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