The present progressive, also known as the present continuous tense, is used to talk about actions that are in progress at the time of speaking and temporary actions.
We use the present progressive tense to describe:
actions that are taking place at the present moment
Example: Look! James is taking a picture of another tourist.
predetermined plans or appointments that have been made for the near future
Example: He is meeting his friend Brad tonight.
actions that are only happening temporarily
Example: James is travelling around Australia.
actions that are currently happening, but not at the moment of speaking
Example: He is staying at a youth hostel.
situations that are changing
Example: The town is becoming more and more popular because of its beautiful beaches.
The signal words for the present progressive are: at the moment, now, just now, right now etc.
To conjugate verbs in the present progressive we use the conjugated form of the auxiliary verb be. The main verb is conjugated in the -ing form or present participle, it is the same for all people.