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. Present progressive and present continuous are the same tense. 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. On the other hand, we use ‘when’ to give emphasis on the time or when something happened. It became popular "While, As, As/So Long As: Describing Action." A good easy-to-follow rule for students. Also, your sentence should say ‘matches’, not ‘match’. Complete List of Past Continuous Forms Present: Use "while" or "as" to express what always happens when something else important takes place. 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. Yes. While I was washing the dishes, my wife came home. Instead, state verbs describe states or conditions (e.g. when+simple present tense , progressive past tense. There will be exceptions depending on what the speaker wants to emphasize. Also, we use while to show that a shorter action (usually in the past simple, e.g. Beare, Kenneth. While they were washing the dishes, she did her homework. Instead of future continuous, present continuous is used. Negative: You were not studyingwhen she called. Your email address will not be published. Often this shorter action interrupts the longer action. This use of "while" and "as" is not as common as the time expression "when." it is too easy assay and very beautiful showing which using simple words to display the idea of these similar conjunctions . "While" and "as" are used to describe actions that occur at the same moment that something is in progress. We discussed the situation while we were eating lunch. jump, kick, shower, drink). I don’t think so. As per the lesson above, ‘while’ is often used with the continuous (progressive) tenses. The phone may have rang once and stopped. As a result, we generally don’t use while with state verbs. When we say ‘the phone was ringing’ in the progressive, we are saying that this happened for some time. It is about the question you are asking. While the phone was ringing, I was making lunch. How many times did the phone ring here? All the best. The simple present tense Habits Actions which happen regularly (for example, every day or Do you want to practise using present simple and present continuous in English? Past: "While" and "as" are used in the past to express an action that was occurring at the moment when something important happened. (2020, August 25). Hello. You should also get familiar with itsusage and rules – visit the Present Progressive Tensepageto help you with that. While (English Grammar), The Difference between 'a few/few/a little/little', The Difference between "Other" & "Another", The Social Dilemma: A Lesson on Social Media (Upper-Intermediate), The Social Dilemma: A Lesson on Social Media (Advanced), Bad Habits to Break to Improve Your Life (Upper-Intermediate Lesson Plan), Political Correctness (PC) Gone Mad (Upper-Intermediate Lesson Plan), The School (Short Story): Comprehension, Discussion & Vocabulary Questions (ESL), Prepositions: Online Exercises and Worksheet (for ESL/EFL Students), Subject Verb Agreement Rules & Exercises (English Grammar), To emphasize (focus) that an action was in progress at a specific time, use. Use the present perfect form of the verb in parentheses. While she was driving, I played with the radio. Present continuous tense expresses the ongoing action or task of the present. Hello. Because we are using While + present progressive, we are focusing on duration. Can you try to write an example sentence? 2. (Thanks to Clive at Englishforums for this point.). The use of when doesn’t suggest it was an ongoing action. Present progressive and present continuous are the same tense. Play our present simple and present continuous games and have fun while you learn. How Many Verb Tenses Are There in English? They are going to visit the Empire State Building during their visit to New York (noun phrase). Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/while-as-as-so-long-as-1209911. The speaker chooses to use ‘While’ + present progressive’ to focus on an action being in progress (living) when another action happened. Progressive tenses use the BE verb + a verb in ~ing form. 1. Beare, Kenneth. This is correct. 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 :-). Thank you. State verbs are not action verbs (e.g. (The action started is short; it is not something in progress). Although it would probably be more common to use When I lived in India, this sentence is correct. We use them to introduce subordinate clauses. 1. actions happening at the moment of speaking (now, at the moment) 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. We can use progressive or simple tenses. There’s another reason. As you said, these two conjunctions (when/while) can be used interchangeably sometimes. Listen to … It is also called present progressive tense. (full adverb time clause with subject and verb), They are going to visit the Empire State Building as they visit New York. The verb in the while clause is mostly progressive, expressing repetitive or detailed activities. can you post some activities based on it?? * (Washing the dishes has a duration, e.g. Thankyou very much! two actions happening at the same time (in the past) Example: While she was preparing dinner, he was washing the dishes. 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. This is too long to focus on. 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. Students will work in pairs. The text describes one thing that happens at the same time another thing is actively happening, so "While" and "...ing" work. One thing happened ( simple past ) during the period of time another thing was happening ( past progressive .) Wonderful teaching! so need not change the example. "A progressive tense is usually used for the longer 'background action'". "While" and "as" are time expressions and take a subject and verb. A sensible rule is to use while with the progressive tenses and when with the simple tenses. The Present Progressive is used when we talk about something which is happening now. 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. This use of "while" and "as" is not as common as the time expression "when." 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. Main clause: past simple OR past continuous. 3. together with the Simple Past. For example: Lisa is dancing right now. — Matthew Barton / Creator of Englishcurrent.com. Both ‘while ‘ and ‘when’ sometimes can be used without any difference in meaning although ‘While’ sounds more suitable. Why is #2 not natural? English Current recommends Grammarly as a learning tool to reduce English mistakes. "We usually use 'while' to say that two longer actions or situations go/went on at the same time. Updated September 21, 2019. "We are getting together" expresses a plan that is about to happen. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I will never play golf as long as I live.She will never return so long as she breathes. "As long as" and "so long as" are similar in use to "while" and "as." English as a Second Language (ESL) Expert. Home . In some sentences, you can use either without a great change in meaning. The action in Simple Past interrupted the action in Past Progressive. The best I can find is that it is called "Present Progressive" or "Present Continuous". To conjugate the future progressive tense we follow the rule: will + be + present participle or ing-form. What’s the difference between the subordinate conjunctions when and while? We do not use progressive tenses with state verbs. "During" is a preposition and is used with a noun or noun phrase. I was cooking dinner). (Natural). 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. ThoughtCo. I was a child), we lose focus. ² present tense vs. present progressive tense– "We get together" expresses habit or custom. (While is not natural). I hope these ideas have been useful. The present progressive (continuous) is formed using am, is or are together with the ing (present participle) form of the verb. Beare, Kenneth. Here are some tips on the use of these two conjunctions. 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). Thank you very much.I have got what I need. Present continuous signal words Signal words are words or phrases which often go hand in hand with a particular tense. at 11 p.m.). Driving is an action verb and the action is limited in duration. Past Progressive Tense | What Is the Past Progressive Tense? https://www.thoughtco.com/while-as-as-so-long-as-1209911 (accessed April 8, 2021). I don’t have any specific activities for when vs while. The past progressive is formed using was or were and the ing (present participle) form of the verb. 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. Introduction The simple present tense is often confused with the present continuous tense.This page will explain when to use each one. While, As, As/So Long As: Describing Action. For example, the sentence’ She hurt her ankle when she was playing basketball’ is probably intended to respond to when she hurt her ankle. Example: While I was eating, the telephone rang. If a sentence uses while, it suggests that the action happened over a period of time. ), (*Note you can also use when here, but as a general rule, while is suitable.). "While, As, As/So Long As: Describing Action." Simple Past – Practice Directions: Complete the following sentences using the correct form (past progressive or simple past) of the verbs provided. Both express the same idea, but the structures are different. The table below provides an overview of the future progressive tense in positive, negative and interrogative sentences. In other words, driving is a short activity that has a clear start and end. "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. It is common to use while with actions happening at a specific time (e.g. Doug was drying the dishes while we were watching TV.Peter took notes as we discussed the merger. I agree with the author. When it started to rain, we went inside. Can you try to write an example sentence? Live is a state verb, and also, the action of living in my hometown probably had a duration of 18 years. While we were sitting at the breakfast table, the telephone rang. 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.". Present perfect progressive tense: Perfect progressive tense describes actions that have been ongoing. The past continuous is formed using was/were + present participle. Sing and learn with Grammarsaurus! 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. 1. It is also called Present Continuous . 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. 1. I’M ROBERTO THIS IS MORE DIFFICULT I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND. Although examples are provided for ​the past, present and future, "as long as" and "so long as" are generally used with future forms. Privacy Policy . More than once. The conjugation is that same for all forms. favorite spot (expression) – a preferred restaurant, café, bar, plaza For exercises visit the PresentProgressiveExercises. BE, live, understand, know, exist). Remember, these are general tips (not fixed rules). If you found this page helpful, consider a donation to our hosting bill to show your support! Also, “While I was a child” is unnatural because the BE verb (was a child) is a state verb. Questions are indicated by inverting the subject and was/were. !Get your grammar groove on with Grammarsaurus teaching videos. 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. Chris _____(fall) off the ladder while Your explanation really helps me when I have to teach my adult students. 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. 4 minutes. The period of twelve years when you were a child is too long to use a progressive tense. Master Verb Tenses With This Sentence Structure Chart, M.A., Music Performance, Cologne University of Music, B.A., Vocal Performance, Eastman School of Music. In my understanding, we use “while” when the focus is on the duration or progress. The first or the second. (full adverb time clause with subject and verb). Well, when an action is too long (e.g. "While" and "as" are sometimes confused with the preposition "during." Two actions cannot occur at the same time if one is in the present and one is in the past. 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. Please try to make an example sentence. Yes. Key question: How many times did the phone ring? Present: Use "while" or "as" to express what always happens when something else important takes place. While I was cooking dinner, the phone rang. For example: While I was living in India, there was a big earthquake. Instead, we use when and past simple. The verb in the when clause is mostly nonprogressive, expressing an activity without particular focus on duration. The meaning is basically the same. positive. About English Current . For example, I am eating the meal. The teacher will time the drill and ask pairs to pass on their card to the next pair after 1 minute. We use while to focus on an action happening at a specific time. Notice that the preposition "during" is often used in place of "while" or "as" to express the same idea. Please I m asking if while match with present continuous. Using “present progressive” gives us a better idea of its meaning – the word “progressive” suggests that something is in progress or changing. Also, your sentence should Click here for the full info, rules, examples and exercises on the present progressive and how to use it. Take a look at the following examples to note the difference. Hosted by Dreamhost. 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 Question: Were you studyingwhen she called? We don’t use ‘while’ to talk about long periods of our lives. 36 Present and Past: Perfect and erfect P Progressive 6 Complete the sentences. Here are a few examples: – She hurt herself when / while she was playing basketball. The Present Progressive (Continuous) is a form of the verb that shows the action or state is in progress (continues) in the present. Generally, if you want to focus on an action that has a duration being in progress, use a while + a progressive tense. Note: Past Progressive → were sitting at the table. 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. Am I right? As per the lesson above, ‘while’ is often used with the continuous (progressive) tenses. Notice how the meaning remains the same in both structures: We discussed the situation during lunch. Hello. GRAMMARSAURUS TEACHES *ALL* SUBJECTS!! Notice that the preposition "during" is often For example: Subject + past form of “to be” + present participle ( ‘-ing’) form of the verb The boy + … Past Progressive Vs. 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. This construction is also known as the durative aspect. ThoughtCo, Aug. 25, 2020, thoughtco.com/while-as-as-so-long-as-1209911. Time clause: past simple OR past continuous, Main clause: past simple OR past continuous. "While" and "as" are also used to express two actions that were happening at the same moment in the past. 1. Telling a story (as the both share this point) 2 People in many countries enjoy ice swimming. The above examples of Present Progressive Tense are here to helpyou understand and use this tense properly and naturally. the phone rang) happened during as a longer action (usually in past progressive, e.g. Use of Past Progressive puts emphasis on the course of an action in the past Example: He was playing football. 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.) Therefore, the most natural verb tense to use is a progressive tense, which shows that an action is in progress at a certain time. While When I lived in my hometown, my mother made me dinner. Añade tu respuesta y gana puntos. This means that the action (ring) happened over a period of time that had a start and end. 3. 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). 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. nataliaemanuelaespin está esperando tu ayuda. 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. 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 … (noun). Please read the page. In this lesson, we will explain the basic rules for the present progressive in Spanish. negative. Teacher prepares cards with Words on them and explains to students they must form sentences using the Present Continuous / Progressive Tense. Time: 5 min. He usually has lunch while he takes a walk around the campus.Angela often takes notes as the meeting progresses. Write a simple dialoque using the present progressive. Which one is correct? – A car crashed into a tree when/ while I was crossing the street. To be clear, ‘banned’ doesn’t mean impossible, but very unlikely, especially while using the present progressive tense with the verb estar. Can you think of any examples when it is wrong to use when and you have to use while? While I was washing the dishes, my wife came home. I will be sleeping at 11:00 p.m. tonight, so don’t phone me. 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. 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. The Difference: When vs. Statement: You were studyingwhen she called. In some uses as, when and while can mean the same, but they can also have slightly different meanings. Then write since or for. Grammar Rule Examples I play tennis every Sunday. Simple Past → the telephone rang. When they were washing the dishes, she did her homework. Because we’re using when, we don’t know. Kenneth Beare is an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher and course developer with over three decades of teaching experience. Negatives are made with not.