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Grammar Notes - Continuity

 

English Continuous form

The English Continuous form comprises the appropriate tense of to be + Present Participle. It expresses continuity or immediacy of an action or a state. English uses the Present Continuous when something is:

  • a current action or state (Present Continuous)
  • intended to happen (Intended Future)
  • about to happen (Near Future)

The Present Continuous allows the speaker to be somewhat vague, which can be quite convenient: I'm writing a report about it.

German does not have a Continuous Form in any of the tenses.

What do you use instead? Consider the examples in the table and then try and complete the rules below.

Check the solution afterwards.

  1. Where English uses the Present Continuous form, German just uses the ______ Simple. This still allows the speaker to be vague unless a qualifying expression, such as ______ is added.
  2. Where English uses Present Perfect Continuous, German may use _______ or Perfect tense (+ a qualifier like gerade or soeben - optional):
  3. Where English uses Perfect Continuous + for, German uses ______ Simple + seit

 

Present action or state:

Shares are falling, interest rates are rising! Die Aktien fallen, die Zinsen steigen!
We're benefiting from a gap in the market Wir profitieren von einer Marktlücke.

 

Intended future

What are you doing tomorrow? Was machen Sie morgen?
I'm working on it Ich arbeite gerade dran

 

Near future

The new foreign secretary is meeting his European colleagues Der neue Außenminister trifft sich mit seinen europäischen Kolleginnen und Kollegen

 

Linking present and past

I've just been listening to the radio Ich habe gerade Radio gehört
I've been working on the annual report Ich habe am Jahresbericht gearbeitet

What have you been doing this morning?

 Was haben Sie heute Vormittag gemacht?

We've been hearing that for years Das hören wir seit Jahren!
I've been working on it for a week Ich habe seit einer Woche an die Sache gearbeitet

Solution:

  1. German just uses the Present Simple. This still allows the speaker to be vague unless a qualifying expression, such as gerade is added.
  2. Where English uses Present Perfect Continuous, German uses Past or Perfect tense + a qualifier like 'gerade' or 'soeben' (optional).
  3. Where English uses Perfect Continuous + for, German uses Present Simple + seit

 

Test yourself!

In respect of the above sections, try the following:

  1. Study the explanations and examples.
  2. Print out the tables and fold them into 2 vertically. You will then be able to check your recall of the English and German examples by folding and unfolding the paper.

Created for ULTRALAB trial June 1999
Copyright ULTRALAB at Anglia Polytechnic University