Present Continuous Tense – English Grammar Exercises for A1
You are talking to your friends about your weekend plans, holidays, and meetings. These are not just ideas; you have already bought tickets, booked tables, or agreed on a specific time and place. These events are 100% confirmed to happen.
Choose the best option to complete each sentence.
1 I have my ticket right here! I ______ to Paris tomorrow morning.
(a) fly
(b) am flying
(c) am fly
2 We booked a table at the restaurant. We ______ dinner with grandma on Sunday.
(a) are having
(b) are have
(c) have
3 He ______ his friends at the cafe at 8 PM tonight. They agreed on it yesterday.
(a) meeting
(b) meets
(c) is meeting
4 They already have the tickets. They ______ to the cinema on Friday.
(a) go
(b) are going
(c) is going
5 She ______ the dentist tomorrow morning. Her appointment is at 9:00 AM.
(a) is visit
(b) visits
(c) is visiting
6 So, what ______ this weekend? Do you have any plans?
(a) are you doing
(b) do you do
(c) you are doing
7 I ______ next Monday because it is a national holiday.
(a) don’t work
(b) am not working
(c) not working
8 We have VIP tickets for the concert. We ______ my favorite singer on Saturday!
(a) see
(b) are see
(c) are seeing
9 ______ Mary ______ a birthday party next week? I need to buy her a gift.
(a) Does / have
(b) Is / having
(c) Is / haveing
10 I can’t meet you tomorrow. I ______ tennis with John at 10 AM. We booked the court.
(a) play
(b) am playing
(c) am plaing
11 My parents ______ a new TV this afternoon. The delivery is already arranged.
(a) are buying
(b) buy
(c) are buy
12 We packed our bags! We ______ to Italy tomorrow morning.
(a) travel
(b) are travel
(c) are travelling
13 ______ they ______ the 10 o’clock train tomorrow? They bought the tickets online.
(a) Are / taking
(b) Do / take
(c) Are / takeing
14 I ______ at the new Italian restaurant tonight. I booked a table for two.
(a) eat
(b) am eating
(c) eating
15 We rented a big bus. Who ______ to the beach with us next Sunday?
(a) comes
(b) is coming
(c) are coming
16 Everyone ______ at the station at 9 AM tomorrow. The tour guide told us.
(a) are meeting
(b) meets
(c) is meeting
17 The manager ______ the new office next Monday. It is on the official schedule.
(a) is opening
(b) opens
(c) is openning
18 I am going to the airport now. What time ______ your brother ______ today?
(a) does / arrive
(b) is / arriving
(c) is / arriveing
19 My brother and I ______ a car next week for our road trip. We paid the deposit.
(a) are renting
(b) is renting
(c) rent
20 Nobody ______ to work tomorrow because the building is closed for repairs.
(a) goes
(b) are going
(c) is going
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (b) am flying
- Why it’s correct: “I” takes “am” + V-ing. Having a ticket means it’s a fixed future arrangement, so we use the Present Continuous.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is Present Simple. We don’t use Present Simple for personal future plans (Common mistake). (c) is missing the “-ing” suffix (Basic error).
2 (a) are having
- Why it’s correct: “We” takes “are” + V-ing. The table is booked, meaning the arrangement is 100% fixed.
- Why the others are wrong: (c) is Present Simple (Common mistake). (b) is missing the “-ing” suffix (Basic error).
3 (c) is meeting
- Why it’s correct: “He” takes “is” + V-ing. They agreed on the time, so it’s a confirmed plan.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is Present Simple (Common mistake). (a) is missing the “be” verb (Basic error).
4 (b) are going
- Why it’s correct: “They” takes “are” + V-ing. Having tickets confirms the future plan.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is Present Simple (Common mistake). (c) incorrectly uses “is” for a plural subject (Basic error).
5 (c) is visiting
- Why it’s correct: “She” takes “is” + V-ing. Medical appointments are fixed arrangements.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is Present Simple (Common mistake). (a) is missing the “-ing” suffix (Basic error).
6 (a) are you doing
- Why it’s correct: WH-question about future plans: WH-word + be + subject + V-ing.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is a Present Simple question, which asks about general weekend routines, not specific future plans (Common mistake). (c) uses statement word order (Basic error).
7 (b) am not working
- Why it’s correct: A confirmed plan not to do something. “I” + am + not + V-ing.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is Present Simple negative (Common mistake). (c) is missing the “be” verb (Basic error).
8 (c) are seeing
- Why it’s correct: “We” takes “are” + V-ing. The VIP tickets confirm the event.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is Present Simple (Common mistake). (b) is missing the “-ing” suffix (Basic error).
9 (b) Is / having
- Why it’s correct: Yes/No question for a future plan: Is + subject + V-ing.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is Present Simple (Common mistake). (c) is a spelling error because it keeps the silent “e” in “have” (Basic error).
10 (b) am playing
- Why it’s correct: “I” takes “am” + V-ing. The court is booked, so it’s a fixed arrangement.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is Present Simple (Common mistake). (c) is a spelling error; “play” just takes “-ing” without dropping the “y” (Basic error).
11 (a) are buying
- Why it’s correct: “My parents” is plural (they), taking “are” + V-ing.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is Present Simple (Common mistake). (c) is missing the “-ing” suffix (Basic error).
12 (c) are travelling
- Why it’s correct: “We” takes “are” + V-ing. The bags are packed, confirming the trip. (Note: “traveling” is US spelling, “travelling” is UK spelling; both are correct).
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is Present Simple (Common mistake). (b) is missing the “-ing” suffix (Basic error).
13 (a) Are / taking
- Why it’s correct: Yes/No question: Are + subject + V-ing. “Take” drops the silent “e” to become “taking”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is Present Simple (Common mistake). (c) is a spelling error because it keeps the silent “e” (Basic error).
14 (b) am eating
- Why it’s correct: “I” takes “am” + V-ing. Booking a table makes it a fixed arrangement.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is Present Simple (Common mistake). (c) is missing the “be” verb (Basic error).
15 (b) is coming
- Why it’s correct: The question word “Who” usually acts as a singular subject, requiring “is” + V-ing.
- Why the others are wrong: (c) is Present Simple (Common mistake). (a) uses the plural “are” with “Who” (Basic error).
16 (c) is meeting
- Why it’s correct: Indefinite pronouns like “Everyone” or “Everybody” are grammatically singular. They take “is”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is Present Simple (Common mistake). (a) uses “are”, which is a trap for learners who think “everyone” is a plural group (Basic error).
17 (a) is opening
- Why it’s correct: “The manager” takes “is” + V-ing.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is Present Simple (Common mistake). (c) is a spelling error; “open” does not double the “n” because the stress is on the first syllable (Basic error).
18 (b) is / arriving
- Why it’s correct: “Your brother” (he) takes “is”. “Arrive” drops the silent “e” (arriving).
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is a Present Simple question (Common mistake). (c) is a spelling error because it keeps the silent “e” (Basic error).
19 (a) are renting
- Why it’s correct: “My brother and I” means “we” (plural). Therefore, you must use “are” + V-ing.
- Why the others are wrong: (c) is Present Simple (Common mistake). (b) uses “is”, failing to recognize that “My brother and I” is a plural subject (Basic error).
20 (c) is going
- Why it’s correct: Just like “everyone”, the pronoun “Nobody” is a singular subject and takes “is”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is Present Simple (Common mistake). (b) uses the plural “are” (Basic error).
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Grammar Function (Fixed Future Arrangements): The Present Continuous is not just for things happening right now! When you have a future time word (like tomorrow, next week, tonight) and a plan that is 100% confirmed (you bought a ticket, booked a table, or made an appointment), you MUST use the Present Continuous.
- Example: “I am flying to Tokyo tomorrow.”
- The “Present Simple” Trap: A very common mistake for A1 learners is using the Present Simple for personal future plans (e.g., I go to the cinema tomorrow ❌). The Present Simple is used for permanent habits or public timetables (like a train schedule), not your personal weekend plans!
- Look for the Clues: Sentences about fixed arrangements usually have clues that prove the plan is confirmed: I bought tickets, I packed my bags, We booked a table, The appointment is at 9 AM.
- Tricky Singulars: Always remember that Everyone, Everybody, Nobody, and Who take a singular verb (is).
- Example: “Everyone is meeting at 9 AM.”