Present simple vs present continuous in English
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There are two choices in the English present tense, the present simple and present continuous. In this chapter the differences between these tenses is explained.
The present simple and the present continuous are both used to describe actions taking place in the present time, but the tenses are used for different moments in the present.
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The present simple is mostly used to refer to habits and routines in the present. The table below shows you all the situations in which the English present simple tense is used.
Situation | Example |
---|---|
You want to describe habits and routines. |
|
You want to describe a general or scientific fact. |
|
You want to describe an action that takes place, never takes place or is repeated constantly. |
|
You want to describe an event that is probably happening in the future. |
|
You want to refer to a past event. (In newspaper headlines and captions to photographs.) |
|
You want to give instructions or indications |
|
How to recognize the usage of the present simple tense? You can recognize the use of the present simple tense when the sentence contains words as:
The table below shows the situations in which the present continuous is used.
Situation | Example |
---|---|
You want to describe an action or event that takes place at that exact moment. |
|
You want to describe an action or event that is happening now, but not necessarily during the conversation. |
|
You want to describe an action or event that is already scheduled, but is not happening right now. |
|
You want to describe a temporary event or a temporary situation. |
|
You want to describe and emphasize a continuous series of repeated actions. Often combined with words as 'always, forever, constantly.' |
|
How to recognize the usage of the present continuous? You can recognize the use of the present continuous tense when the sentence contains words as:
Test your knowledge of the difference between the present simple and the present continuous by doing the exercises below!
Fill in the correct tense of the verbs between brackets. Choose: present simple or present continuous.
Remember:
He is with his girlfriend. (to fight)
Martha a teacher. (to be)
We soccer twice a week. (to play)
They are an essay. (to write)
I do not meat, I a vegetarian. (to eat, to be)
You are to work now, aren't you? (to cycle)
Fillip does not Italian. (to speak)
Do you at a big company? (to work)
Is he homework right now? (to do)
School in six weeks. (to start)
Fill in the correct tense of the verbs between brackets. Choose: present simple or present continuous.
Remember:
I am a very interesting book at the moment. (to read)
His birthday on the second of January. (to be)
Who what time it is? (to know)
You are the wrong knife. (to use)
We are Christmas songs. (to sing)
Susan a dancer. (to be)
Where do you ? (to live)
I a present for my birthday. (to want)
Sam is very good today. (to look)
They are to school now. (to walk)
Fill in the correct tense of the verbs between brackets. Choose: present simple or present continuous.
Remember:
He is her messages. (to send)
Is he the game? (to win)
We in Manchester. (to live)
Sandra me her homework. (to show)
Are you money on food? (to spend)
The plant day by day. (to grow)
The kids are in the sand. (to play)
He always about jokes. (to laugh)
I am to my mother on the phone. (to speak)
The car in front of the traffic lights. (to stop)
Fill in the correct tense of the verbs between brackets. Choose: present simple or present continuous.
Remember:
He is with his girlfriend. (to fight)
Martha a teacher. (to be)
We soccer twice a week. (to play)
They are an essay. (to write)
I do not meat, I a vegetarian. (to eat, to be)
You are to work now, aren't you? (to cycle)
Fillip does not Italian. (to speak)
Do you at a big company? (to work)
Is he homework right now? (to do)
School in six weeks. (to start)
Fill in the correct tense of the verbs between brackets. Choose: present simple or present continuous.
Remember:
I am a very interesting book at the moment. (to read)
His birthday on the second of January. (to be)
Who what time it is? (to know)
You are the wrong knife. (to use)
We are Christmas songs. (to sing)
Susan a dancer. (to be)
Where do you ? (to live)
I a present for my birthday. (to want)
Sam is very good today. (to look)
They are to school now. (to walk)
Fill in the correct tense of the verbs between brackets. Choose: present simple or present continuous.
Remember:
He is her messages. (to send)
Is he the game? (to win)
We in Manchester. (to live)
Sandra me her homework. (to show)
Are you money on food? (to spend)
The plant day by day. (to grow)
The kids are in the sand. (to play)
He always about jokes. (to laugh)
I am to my mother on the phone. (to speak)
The car in front of the traffic lights. (to stop)
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Hello! I am a CELTA-qualified native English teacher offering lessons carefully tailored to your needs. Learn by dynamic conversation exchange, written pieces, songs lyrics, podcasts, and fun and challenging exercises.
I have a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology and have been rock climbing for about 25 years. As an Italian language learner myself, I believe that talking about your passions is one of the most effective ways of mastering a new language. I look forward to hearing about your interests!
I offer a free 15-minute meeting to discuss your personal goals for learning. Let’s work together to bring you closer to those English language goals!
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I have struggled learning Spanish in the past, but Catherine has helped me understand and connect with the material. She is creative, professional, and sincerely interested in helping her students with their personal learning goals. And she has been to so many different places! I find that so inspiring. Her experience has given her a great perspective. I look forward to learning from her in the future. Thank you, Catherine!
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Let me help you improve your English for any purpose. I am a native English speaker with a Master's degree in English, a Bachelor of Science degree and a CELTA teaching qualification.
I have been teaching for four years. As a copy-editor, I have been helping people improve their written English for over ten years (so yes, I can edit documents for you). Interviews: send me your CV and the job description and I will help you prepare.
Ready for certification? I will help you get ready for English language proficiency exams (TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, OET, C1 (CAE), C2 (CPE).)
We CAN meet free of charge (just book a FREE CHAT for 20 minutes) to discuss your learning needs/my teaching methods and to start talking.
It is useful if you take a quick online test to establish a starting point: https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/test-your-english/general-english/ Please let me know the results A1/2 B1/2 C1/2.
If you need to reschedule, please do so 24 hours in advance to avoid being charged.
NB If you are writing a test like IELTS or TOEFL 'in a month or two' and you need to obtain a minimum score to enter a university, remember that according to education bodies like British Council and Cambridge English, it takes an average of 120-130 lesson hours to move from one level or band to the next. So with 'one or two' months, you need to already be at B2 or Upper Intermediate level to start preparing.
For B2-C2 level students who enjoy photography: Would you would like to improve your English conversation and your photography? In a typical lesson, you will show me your latest photos and describe how and why you took them. Then we will discuss how photos are assessed in photographic competitions and, if necessary, we can go over the essentials of using a digital camera (although it's perfectly fine if you use your mobile phone to take photos).
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Sandra is a very experienced and kind teacher. She is amazing at making you feel at ease, so that you can really enjoy your class and focus on your learning. She provides great learning materials and organises the lesson according to your needs and level.
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Dear Sir/ Mam
My name is Monesh Nankoo. I am an I.T specialist/ Teacher. I am writing to show my keen interest for the position at your organization. I have completed my Bachelor's degree in Computer Science as well as my TEFL/ TESOL English master course. I do have several other qualifications in the field of I.T and logistics with are stated on my Resume.
I am a capable person along with excellent communication skills. I assure you that I will prove myself to be a valuable employee. I possess the necessary qualities needed to persevere such as adaptability, integrity and I am self-motivated.
I am really good at learning quickly and efficiently. I want to work at your company because I feel I could definitely add quality to the work that you do. I would love to work with you to achieve a greater reputation for your organization.
My future plans are to gain more experience in the field of Education or Information Technology to enhance my career.
Thank you for taking your time to review my application. Please contact me if you have any questions.
Yours sincerely,
Monesh Nankoo
Contact details:
Skype: moneshnankoo
Line: moneshnankoo
WeChat: Monesh_Nankoo
Email: Moneshnankoo@gmail.com
Alternative email: Moneshnankoo@hotmail.com
Mobile number: 0813307660/ 068 099 0519
Country: South Africa
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Abi
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Corinne is a kind, professional teacher and a great person! I strongly recommend her excellent lessons.
Corinne P.
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Thank you, Anastasiia!
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Hello! I am a CELTA-qualified native English teacher offering lessons carefully tailored to your needs. Learn by dynamic conversation exchange, written pieces, songs lyrics, podcasts, and fun and challenging exercises.
I have a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology and have been rock climbing for about 25 years. As an Italian language learner myself, I believe that talking about your passions is one of the most effective ways of mastering a new language. I look forward to hearing about your interests!
I offer a free 15-minute meeting to discuss your personal goals for learning. Let’s work together to bring you closer to those English language goals!
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MERHABA :)
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Hi everybody,
My name is Barbara.
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Oh! and I've almost forgotten to tell you:
I'm an ITALIAN TEACHER too
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If you think you need ENGLISH, ITALIAN and/or HUNGARIAN for your goals and dreams, get in touch and we can plan some lessons for you.
TEFL/TESOL qualified English Teacher
168 hours Tefl Org, Scotland, UK
40 hours Tefl Online Teaching, Tefl Org, Scotland, UK
30 hours Tefl Online Teaching, Tefl Institution, Ireland
TEFL/TESOL Online Teaching Practicum, Tefl Org., Scotland, UK
AVIATION ENGLISH RATER/EXAMINER, Mayflower College of English, Plymouth, UK
AVIATION ENGLISH RATER/EXAMINER, Lenguax, London, UK
I can teach you Conversational English, Business English, Prepare you for an exam or teach English to your kids. Or/and we can do all these in ITALIAN and HUNGARIAN too!
Hope to see you soon in class.
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Barbara B.
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Thanks so much for the kind words Em! It takes two. You really put your heart and mind to your goal. Very well done. Keep up the good work and you will see the results. See you in class :-)
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Hi! I am Francesca and have a degree in specialised translation and interpreting cum laude. I have been working in the field of translation and teaching for about three years.
I am a foreign language teacher and a tutor for courses leading to language certifications recognised by the Common European Framework. I also teach Italian to foreigners and am a CELI examiner. My academic training and professional experience have enabled me to develop a successful teaching method tailored to the needs of each learner, ensuring excellent results in a short time in all four language skills (speaking, listening, writing, and reading).
I hope to see you soon at your first free class to start your linguistic and cultural growth.
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Hello! I am a CELTA-qualified native English teacher offering lessons carefully tailored to your needs. Learn by dynamic conversation exchange, written pieces, songs lyrics, podcasts, and fun and challenging exercises.
I have a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology and have been rock climbing for about 25 years. As an Italian language learner myself, I believe that talking about your passions is one of the most effective ways of mastering a new language. I look forward to hearing about your interests!
I offer a free 15-minute meeting to discuss your personal goals for learning. Let’s work together to bring you closer to those English language goals!
-Parlo italiano-
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Melissa is a great teacher. The lessons are just what I was looking for: conversation, writting, grammar..
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I have struggled learning Spanish in the past, but Catherine has helped me understand and connect with the material. She is creative, professional, and sincerely interested in helping her students with their personal learning goals. And she has been to so many different places! I find that so inspiring. Her experience has given her a great perspective. I look forward to learning from her in the future. Thank you, Catherine!
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Let me help you improve your English for any purpose. I am a native English speaker with a Master's degree in English, a Bachelor of Science degree and a CELTA teaching qualification.
I have been teaching for four years. As a copy-editor, I have been helping people improve their written English for over ten years (so yes, I can edit documents for you). Interviews: send me your CV and the job description and I will help you prepare.
Ready for certification? I will help you get ready for English language proficiency exams (TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, OET, C1 (CAE), C2 (CPE).)
We CAN meet free of charge (just book a FREE CHAT for 20 minutes) to discuss your learning needs/my teaching methods and to start talking.
It is useful if you take a quick online test to establish a starting point: https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/test-your-english/general-english/ Please let me know the results A1/2 B1/2 C1/2.
If you need to reschedule, please do so 24 hours in advance to avoid being charged.
NB If you are writing a test like IELTS or TOEFL 'in a month or two' and you need to obtain a minimum score to enter a university, remember that according to education bodies like British Council and Cambridge English, it takes an average of 120-130 lesson hours to move from one level or band to the next. So with 'one or two' months, you need to already be at B2 or Upper Intermediate level to start preparing.
For B2-C2 level students who enjoy photography: Would you would like to improve your English conversation and your photography? In a typical lesson, you will show me your latest photos and describe how and why you took them. Then we will discuss how photos are assessed in photographic competitions and, if necessary, we can go over the essentials of using a digital camera (although it's perfectly fine if you use your mobile phone to take photos).
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Sandra is a very experienced and kind teacher. She is amazing at making you feel at ease, so that you can really enjoy your class and focus on your learning. She provides great learning materials and organises the lesson according to your needs and level.
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Dear Sir/ Mam
My name is Monesh Nankoo. I am an I.T specialist/ Teacher. I am writing to show my keen interest for the position at your organization. I have completed my Bachelor's degree in Computer Science as well as my TEFL/ TESOL English master course. I do have several other qualifications in the field of I.T and logistics with are stated on my Resume.
I am a capable person along with excellent communication skills. I assure you that I will prove myself to be a valuable employee. I possess the necessary qualities needed to persevere such as adaptability, integrity and I am self-motivated.
I am really good at learning quickly and efficiently. I want to work at your company because I feel I could definitely add quality to the work that you do. I would love to work with you to achieve a greater reputation for your organization.
My future plans are to gain more experience in the field of Education or Information Technology to enhance my career.
Thank you for taking your time to review my application. Please contact me if you have any questions.
Yours sincerely,
Monesh Nankoo
Contact details:
Skype: moneshnankoo
Line: moneshnankoo
WeChat: Monesh_Nankoo
Email: Moneshnankoo@gmail.com
Alternative email: Moneshnankoo@hotmail.com
Mobile number: 0813307660/ 068 099 0519
Country: South Africa
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Monesh is a very enthusiastic and patient teacher. He is very well-organized and a native English speaker from South Africa.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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