Coursera

Questions, Present Progressive and Future Tenses (Coursera)

Offered by University of California, Irvine,

In this course, “Questions, Present Progressive and Future Tenses,” you will learn about question words in English and how to form questions in the simple present. Then you will learn how to form the present progressive to express ideas about things that are happening right now. You will look at the differences between the simple present and present progressive. Finally, you will learn how to use “to be going to” and the present progressive to talk about the future and how to use “can” to talk about ability.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Course 2 of 3 in the Learn English: Beginning Grammar Specialization

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Information Questions Simple Present
We will start this week with question words. You will learn how to ask information questions in the simple present. Information questions are questions where the answer is not "yes" or "no." The answer is some information. For example, “Where are you?” is an information question because the answer is not “yes.” It is, “I’m at school.”

WEEK 2
Count/Noncount Nouns & Present Progressive
This week, you will learn more about nouns: count nouns and non-count nouns. This will help you ask questions like “How many brothers do you have?” and “How much time do you need?” Then we will look at the present progressive. This is another verb tense in English. The present progressive tells about things that are happening now. You will learn about how to form it and also how to make the negative.

WEEK 3
Present Progressive Question & Signal Words
This week is all about asking questions with the present progressive. You will learn how to ask yes/no questions and information questions. Then we will compare simple present and present progressive so you can see when to use each. You will learn about signal words and the difference between sentences like “I speak English” and “I am speaking English.”

WEEK 4
Future Forms & Can
Now that you know how to form the present progressive, this week you will see how we use “be going to” and the present progressive to talk about the future. You will also learn how to use “can” to talk about what you can and can’t do.

Go to Class

MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Coursera

University of California, Irvine

Word Forms and Simple Present Tense (Coursera)

Languages & Literature

In this course, “Word Forms and Simple Present Tense,” you will learn about different word forms, like nouns, proper nouns, plural forms and singular forms. You will learn when to use the articles “a” and “an.” You will also learn about the BE verb in English, how to form it and when to use it. Then you will learn how to form other verbs in the simple present, including some spelling rules, and how to make negative forms.

Jun 22nd 2026

4 Weeks

English Grammar English Grammar

Coursera

Universidade Estadual de Campinas - UNICAMP

Pluralidades em Português Brasileiro (Coursera)

Languages & Literature

Pluralidades em Português Brasileiro is a five-week long online self-access course whose aim is to expand intercultural awareness and develop upper intermediate/advanced reading and listening comprehension skills regarding Brazilian Portuguese as a foreign language. An extra week was added to expand the topics of the course.

Jun 22nd 2026

5-12 Weeks

Critical Thinking Grammar Vocabulary

Coursera

Arizona State University

Business English: Management and Leadership (Coursera)

Languages & Literature

Are you a business executive or a manager who uses English in your career? Then you know that good business communication in English requires focus, vocabulary, and specific linguistic structures. In this course, you will follow along a recently promoted manager as she builds and leads her team to success.

Jun 22nd 2026

5-12 Weeks

Language English Meeting

Coursera

Arizona State University

Teach English Now! Theories of Second Language Acquisition (Coursera)

Education Teacher Professional Development

In this course learners are introduced to second or foreign language theories and practices for teaching and assessing listening, speaking, and pronunciation. Learners will also be introduced to basic studies in second language acquisition and their pedagogical implications. Teachers will be invited to recognize the importance of grounding their own teaching philosophy through an examination of purpose, content, and technique.

Jun 22nd 2026

5-12 Weeks

English Reading Teaching

Coursera

Wesleyan University

Writing in First Person Point of View (Coursera)

Art and Culture

If you have always wanted to tell your own story—in a memoir, first-person essay, or any other form of autobiographical non-fiction—but felt you lacked the tools or the framework, this is the class for you. We will learn how successful first-person writing is structured to offer the reader a sense of propulsive motion, and is guided by a narrator who is deliberately crafted. We will explore the ways in which language can be used to create tone, so that the emotional freight of your words is as potent as the storytelling. And crucially, we will consider the writer's responsibility to the reader: the importance of being a guide who includes the reader in the sensory, emotional, and intellectual experience you mean to share through your writing.

Jun 22nd 2026

4 Weeks

Writing Storytelling Creative Writing

Coursera

Tsinghua University

Conversational English Skills (Coursera)

Languages & Literature

Do you want to communicate with English speakers fluently? Welcome to our course. The course consists of 6 units with different topics: meeting new people, the people in your life, eating in and eating out, the reason to learn English, good times and bad times, and hobbies. From this course, you will have a good knowledge of conversational English skills in your daily life.

Jun 22nd 2026

5-12 Weeks

English English Language English Skills

Coursera

University of California, Irvine

English for Developing a Business (Coursera)

Languages & Literature

This course will help you learn English vocabulary related to topics of business leadership and organization. The lessons on business communication and working globally present you with some phrases and skills for interacting in business environments. This is important for your business success in English. We will also talk about important language skills such as small talk, gerunds, word forms, and comparatives. Becoming familiar with these topics and skills in English will help you as you progress on your pathway in business.

Jun 22nd 2026

4 Weeks

English Business Communication English Vocabulary

Coursera

Arizona State University

Business English: Finance and Economics (Coursera)

Languages & Literature

Do you work in finance or interact with finance professionals? Is it necessary to speak, write or understand English in your career? Follow the authentic characters in this course as they work through common business situations in finance and economics. Learn from your successes and failure, and think critically about your own communication options.

Jun 22nd 2026

5-12 Weeks

Finance Language English

Coursera

University of California, Irvine

Conjunctions, Connectives, and Adverb Clauses (Coursera)

Languages & Literature

This is the second course in the Learn English: Advanced Grammar and Punctuation specialty. In this course, you will learn about a lot of different ways to join ideas to make more complex and interesting sentences. You'll learn about two types of conjunctions, many other types of connectives, and adverb clauses. You'll also learn about how to punctuate all of these expressions and the types of sentences they create. All of this is grammar you must know to have a high fluency in English.

Jun 22nd 2026

4 Weeks

English English Grammar Learning Languages

Coursera

University of California, Irvine

Strategies for Teaching Perfect Tenses and Modals (Coursera)

Languages & Literature Teacher Professional Development

This is the first course in the Teach English: Intermediate Grammar specialization. In this course, you will learn about teaching important intermediate verb tenses, including present perfect, present perfect progressive, past perfect, and past perfect progressive. You will also learn about teaching common modal verbs used in English. Finally, you will have opportunities to practice the skills you learn by creating sample assignments and recording short videos of your teaching demonstrations.

Jun 22nd 2026

4 Weeks

English Teaching English Grammar

Coursera

University of California, Irvine

Noun Clauses and Conditionals (Coursera)

Languages & Literature

This is the third course in the Learn English: Advanced Grammar and Punctuation specialty. In this class, you will learn about the advanced grammar concepts of noun clauses and conditionals. You will learn about several different types of each and get lots of practice using them appropriately. This may seem like difficult grammar, but this course will make them easy to understand. These grammar points are essential for any learner trying to master fluency in the English language.

Jun 22nd 2026

4 Weeks

English Grammar English Language

Coursera

Georgia Institute of Technology

Write Professional Emails in English (Coursera)

Languages & Literature

This is a course to help you write effective business emails in English. This course is unique because each module will provide tips on writing more professional emails as well as lessons to improve your overall English writing skills. Therefore, you will improve your grammar and vocabulary skills for email writing and also improve your cross cultural knowledge to make you more powerful and successful in your business communication. You will look at different email formats to analyze tone, formality levels, and various organizational styles. You will be able to improve your emails of introduction, announcements, requests and emails that apologize or revise a request.

Jun 22nd 2026

5-12 Weeks

English Writing Professional