In Hungarian grammar, the Progressive Theory, also known as the Continuous Aspect, is a way to express ongoing or continuous actions in the past, present, or future. It is formed by combining the verb “van” (to be) with the present participle form of the main verb.

For example, in the present tense, we would use the verb “van” in the appropriate conjugation (vagyok, vagy, van, vagyunk, vagytok, vannak) and add the present participle ending (-ó, -ő, -ó, -ő) to the main verb.

E.g.

– Én olvasok. (I am reading.)
– Te írsz. (You are writing.)
– Ő dolgozik. (He/she is working.)
– Mi tanulunk. (We are studying.)
– Ti beszéltek. (You are talking.)
– Ők futnak. (They are running.)

The Progressive Theory allows us to express ongoing actions in a more precise way, especially in comparison to the simple present tense. It brings more life and dynamism to our language, making it more engaging and descriptive.