What's the difference?
Present Simple and Present Continuous
Download this page in PDFPresent Simple | Present Continuous |
Things which are always true:
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Things which are happening at the moment of speaking:
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Permanent situations (or nearly permanent; true for a few years at least):
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Temporary situations:
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Habits or things we do regularly:
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Temporary or new habits:
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Future events which are part of a timetable:
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Definite future plans:
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To talk about what happens in books, plays and films:
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To talk about people in pictures and photos:
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- We use the present simple with stative verbs. We can't use any continuous tense (including the present continuous tense, of course) with stative verbs.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT:
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
ACTIVITIES TO CONTRAST SIMPLE PRESENT AND PRESENT CONTINUOUS.
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3