What is present progressive tense

The PRESENT PROGRESSIVE TENSE indicates continuing action, something going on now. This tense is formed with the helping "to be" verb, in the present tense, plus the present participle of the verb (with an -ing ending): "I am buying all my family's Christmas gifts early this year. One of these is the subject of the sentence, or who the sentence is about. ... Another basic sentence part used in sentences with present progressive tense is the present participle of the verb being used, or the verb + -ing. Some examples are dancing, jumping, and crying. The present continuous (also called present progressive) is a verb tense which is used to show that an ongoing action is happening now, either at the moment of speech or now in a larger sense. The present continuous can also be used to show that an action is going to take place in the near future.