The present continuous tense is made from the present simple tense of the verb “to be” and a verb + ing.^[1]https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-grammar-reference/present-continuous

Subject + to be + verb –ing

When do we use the present continuous tense?

Action happening right now

The present continuous tense is used to talking about an action that you are doing right at the moment.

Positive

• I am
  studying English right now!
• You are
  watching a movie.
• He/she/it is
  eating dinner.
• We are
  studying for an exam.
• They are
  going to school right now.

Negative

• I am not
  studying English right now.
• You are
  not watching a movie.
• He/she/it is
  not eating dinner.
• We are
  not studying for an exam.
• They are
  not going to school right now.

Question

• Am I studying English right now?
• Are you
  watching a movie?
• Is he/she/it watching a movie?
• Are we
  studying for an exam?
• Are they
  going to school right now?

Action happening around right now

The present continuous tense is also used to talk about events that is happening right now but is not yet finished.

Positive

• I am
  reading a great book.
• You are
  cooking dinner.
• He/she/it is
  learning French.
• We are
  eating dinner.
• They are
  taking a test.

Negative

• I am not
  reading a great book.
• You are
  not cooking dinner.
• He/she/it is
  not learning French.
• We are
  not eating dinner.
• They are
  not taking a test.

Question

• Am I reading a great book?
• Are you
  cooking dinner?
• Is
  he/she/it learning French?
• Are
  we eating dinner?
• Are
  they taking a test?

When do you not use it?

Do not use the present continuous tense verb conjugation with stative verbs. Stative verbs show a state of being.^[2]https://www.grammarly.com/blog/present-continuous/

When using stative verbs you should just use the present tense.

For example:

I am preferring chocolate ice cream to vanilla ice cream. (incorrect)

I prefer chocolate ice cream to vanilla ice cream. (correct)

Practice Exercises

Conclusion

How did you do? If some questions were tricky a private lesson can help you master this topic quickly.