Talking about the Present
When you talk, the verbs should agree with the orders of events. That's why We will learn how and when to use the present tense in this lesson.
In this lesson, we will discuss various topics in English that are expressed in the present tense.
We use the present tense to talk about:
- Things Happening Now
- Ongoing Things But Not Necessarily Right Now
- Things That Are Always True
- Things That Are True at The Moment
- Things That Always Happen in the Present
- Things That Temporarily Happen from Time to Time
- Something New, Different from the Former Situation
- Something Changing
- Ongoing Situation (Usually Annoying)
1. Things Happening Now
If we want to talk about a situation or an action that is ongoing at the moment of speaking, we use the present continous. For example:
I
Be quiet! The baby
To describe something that is happening at the exact moment of speaking, we can also use the present simple tense.
Note that this meaning of the simple present often is used in sports commentaries. Look at the examples:
He
2. Ongoing Things But Not Necessarily Right Now
Things that are ongoing for the present time, but not necessarily right at the moment of speaking are expressed by the present continuous tense. Check out these examples:
I
I
Something Temporary (with Beginning and End)
When we want to talk about something that we consider to be temporary (something that has a beginning and an end), we can use the present continuous tense. Check out the example:
Sam
We can also say 'Sam studies law at Harvard University'. The difference is that the present continuous tense focuses on the process, while the present simple focuses on the state of things.
3. Things That Are Always True
If we want to talk about something that is always true such as scientific facts, we use the present simple tense. By 'facts', we mean situations that are unchanging or permanent. They will never change. For example:
The Earth
Carnivores
4. Things That Are True at The Moment
If you want to talk about a situation or action that is generally true in the present (at the moment of speaking or writing), you use the present simple tense. Look at the examples:
I
Ben
Jobs
The simple present is used to talk about our jobs and what we do for a living. For example:
'What does Sara do?' 'She
'What do you do?' 'I
Likes and Dislikes
To talk about what you like and dislike, you can use the present simple tense. Commonly we use this pattern: like/don't like something or like/don't like doing something. However, there are many more verbs used for expressing likes and dislikes. Check out the examples:
Christine
Lucas
State of Being
The present tense is a verb tense used to describe a state of being. This is used usually with the verb 'be' or other linking verbs such as 'feel, seem, appear,' etc.
I
She
Using Present Continuous to Talk about Ongoing Actions
5. Things That Always Happen in the Present
To talk about something that happens regularly in the present, we use the present simple tense. We use adverbs of frequency (like always, sometimes, never, every, normally, often) or adverbial phrases that show the frequency of an action. For example:
I
The meeting
Habits and Routine Activities
The simple present tense is used to talk about our habits and routine activities. Check out these example:
I
6. Things That Temporarily Happen from Time to Time
To talk about something that happens regularly in the present before and after a specific time we use the present continuous tense. Here are the examples:
I
Every time I run into Jack he
Hobbies and Interests
If we want to talk about hobbies and interests, we can use the present simple tense. For example:
I
In my free time I
7. Something New, Different from the Former Situation
If you want to talk about a new situation that recently happened and is different from the former situation, you can use the present continuous tense. Check out the examples:
Nowadays people
Kim told me you quit your job. What
8. Something Changing
In order to describe something that is changing or developing or growing, you can use the present continuous tense. Look at the examples:
The days
Look at our son, Bobby. He
9. Ongoing Situation (Usually Annoying)
If a situation or action is happening time after time, we use the present continuous to describe it.
Pay attention that normally the adverb 'always' is used with this use. For example:
It
You
Verbs Only Used in the Present Simple
Verbs that are related to emotional states or perceptions are most commonly used in the present simple. Examples of these verbs are 'sound', 'believe', 'feel', 'hate', 'hear', 'love', 'prefer', 'see', 'seem', 'want', 'like', 'mean', 'agree' and 'realize.' Here are the examples:
I
We
Another group of verbs that are only used in the present simple refers to verbs that show possession, such as 'own', 'possess', 'consist of', 'depend', 'belong', have.' For example:
This car
The menu
Review
Learning the most basic tense in English grammar helps us learn other concepts even more fluently. Here in this article, present simple tense and present progressive tense were introduced.
Let us take a look at their functions and differences through the table:
| Present Simple | Present Progressive | |
|---|---|---|
| Happening now | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ongoing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Temporary | ✓ | ✓ |
| Changing events | ✗ | ✓ |
| Always true or true at the moment | ✓ | ✗ |
| jobs | ✓ | ✗ |
| Likes and dislikes | ✓ | ✗ |
| Habits, hobbies, interests | ✓ | ✗ |
Note that there are some verbs that cannot be used in continuous form because of their grammatical rules. They are called stative verbs.
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