What are ING verbs? What are they used for and how do you use them? Let’s delve into this topic in this article, explain what a ING verb is and how you use them in real life. Also check out the list underneath with 100’s of English ING verbs.

Lots of English conjugated verbs end in -ING. We call these the gerunds of the English language.

They indicate that something is happening at the moment and can be used for several reasons.

ING verb as a gerund. This is a verb acting like a noun:

When you want to talk about an activity as a thing, you add “ing” to the verb. This turns the verb into a noun.

Examples: I enjoy swimming. I love dancing. I get excited about painting the house.

ING verb as part of a verb tense:

As part of the present participle:

When you’re talking about something happening right now, or something that was happening, you add “ing” to the verb.

Example: She is reading a book. I am washing the car. You are walking to work. We are swimming in the rivier.

As part of the continuous tenses:

You also use the “ing” form with helping verbs like “was,” or “were” to show that something was happening over a period of time.

Example: I was eating dinner when you called. We were having a lovely time when it started. He was playing golf while I was drinking coffee.

How to use the -ING verbs:

• Add “ing” to the base form of the verb (e.g., “eat” becomes “eating”).
• Use it after certain verbs like “enjoy,” “like,” or “love” when talking about activities.
• Combine it with helping verbs like “am,” “is,” “are,” “was,” or “were” to show something is in progress.

List of hundreds of ING verbs in English

Underneath you will find a list of 100’s of gerunds, -ing verbs and present participles. Easily search and filter through the list.

In summary, “ING verbs” are used to talk about activities, things happening right now, or ongoing actions. They are super common and easy to spot because they always end in “ing”!