Explanation
Exercises

📘 Present Simple vs Present Continuous

🔵 Present Simple

🔁 Habits, Regular or Repeated Actions

  • I get up at 7 o’clock.
  • He usually walks to school.

📌 Facts, Permanent Situations or States

  • I live in a small city. My friend lives in Yerevan.
  • Water boils at 100 degrees.

🧠 With *Stative Verbs

  • I need my keys.
  • You look happy today.

🕒 Signal Words

always, never, often, sometimes, every day, once a month, twice a week, etc.

💡 I Do It Regularly

  • I study English after dinner.
  • I read a little every day.

🔴 Present Continuous

⏳ Actions in Progress Now

  • I can’t talk. I’m cooking right now.
  • He can’t talk now. He’s brushing his teeth.

🔄 Actions in Progress Around Now

  • I’m learning new English words these days. I like them!
  • She is working in a café this week.

🕓 Signal Words

now, at the moment, these days, this week, this month, etc.

💡 I’m Doing It Now

  • I’m reading this page.
  • I’m writing in my notebook now.

📌 *Stative Verbs (Not used in Continuous)

Verbs of the senses: hear, see, smell, look, seem
Opinion: believe, consider, like, love, hate, prefer, think, etc.
Possession: have, own, belong, etc.
Also: be, need, mean, remember, want, etc.

📚 Present Simple & Present Continuous

🔵 Present Simple

We use the present simple for habits or permanent situations.

✅ Habits or Actions that Happen Regularly

  • I study English every morning.
  • I never eat breakfast late.
  • I go to the park on Saturdays.

📌 Permanent Situations or General Truths

  • I don’t drink coffee.
  • My sister is very kind.
  • I have two cousins.
  • Water boils at 100 degrees.
  • I like vegetable soup.

🕒 Adverbs and Frequency Expressions

We use frequency adverbs to talk about how often something happens:

  • We usually watch a movie on Friday.
  • I go running twice a week.

🚫 Stative (Non-Action) Verbs

Some verbs don’t describe actions and are not used in the continuous form. Examples:

be, have (own), like, love, hate, prefer, need, want, know

  • ✔️ I have a bicycle.
  • ❌ I am having a bicycle.
  • ✔️ I like this song.
  • ❌ I’m liking this song.

🔴 Present Continuous

We use the present continuous for things happening now or around now (temporarily).

🕐 Actions Happening Now

  • “What are you doing?” “I’m making tea.”

📅 Temporary Actions Around Now

  • I’m learning new words at the moment.
  • What music are you listening to these days?

🗓️ Time Expressions

We use the present continuous with time phrases like:

now, at the moment, at present, today, these days, this week, etc.

🤔 Present Simple or Continuous?

✅ Usually or Now?

  • I watch TV. (= I usually do it)
  • I’m watching TV. (= I’m doing it now)
  • I don’t usually cook pasta, but I’m cooking it today.

🏠 Temporary or Permanent?

  • I live in a small town. (permanent)
  • I’m living with my aunt this month. (temporary)
  • I work in a shop. (permanent)
  • I’m working at home this week. (temporary)

❓What Do You Do? / What Are You Doing?

  • What does Tom do? (= What’s his job?)
  • What is Tom doing? (= What’s he doing right now?)
Exercises:
1
2
3

Present Simple vs Present Continuous

Choose the correct present simple or present continuous form to complete the dialogues below.
1 John: Hey, Emma! What on weekends?
2 Emma: I usually on Saturday mornings.
3 Emma: And I at home on Sundays.
4 John: What this Saturday?
5 Emma: I Sarah for coffee at the new café.
6 John: I this weekend,
7 John: …but I my project on Friday evening.
8 John: you extra tasks often?
9 Emma: Not today—he me with the report.
10 John: What are you to the presentation?

Present Simple vs Present Continuous

Complete the following sentences choosing the correct present simple or present continuous forms.
1
I ____ coffee every morning.
A.
B.
C.
2
Look out! That car ____ fast.
A.
B.
C.
3
They ____ in New York.
A.
B.
C.
4
She ____ English classes now.
A.
B.
C.
5
Tom ____ his bike because it’s broken.
A.
B.
C.
6
The sun ____ in the east.
A.
B.
C.
7
Stop! You ____ my book.
A.
B.
C.
8
Every summer, we ____ to Spain.
A.
B.
C.
9
Right now, he ____ for his exam.
A.
B.
C.
10
She ____ the bus every day.
A.
B.
C.

Present Simple vs Present Continuous

Complete the following postcard with the verbs in brackets in present simple or present continuous.
Dear Mia,
1
I (write) to you from Tokyo, and I can’t believe how exciting it is here.
2
Right now I (sit) at a busy sushi bar in Shinjuku.
3
Chefs (prepare) rolls at lightning speed,
4
and customers (eat) with smiles on their faces.
5
Every day I (explore) a different neighborhood,
6
and I usually (take) the subway to get around.
7
In the mornings I (visit) temples,
8
and in the afternoons I (shop) for souvenirs.
9
I (enjoy) every moment of this trip,
10
and my camera (capture) hundreds of amazing photos.
Love,
Sophie