauses beginning with time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless, etc. For example, the sentence’ She hurt her ankle when she was playing basketball’ is probably intended to respond to when she hurt her ankle. Statement: You were studyingwhen she called. As you said, these two conjunctions (when/while) can be used interchangeably sometimes. "While" and "as" are also used to express two actions that were happening at the same moment in the past. Remember, these are general tips (not fixed rules). To conjugate the future progressive tense we follow the rule: will + be + present participle or ing-form. "While" and "as" are sometimes confused with the preposition "during." As per the lesson above, ‘while’ is often used with the continuous (progressive) tenses. Future: Use "while" or "as" to state something that occurs at the same moment that something else — the main focus of the sentence — important will occur. Introduction The simple present tense is often confused with the present continuous tense.This page will explain when to use each one. Visual Explanations of Each English Tense, Past, Present, and Future Are Simple Tenses, Learn to Order Events for Narrative Writing Assignments, Using Adverb Clauses with Time Expressions, How to Effectively Teach the Past Continuous to EFL and ESL Students, How to Teach Conditionals to ESL Students, How to Teach the Past Simple to ESL Students. Beare, Kenneth. Home . 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