Transcript of Lesson 4.2 - The Progressive Aspect

Lesson 4.2 - The Progressive Aspect.

'The Progressive Aspect' expresses incomplete or ongoing actions, states, or events at a specific time.

Note: 'the Progressive Aspect' is also often called 'the Continuous Aspect'.

So, the basic idea here is that something is progressing, it's continuing, ongoing, it's happening.

We can use 'the Progressive Aspect' in the past, present, and future tenses, as well as with different modal verbs.

For example:

"I am learning English." - Present Progressive.

"I was learning English." - The Past Progressive.

"I will be learning English." - The Future Progressive.

And we can use it with different modal verbs as I've said.

"I would be learning English."

"I should be learning English."

"I could be learning English."

"I might be learning English."

To form 'the Progressive Aspect', we simply use some form of the verb "to be" (for example: is, was, will be, has been) and the 'Present Participle of a verb' (for example: waiting, asking, thinking).

See the notes in this lesson for the tables on how to form the Progressive Aspect in the different tenses.

Let's go through some examples.

"I'm listening to the Aussie English podcast at the moment." - Present Progressive.

So in the limited period of time that is 'at the moment', I am listening to the Aussie English podcast. It's an ongoing action or condition.

"In June last year, he was travelling in Victoria." - Pass Progressive.

So, during the month of June last year, a limited period of time, the ongoing action of him travelling in Victoria was taking place. It was happening.

"You'll be eating dinner shortly." - Future Progressive.

Very soon (a limited period of time) dinner will be served and you will be completing the action of eating it.

"James would be getting married today if his fiancee hadn't left him." - Conditional Progressive.

So, the limited period of time is 'today' and James should be experiencing the ongoing event of 'getting married', but isn't because his fiancee left him.

So, to sum up the Progressive Aspect:

It's formed with any form of the verb 'to be' and then 'the Present Participle of a verb'. So, the root of a verb ending in -ing.

It indicates that an action, state, or event is progressing, continuing, ongoing, i.e. occurring over a period of time as opposed to a point in time.

The Progressive Aspect can be combined with the present, past, and future tenses to express itself at different times.

And it can also be used with different modal verbs like would, should, could, might, etc.

So, basically, if you want to talk about something that is taking place over a period of time, i.e. it's ongoing, whether in the past, present or future pick, which tense you want to use and then just add 'the Progressive Aspect'.