Which signal words go with the present continuous?
The present continuous pairs with right-now words (now, right now, at the moment), temporary-period words (today, this week, currently, these days) and attention calls (Look!, Listen!). The form is always am/is/are + verb-ing.
- Right now: now, right now, at the moment.
- Temporary: today, this week, currently, these days.
- Attention: Look! and Listen! — form: am/is/are + verb-ing.
A1 · Signal Words · 10 minThe signal words of the Present Continuous, taught brick by brick.
A structured ten-slide lesson for A1 learners. Hear a typical signal word in context, meet the three groups with a tutor, then practise them across six interactive drills before a final five-question quiz. The whole arc is under ten minutes and nothing requires a signup.
- CEFR levelA1 · Beginner
- Time to completeAbout 10 minutes
- SkillsGrammar, Listening, Writing, Speaking
- Bricks10 blocks
01 / 06
What signal words do for you
Signal words are small time expressions and calls that tell you which tense an English sentence needs. You do not have to analyse the whole sentence; often one glance at a single word is enough. If "right now" sits at the end or "Listen!" opens the sentence, you know immediately: something is in progress at this very moment, and English uses the present continuous for that. This is especially valuable for beginners, because in German you never have to make this decision — more on that below. Signal words work like road signs: they stand in plain view and point you in the right direction before you set off. In this lesson you meet the signs for the present continuous, sorted into three groups: words for right now, words for a temporary period, and attention calls. One honest limitation belongs in the picture: signal words are strong clues, not laws of nature. They hold in the vast majority of sentences, but there are exceptions you will meet later. For now the working rule stands: know the signals, and you will pick the right tense almost automatically — and that automatic reflex is exactly the goal.
02 / 06
The three groups at a glance
The first group is the right-now words: "now", "right now" and "at the moment". They point at this very instant. "I'm working on the report right now" means: I am at it this second. The second group describes a temporary period: "today", "this week", "currently" and "these days". Here the action is not necessarily happening this second, but it is limited in time and current: "The team is testing the new system this week" — next week the test is over. "Currently" is the most formal member of the group and appears especially often in professional status updates and emails. The third group is the attention calls "Look!" and "Listen!". Strictly speaking they are not time expressions, but they always point at something happening right now that you can see or hear: "Listen! The phone is ringing." All three groups lead to the same form: am, is or are plus the verb with -ing. If you remember only one thing from this lesson, make it this three-way split — now, temporary, attention — and the form behind it.
03 / 06
The form: am / is / are + verb-ing
The present continuous always consists of two bricks, and both are compulsory. Brick one is a form of "be": "am" after "I"; "is" after "he", "she", "it" and single people or things; "are" after "you", "we", "they" and plurals. Brick two is the verb with the -ing ending: "working", "testing", "playing". Together they give "I am working", "the team is testing", "they are playing". In spoken English, "be" almost always merges with the subject: "I'm working", "she's testing", "we're playing". Two classic beginner errors appear when one of the two bricks goes missing: "I working on the report" has no "be", and "I'm work on the report" has no -ing. Both sentences are wrong, and both sound instantly off to an English ear. So store the pair as a single unit: be + -ing, never just one half. Spelling brings small adjustments — "make" becomes "making", "sit" becomes "sitting" — but the principle is identical in every sentence: first the matching form of be, then the verb with -ing.
04 / 06
The German trap: one form where English has two
Here lies the biggest stumbling block for German-speaking learners: German has no continuous form of its own. "Ich arbeite" and "Ich arbeite gerade" use the same verb in the same form — only the little word "gerade" marks the difference. English, by contrast, demands two different grammars: "I work" for habits and "I'm working" for the moment. Because a German speaker's instinct knows only one form, the typical error "I work now" appears instead of "I'm working now". This is exactly where signal words earn their keep: they play the role that "gerade" plays in German and remind you to switch to be + -ing. A second classic sits right next to it: the false friend "aktuell". German "aktuell" translates as "currently" or "at the moment" — never as "actually". English "actually" means "in fact" and is not a time word at all. Say "Actually we are testing the system" in a meeting and you have said "in fact, we are testing the system" — a different statement from the one you planned. So learn the pair actively: aktuell → currently, actually → in fact.
05 / 06
Continuous signals vs simple signals
Signal words show their full value only in contrast. The present simple has its own signals: "always", "usually", "often", "sometimes", "never", "every day". Those words describe habits and routines — things that happen again and again, but not necessarily now. Put the two lists side by side and the difference becomes concrete: "I usually work in the office" (habit, present simple), but "I'm working from home today" (temporary, present continuous). The two sentences can even stand back to back, and that is genuinely how native speakers talk: first the rule, then the current exception. One warning belongs to the truth: words like "today" and "this week" are weaker signals than "right now". They can also appear in simple sentences, such as "I have a meeting today". The deciding question sits underneath: are you describing an action in progress or a temporary situation — or a fact and an appointment? For A1, the rule of thumb is enough: right-now words and "Look!/Listen!" lead to the continuous practically every time; with period words, check briefly whether something is actually in progress.
06 / 06
At work: status updates and phone small talk
Few structures will serve you as often in working life as the present continuous with its signal words. The reason: status updates almost always describe ongoing, temporary work. "I'm working on the report" tells a colleague where you stand right now. "The team is testing the new system this week" is the classic line from the weekly meeting. "We're currently reviewing your offer" is the polite, formal variant for emails to customers — and it shows why "currently" is the business world's favourite of the group. On the phone, the same structure carries you through the first seconds: "Sorry, I'm driving right now — can I call you back?", or the friendly opener "How are things going?" answered with "We're moving offices at the moment, so it's a bit chaotic." Practise these sentences as ready-made bricks, not word by word. If you can produce three or four such update sentences from memory, you will sound noticeably more confident in meetings — and you will also spot the signal words faster when listening, as colleagues describe their own ongoing projects.