These texts present a comprehensive guide to understanding and mastering English tenses. The series focuses on both basic and advanced tenses, providing step-by-step instructions and practical exercises. Rebecca, the instructor, emphasizes clear explanations of when and how to use each tense, along with common mistakes to avoid. The materials cover the nuances of the present simple and present continuous tenses, highlighting differences in usage related to permanent vs. temporary actions, routines, facts, and schedules. Spelling changes, contractions, and short answers are also addressed for practical application. Overall, the goal is to provide learners with the structure needed to communicate fluently and confidently in English.
Mastering English Tenses: A Study Guide
Quiz: Short Answer Questions
- What is the main purpose of understanding English tenses, according to the source?
- How many tenses are there in the English language?
- What are the six basic tenses that Rebecca refers to in the text?
- What does the present simple tense generally describe? Give an example.
- What does the present continuous tense generally describe? Give an example.
- According to the text, what are the five situations in which we can use the present simple tense?
- How do you form the present simple tense in positive sentences for the subjects he, she, and it?
- When is the present continuous tense also called the present progressive tense?
- What is the difference between an action verb and a stative verb? Give one example of each.
- When is it acceptable to use a present simple tense to speak of something in the future?
Quiz Answer Key
- According to the source, the main purpose of understanding English tenses is to make a big improvement in English by being able to communicate more fluently and confidently. It allows you to use the right tense to convey when something happened.
- In the English language, there are twelve different tenses. They are often divided into basic and advanced tenses.
- The text does not specifically name the six basic tenses. Instead, it indicates that they are the ones usually learned first when starting to learn English.
- The present simple tense generally describes something that is true in general, more or less permanent, or a routine activity. An example is “I work at the bank.”
- The present continuous tense generally describes something that is happening right now or something temporary. An example is “I am teaching.”
- The five situations in which we can use the present simple tense are to talk about things which are permanent, routines, facts, schedules, and to use adverbs of frequency.
- In positive present simple sentences, for the subjects he, she, and it, you need to add an “s” to the end of the verb (e.g., he works, she works, it works).
- The present continuous tense is also called the present progressive tense because both names refer to the same grammatical concept and can be used interchangeably.
- An action verb describes an action, such as “run,” while a stative verb describes a state or condition, such as “understand”. The use of stative verbs is generally limited in continuous tenses.
- It is acceptable to use the present simple tense to speak of something in the future when referring to a regularly scheduled event. In such cases, a time indicator like ‘tomorrow’ is necessary for clarity.
Essay Questions
- Discuss the importance of mastering English tenses for effective communication. Use examples from the provided text to support your argument.
- Explain the differences between the present simple and present continuous tenses, providing specific examples of when each should be used and when errors are commonly made.
- Outline Rebecca’s suggestions for successfully completing the English tenses program. How do these recommendations align with effective language learning strategies?
- Analyze the role of “stative verbs” in the English language, discussing their impact on tense usage, particularly concerning the present continuous tense.
- Compare and contrast the uses of the present simple and present continuous tenses, explaining how the choice of tense affects the meaning and interpretation of a sentence.
Glossary of Key Terms
- Tense: A grammatical category that expresses time reference, indicating when an action or state occurs (past, present, or future).
- Present Simple: A verb tense used to describe habits, general truths, permanent situations, and regularly scheduled events.
- Present Continuous (Progressive): A verb tense used to describe actions happening at the moment of speaking, temporary situations, or trends.
- Verb “To Be”: A verb that functions as a main verb or an auxiliary (helping) verb; its forms (am, is, are, was, were, being, been) are essential for constructing various tenses and sentences.
- Adverb of Frequency: A word or phrase that indicates how often an action occurs (e.g., always, never, sometimes, often, rarely).
- Contraction: A shortened form of a word or phrase, where letters are omitted and replaced with an apostrophe (e.g., “don’t” for “do not,” “I’m” for “I am”).
- Action Verb: A verb that describes a physical or mental action (e.g., run, jump, think, read).
- Stative Verb: A verb that describes a state, condition, feeling, or mental process, rather than an action (e.g., know, like, have, understand).
- Routine: A sequence of actions regularly followed, often habitual or customary.
- Schedule: A plan that indicates when events or activities are set to occur.
Mastering English Tenses: A Comprehensive Guide
Okay, here’s a briefing document summarizing the key themes and ideas from the provided text excerpts about English tenses.
Briefing Document: Mastering English Tenses
Subject: Understanding and Utilizing English Verb Tenses (Present Simple vs. Present Continuous)
Source: Excerpts from “Pasted Text” (engVid series on English verb tenses)
Overview: The provided text focuses on English verb tenses, particularly the present simple and present continuous tenses. It emphasizes the importance of mastering tenses for clear and fluent communication and offers a structured approach to learning them. The presenter, Rebecca Ezekiel, highlights common mistakes and provides practical tips for effective learning and practice.
Main Themes & Ideas:
- Importance of Tenses: Tenses are fundamental to English communication. “Tenses tell us when something happened, and whenever you communicate in English, you’re using an English tense.” A strong grasp of tenses provides structure and clarity. “If your structure is weak, your English will be weak. But if your structure is strong, your English will be strong.”
- Structured Learning Approach: The material promotes a systematic learning process, breaking down the 12 English tenses into basic and advanced categories. The approach focuses on understanding when and how to use each tense, with ample practice. “In this program, you will learn how to use each of the English tenses, step by step, so that you can communicate more powerfully and correctly and confidently in English.”
- Present Simple vs. Present Continuous (Progressive): A significant portion of the text is dedicated to differentiating between the present simple and present continuous tenses, highlighting their distinct uses and common points of confusion.
- Present Simple: Used for general truths, permanent situations, routines, facts, and schedules. Example: “I work at the bank” (permanent job). “The sun rises in the east” (fact). “Our class starts at 9:00.” (Schedule).
- Present Continuous: Used for actions happening right now or temporary situations. Example: “I am working” (happening now). “We are staying at a hotel” (temporary). The use for a trend, describing a change or development, is also described: “The prices of homes are increasing”. It can also be used to complain about something “They’re always making noise.” It can sometimes be used to describe future events when a future time is specified “She’s flying to Mexico next week.”
- Forming Tenses: The text provides detailed explanations on how to form the present simple and present continuous tenses, covering positive, negative, and question structures.
- The “to be” verb is essential to the present continuous. “In order to use this tense correctly, you need to know two things: you need to be sure that you know the verb “to be” perfectly, and then you need to know how to add the verb + ing and any changes you need to make in spelling.”
- Contractions: Contractions are used extensively in informal speaking.
- “So, in English, sometimes, instead of saying, for example, “I am learning”, we shorten it or contract it and say, “I’m learning”. So, why do we do that? Usually, it’s faster, it’s easier, and we use it a lot in informal conversation and also in informal writing.”
- However, contractions are inappropriate for use in formal business writing or academic writing.
- Spelling Rules: Specific spelling rules are outlined for adding “-s,” “-es,” and “-ing” to verbs, including changes required for verbs ending in “e,” “ie,” and CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) patterns.
- Short Answers: Proper short answers are taught for real conversation, without unnecessary repetition of the full question. For example: “If someone says, “Do they need help?”, then you can just say, in short, either “Yes, they do” or “No, they don’t”.” “Is he working late?” you could simply say “Yes, he is”, or “No, he isn’t.” “
- Common Mistakes: The material addresses common errors, such as confusing present simple and present continuous, incorrect verb forms, spelling mistakes, missing words, and using stative verbs in the continuous tense.
- “So usually the mistakes are of four different kinds. Sometimes, the mistake is in the tense itself.”
- “And with this tense, we cannot use stative verbs, and in fact, in any continuous tense in English, you cannot use stative verbs.”
- Stative Verbs vs. Action Verbs: It is critical to be aware of Stative Verbs, which describe states of being, conditions, emotions or senses, rather than an action. Stative verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses.
- Learning Tips: The presenter recommends making a plan/schedule, actively participating in lessons (taking notes, repeating phrases), and reviewing material regularly. “Really, it’s not just about wishing that you get better, or hoping that you get better in English. It’s about making a decision and then taking the actions.”
- Limitations of the Present Continuous: This should not be used to describe permanent situations, like where someone lives, which should be present simple.
Key Quote:
“Remember, tenses give structure to the language. If your structure is weak, your English will be weak. But if your structure is strong, your English will be strong.”
Target Audience: English language learners of all levels, particularly those struggling with English verb tenses.
Call to Action: Begin with the first tense (present simple) and progress systematically through the series. Practice frequently and apply the rules to real-life situations.
English Tenses: A Comprehensive Question and Answer Guide
Frequently Asked Questions About English Tenses
1. Why is mastering English tenses important?
Mastering English tenses is crucial for clear and effective communication. Tenses provide the structure of the language and indicate when an action occurs (past, present, or future). A strong grasp of tenses allows you to express yourself fluently and correctly, avoiding misunderstandings. Without it, your English could appear weak or confusing.
2. How many English tenses are there, and how are they categorized?
There are twelve English tenses. These are often categorized into six basic tenses (usually learned first) and six advanced tenses. They can also be categorized as simple or continuous/progressive tenses. This categorization helps learners understand the patterns and rules that apply across the tense system.
3. What is the difference between the present simple and the present continuous tenses?
The present simple (e.g., “I work”) is used to describe things that are generally true, permanent situations, routines, facts, and schedules. The present continuous (e.g., “I am working”) is used to describe actions happening right now, temporary situations, and trends. The key difference is that present simple refers to general or habitual actions, while present continuous focuses on actions in progress or temporary states.
4. Can the present continuous tense ever be used to talk about the future?
Yes, the present continuous can be used to talk about the future, but only when you specify a time in the future (e.g., “She’s flying to Mexico next week“). Without a future time marker, the present continuous implies that the action is happening now.
5. What are “stative verbs,” and how do they affect tense usage?
Stative verbs describe a state, condition, mental state, emotion, or possession (e.g., “know,” “like,” “have”). These verbs generally cannot be used in continuous tenses, including the present continuous. So, it’s incorrect to say “I am needing help”; you should say “I need help.” However, stative verbs can be used in the present simple tense. Action verbs, on the other hand, can generally be used in both present simple and present continuous.
6. What are some common mistakes that learners make when using the present simple tense?
Common mistakes include:
- Confusing it with the present continuous (using present continuous for permanent situations).
- Incorrect verb forms (especially forgetting the “-s” for he/she/it).
- Spelling errors (particularly with verbs ending in -s, -sh, -ch, -x, or -y).
- Missing essential helping verbs (“do” or “does” in questions and negative sentences).
7. What are some common mistakes that learners make when using the present continuous tense?
Common mistakes include:
- Missing the verb “to be”.
- Using the incorrect form of the verb “to be.”
- Using stative verbs.
- Incorrect spelling when adding “-ing.”
- Using it to describe permanent actions or activities.
8. What is the best way to practice and improve my understanding of English tenses?
To effectively learn and practice English tenses:
- Create a study schedule and stick to it.
- Take your time with each lesson.
- Take detailed notes and review them regularly.
- Think of and create examples that apply to your own life.
- Repeat example sentences aloud.
- Pay close attention when reading and listening to spoken English.
- Practice making positive sentences, negative sentences, and questions to test yourself.
Understanding English Present Simple and Continuous Tenses
English tenses indicate when an event occurs, whether in the past, present, or future. There are twelve tenses in English, which can seem daunting, but they can be divided into six basic and six advanced tenses. Recognizing patterns in the English tense system can make learning easier.
The source material highlights two basic tenses to describe the present in English:
- Present Simple: Describes something that is generally true or more or less permanent. It can also describe routines, facts, and schedules.
- Present Continuous: Describes something happening now or something temporary. It can also describe something happening around now or a trend.
Here’s how to form the present simple and present continuous tenses:
Present Simple:
- Use the base form of the verb for subjects I, you, we, and they (e.g., I work).
- For he, she, and it, add an “s” to the base form of the verb (e.g., he works).
- To make a negative sentence, add “do not” before the verb (e.g. I do not work). With he/she/it, use “does not” (e.g. He does not work).
- To ask a question, use “do” before the subject (e.g., Do you work?). With he/she/it, use “does” (e.g. Does he work?).
Present Continuous:
- Use a form of the verb “to be” (am, is, are) + the verb + “-ing” (e.g., I am working).
- To make a negative sentence, add “not” after the verb “to be” (e.g. You are not working).
- To ask a question, reverse the order of the subject and the verb “to be” (e.g. Are you working?).
When learning the present continuous tense, it’s important to understand that stative verbs (verbs that describe a state or condition) generally cannot be used in the continuous form.
To improve English tenses, the source suggests creating a study plan, watching lessons, participating actively by taking notes, repeating pronunciation, answering questions, doing exercises, and reviewing material.
Present Simple Tense: Usage, Formation, and Common Mistakes
The present simple tense is a basic English tense used to describe various situations. It is important to understand when to use it, how to use it, and what mistakes to avoid.
When to use the present simple tense:
- Permanent situations: Use the present simple to describe situations that are generally true or more or less permanent. For example, “We live in New York” or “He works at a bank”.
- Routines: Use it to talk about regular activities or routines. For example, “I wake up at 6:00 every day”.
- Facts: Use it to state facts or scientific truths. For example, “The sun rises in the east”.
- Schedules: Use it to refer to regularly scheduled events. For example, “Our class starts at 9:00”.
- Adverbs of frequency: Use it with adverbs of frequency to describe how often something happens. Examples of adverbs of frequency include always, never, sometimes, rarely, and often. For example, “She always takes the bus”.
How to form the present simple tense:
- Positive sentences: For the subjects I, you, we, and they, use the base form of the verb (e.g., I work). For he, she, and it, add an “s” to the base form of the verb (e.g., he works).
- Negative sentences: For the subjects I, you, we, and they, use “do not” before the verb (e.g., I do not work). The contraction of “do not” is “don’t” (e.g. I don’t work). For the subjects he, she, and it, use “does not” before the verb (e.g., He does not work). The contraction of “does not” is “doesn’t” (e.g. He doesn’t work).
- Questions: For the subjects I, you, we, and they, use “Do” before the subject and the base form of the verb (e.g., Do you work?). For the subjects he, she, and it, use “Does” before the subject and the base form of the verb (e.g., Does he work?). Question words (who, what, when, where, why, how, etc.) can be added at the beginning of the question (e.g. Where do you work?).
Spelling changes in the present simple tense (for he, she, it):
- Generally, add an “s” to the base form of the verb (e.g., dance becomes dances).
- If the verb ends in s, sh, ch, or x, add “es” (e.g., kiss becomes kisses).
- For verbs ending in a consonant and y, drop the y and add “ies” (e.g., study becomes studies).
- Irregular verbs have different endings; for example, go becomes goes, do becomes does, and have becomes has.
Short answers in the present simple tense:
- If a question starts with “Do,” the short answer will include a form of “do” or “don’t,” depending on whether it’s a positive or negative answer (e.g., “Do they need help?” “Yes, they do” or “No, they don’t”).
- If a question starts with “Does,” the short answer will include a form of “does” or “doesn’t” (e.g., “Does he speak French?” “Yes, he does” or “No, he doesn’t”).
- In the affirmative or positive answer, do not use a contraction. In the negative form, it is common to use a contraction.
Common mistakes to avoid:
- Confusion between present simple and present continuous tenses. Present simple is for something permanent, and present continuous is for something temporary.
- Incorrect verb form.
- Spelling mistakes.
- Missing words, such as a helping verb.
Present Continuous Tense: Usage, Formation, and Common Mistakes
The present continuous tense is a basic English tense that is often one of the first tenses learned by English students. It is also called the present progressive tense. The present continuous tense may not exist in all languages, so it is important to understand how to use it correctly.
When to use the present continuous tense:
- Something happening right now: For example, “The baby is sleeping” or “It’s raining outside”.
- Something happening around now: The action may not be happening this minute but is happening around this time. For example, “He is writing a book” or “He’s working on a project”.
- Something temporary: It is not something that happens all the time, but something temporary. For example, “We are staying at a hotel”.
- A trend: Something that’s changing or developing. For example, “The prices of homes are increasing”.
- Repeated action (usually negative): Used to complain about something. For example, “They’re always making noise”.
- The future (in a special way): Use the present continuous to talk about something in the future by including a specific time, such as “next week,” “tomorrow,” or “next year”. For example, “She’s flying to Mexico next week”.
How to form the present continuous tense:
- Use the subject (I, you, we, they, he, she, it) + the verb “to be” (am, are, is) + the verb + “-ing”. For example, “I am working,” “You are working,” or “He is working”.
- To make the sentence negative, add “not” after the verb “to be”. For example, “You are not working” or “He is not working”.
- To form a question, reverse the order of the subject and the verb “to be”. For example, “Are you working?” or “Is he working?”. Question words (when, where, how long, why, etc.) can be added to the beginning of the question while keeping the same word order.
Contractions in the present continuous tense:
| Affirmative | | Negative | | | :————- | :——— | :———————– | :——— | | I am | I’m | I am not | I’m not | | You are | You’re | You are not | You’re not | | | | | You aren’t | | He is | He’s | He is not | He’s not | | | | | He isn’t | | She is | She’s | She is not | She’s not | | | | | She isn’t | | It is | It’s | It is not | It’s not | | | | | It isn’t | | We are | We’re | We are not | We’re not | | | | | We aren’t | | They are | They’re | They are not | They’re not| | | | | They aren’t|
Spelling changes when adding “-ing”:
- For most verbs, add “-ing” to the end of the verb (e.g., eat becomes eating).
- For verbs ending in “e”, drop the “e” and add “-ing” (e.g., use becomes using).
- For verbs ending in “ie”, drop the “ie” and add “y” and then “-ing” (e.g., lie becomes lying).
- For some verbs ending in a consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) pattern, double the last letter (e.g., clap becomes clapping).
Short answers in the present continuous tense:
- Answers take their cues from the question itself. For example, if someone asks, “Is he working late?” you can reply, “Yes, he is” or “No, he isn’t”.
- In a positive answer, do not use a contraction. In a negative answer, it is acceptable to use a contraction.
- If someone asks, “Are you studying?” you can reply, “Yes, I am” or “No, I’m not”.
When NOT to use the present continuous tense:
- Do not use the present continuous tense to talk about any permanent actions or activities.
- Do not use the present continuous tense with stative verbs, which describe a state or condition. Action verbs can be used in the present continuous tense.
Common Mistakes to Avoid:
- Missing the verb “to be”.
- Using the incorrect form of the verb “to be”.
- Using the main verb incorrectly.
- Making spelling mistakes.
- Using a stative verb.
- Using the present continuous tense to describe permanent situations.
English Verb Tenses and Forms: A Comprehensive Guide
Here’s a discussion of verb forms, drawing on information from the sources:
English tenses rely on different verb forms to indicate when something happens.
Present Simple Tense:
- Base Form: For I, you, we, and they, use the base form of the verb. For example, “I work”.
- Adding “s”: For he, she, and it, add an “s” to the base form of the verb. For example, “He works”. This is the only instance where an “s” is added to the verb.
- Negative Form: Use “do not” (or “don’t”) before the base form for I, you, we, and they (e.g., “I don’t work”). Use “does not” (or “doesn’t”) for he, she, and it (e.g., “He doesn’t work”).
- Question Form: Use “Do” before the subject for I, you, we, and they (e.g., “Do you work?”). Use “Does” before the subject for he, she, and it (e.g., “Does he work?”).
Present Continuous Tense:
- Formation: This tense combines a form of the verb “to be” (am, is, are) with the present participle (base form + “-ing”). For example, “I am working,” “You are working,” “He is working”.
- Negative Form: Add “not” after the verb “to be”. For example, “You are not working”.
- Question Form: Invert the subject and the “to be” verb. For example, “Are you working?”.
Spelling Changes with -ing:
- Generally, add “-ing” to most verbs (e.g., eat becomes eating).
- Drop the “e” for verbs ending in “e” (e.g., use becomes using).
- Replace “ie” with “y” then add “-ing” for verbs ending in “ie” (e.g., lie becomes lying).
- Double the final letter for some verbs with a consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) pattern (e.g., clap becomes clapping).
Irregular Verbs:
- Some verbs, especially irregular verbs, have unique forms in the present simple tense. Examples include “go” becoming “goes,” “do” becoming “does,” and “have” becoming “has”.
Stative Verbs:
- Stative verbs describe a state or condition, not an action. They often relate to mental or emotional states, possession, or senses.
- Avoid using stative verbs in continuous tenses. For example, rather than saying “I am needing help?”, use “Do you need help?”.
Common Present Simple and Continuous Tense Mistakes
Here’s a discussion of common mistakes, drawing on information from the sources:
Present Simple Tense Common Mistakes:
- Confusion with present continuous: Mixing up present simple (for permanent situations) with present continuous (for temporary situations). For example, saying “I am living in Tokyo” when Tokyo is your permanent residence is incorrect; instead, say “I live in Tokyo”.
- Incorrect verb form: Using the wrong verb form in positive, negative, or question sentences. For example, saying “We likes to travel” is incorrect; the correct form is “We like to travel”.
- Spelling: Errors in spelling, particularly with the addition of “s,” “es,” or “ies” to verbs for he, she, and it. For example, writing “She trys to save money” is incorrect; the correct spelling is “She tries to save money”.
- Missing words: Leaving out essential helping verbs. For example, “What time you finish work?” is missing the helping verb “do”; the correct question is “What time do you finish work?”.
Present Continuous Tense Common Mistakes:
- Missing the verb “to be”: Omitting “am,” “is,” or “are”. For example, “My brother watching the news” is incorrect; it should be “My brother is watching the news”.
- Incorrect form of “to be”: Using the wrong form of “to be” (am, is, are). For example, “Bob and Maria is driving home” should be “Bob and Maria are driving home”.
- Incorrect main verb: Using the main verb incorrectly. For example, “She is do her homework” is incorrect; it should be “She is doing her homework”.
- Spelling: Making errors in spelling when adding “-ing” or changing the verb form.
- Using stative verbs: Using stative verbs in the present continuous tense. For example, saying “I am needing some water” is incorrect because “need” is a stative verb; the correct sentence is “I need some water”.
- Permanent situations: Using this tense to describe permanent situations. For example, “We are manufacturing cars” is incorrect if it’s not a temporary activity; the correct tense would be present simple: “We manufacture cars”.
General Advice for Avoiding Mistakes:
- Differentiate permanent and temporary: Remember that present simple is for permanent or general situations, while present continuous is for what is happening now or is temporary.
- Know verb forms: Understand how to form positive, negative, and question sentences in both tenses.
- Practice spelling: Pay attention to spelling changes when adding suffixes like “-s,” “-es,” or “-ing”.
- Master “to be”: Ensure you know how to use the verb “to be” correctly as it is essential for the present continuous tense.
- Recognize stative verbs: Learn to identify stative verbs and avoid using them in continuous tenses.
- Review: Regularly review the rules and practice to reinforce correct usage.
The Original Text
Do you want to make a big improvement in your English? One of the best ways to do that is by mastering English tenses. This means understanding the difference between saying “I work” or “I am working”, “I have worked”, or “I had worked”, and so on. Tenses tell us when something happened, and whenever you communicate in English, you’re using an English tense. The only question is, are you using the right tense? In this series, you will learn all of the English tenses. These are full, complete classes for anyone who wants to speak, write, or understand English more easily and clearly. With each tense, we will go step by step from beginning to end. We’ll also go through the program from beginner level to the advanced level of tenses. And we’ll do lots of practice along the way. In addition, I will show you a special way to understand these tenses, so you can really start to use them more easily and quickly. Remember, tenses give structure to the language. If your structure is weak, your English will be weak. But if your structure is strong, your English will be strong. So, join me in this program to master the English tenses so that you can communicate fluently and confidently in English. Hi, I’m Rebecca, and welcome to this series on English tenses. In this program, you will learn how to use each of the English tenses, step by step, so that you can communicate more powerfully and correctly and confidently in English. Now, when we say English tenses, what does that mean? Tenses are simply the way we talk about time in any language. So, for example, when we want to say when something happened, we’re using tenses. If we’re talking about the past, the present, or the future, we need to use tenses. And in English, there are twelve tenses. Don’t let that frighten you. I’m going to explain it to you in a way that makes it much easier for you to understand and start to use each of these tenses. And that’s how you will progress in your English. Okay? So, first, I’ve divided the tenses into six basic tenses and six advanced tenses. And I’m going to show you exactly the kind of patterns that exist throughout this tense system, so that as you go forward, many parts of it will become easier and easier. Okay? Alright. That’s first of all. Now, in terms of what are these lessons actually like? In terms of the content – these are not short lessons. These are full, complete classes on each tense. Alright? Just as if – if you were in a language school in North America or England or Australia. That’s the kind of class it’ll be. A solid class on each tense. So, in these classes, I will explain, for each tense, when to use it and how to use it. We will do lots of practice so that you really feel comfortable using that tense correctly in terms of the grammar, in terms of when to use it. And also, we’ll look at some common mistakes that students often make so that you don’t make those mistakes. I’ve also created some bonus lessons where we compare different tenses. Because sometimes the confusion is not within the tense but between tenses. So, I’ve got some comparison lessons that will help you understand the differences. Okay? Next – so, how could you do this course? Here are my suggestions. First, make a plan, alright? Make a schedule for yourself. When are you going to watch them? And then, like any school, show up for class. Really, it’s not just about wishing that you get better, or hoping that you get better in English. It’s about making a decision and then taking the actions. So, you’ve already made the decision, because you’re watching this, and that’s amazing. Now, make the plan so you can take the action steps you need to reach your goal. Okay? That’s first. Next – watch the lesson. Alright? Take your time with it. Don’t rush through it, even if some part seems easy, watch it anyway. Let your brain get really comfortable and completely knowledgeable in that area, okay? And while you’re watching, participate. What does that mean? Be an active learner. Make notes. Go get a special notebook, a special binder, just for this course, this program, alright? Take notes as you go along. Participate and repeat after me when I’m – when we’re doing the pronunciation sections. Answer me when I’m asking questions, work on the exercises with me so that you are fully engaged and learning fully throughout that time, alright? Next – review. Whenever you have time or during the week or something like that, between your classes, review what you’ve learned. Go back – if there’s any particular part you’re not sure about, go back over it and just learn it again. Review it so that you’ll feel really sure as you go forward into the other tenses. And it will make everything so much easier for you, okay? I know that this program will work for you. Just stay with it and show up and keep going through it, step by step, and I know that it will lead you to a higher level of English. How do I know that? Let me take just a few seconds to tell you a little bit about myself. My name’s Rebecca Ezekiel. I’ve been teaching English for more than 30 years, and I’ve worked with thousands of students from all over the world to help them improve their English for academic purposes, business purposes, and all kinds of other reasons. Alright? I’ve also created lots of training programs for corporations and governments and schools and colleges. So, I assure you, you’re in good hands. I understand you. I understand your challenges, but also your hopes and dreams in improving your English to really expand your life. So, let’s go on this journey together and, most important, let’s get started! In this video, I’m going to give you an overview of all of the English tenses. And I’m going to show you a special way to understand them so that you can learn them more easily. So, this video is part of the http://www.engvid.com series on English verb tenses. But what are tenses anyway? Tenses are just the way we refer to time in a language. We could be talking about the past or the present or the future. In English, there are twelve different tenses, and they can be explained in many different ways, but I’m going to show you a simple way that I think will make it much easier for you to learn, understand, and start using them. So, let’s have a look. So, on the board, I’ve written the twelve tenses. In red are the names of the tenses, and in black is an example each time of that tense. Alright? But right now, you don’t have to worry about that. This is just to give you the big picture, alright? But don’t worry if you don’t know the names of these tenses or the examples. It doesn’t matter at all. Once we begin the program, you will be learning one tense at a time and you’ll learn everything you need to know when you get to that tense. Alright? So, what do we need to see here, though, that is helpful to us? So, even though there are twelve tenses, I’ve divided them in a particular way. The first six are what I call the basic tenses. Because usually, these are the ones you learn first when you start learning English. The second part, the second six tenses are more advanced tenses. Usually, you start learning those a little bit later. That’s the first part. Now, let’s look at it this way. On this side, we see simple tenses. On this side, we see continuous tenses, which are sometimes called progressive tenses. But all those names, simple, continuous, doesn’t matter right now. Because when you get to that tense, you’ll understand it. What is important, though, is that many of the patterns and rules that you’ll learn here will help you throughout this part of the tenses. And many of the rules and patterns about grammar, pronunciation, and spelling that you learn right here with this continuous tense will help you all the way through to the most advanced tense. What does that mean for you? It means that, as you go forward in this program, from the beginner tenses and the more basic tenses to the more advanced tenses. It’s not – everything is not going to get harder. Many of the points will actually become easier, because you will already have learned them up here in the basic tenses, or here, because many of these, as you can see – actually all of them have some sort of continuous aspect, which you will understand completely when you get there. Okay? So, that’s the most important points that I think you should take away right now from this. All you need to do at this point now is to begin the program with the first tense, which is the present simple tense. So I wish you all the best. Hi, I’m Rebecca. Welcome to this series on English tenses. In this class, we will look at the present simple tense. I’ll show you exactly when to use it, how to use it, and also what mistakes to be careful of when you’re using this tense. We’ll also go through lots of practice exercises together, so you’ll learn exactly how to use this tense correctly and confidently. Are you ready? Let’s get started. This series is about English tenses. But what are tenses anyway? Tenses are simply the way we talk about time in English. What do we mean by time? We mean the past, the present, the future, right? These are all different times and we have different tenses to express or talk about those times. So, in this lesson, we’re going to look at the two basic ways that you – we can speak about the present in English and they are: the present simple and the present continuous, or present progressive as it’s also called. Now, although we are focusing on the present simple, I want to give you a little overview so you understand the basic differences between these two simple tenses, alright? So, let me give you an example. In present simple, we would say “I work”. And in present continuous, we would say “I am working”. So, what’s the difference? What’s the difference between these two sentences? What’s the difference, is there a difference? I don’t know, what do you think? Well, I do know. And there is a difference. Perhaps, in your language, there isn’t any difference because in many languages, there is no difference between the way that these two ideas are expressed, but in English, there is a difference in the idea and the way that we say it. So, let me explain what that difference is. When we say “I am working”, which is that other tense, present continuous, which we can learn later, that is talking about something that is happening now, or something temporary. What do I mean by now? For example, I am teaching. You are listening, right? All these things are happening right now. So, when we are saying that, when I’m saying that, I’m using present continuous. But when I say “I work”, that is in general. For example, I may not be working at this moment, but I work somewhere. I have a job. So, when we talk about something that’s true in general, that’s present simple. Also, present simple is for something that’s more or less permanent. For example, if you have a job, of course, no job or thing in life is necessarily permanent. What does permanent mean, that it lasts all the time, but let’s say you’re not changing jobs every day. So, more or less, this is the job you’ll always have. This is your permanent job. So then, for those kind of activities, we use present simple and we say “I work at the bank”. “I work in the store” etc. But, “I am working” would just be right now, or it could also be for something temporary. “Temporary” means only for a short period of time. This is for always, this is for a short period of time. This is true in general, and this one is true for something happening now. So, those are some basic differences between these two tenses. Now, let’s focus on the tense that we’re working on today, which is present simple. So, how does it sound? How does it actually work? It’s like this – so these are the different subjects, and this is the verb and the way we use it. So just repeat it after me: I work. You work. We work. They work. He works. She works. And: It works. “It” meaning the air conditioner, or the computer. “It” is for something which is not a person but it’s for a thing. And we saw some differences there. Don’t worry about those changes now. We’re going to learn all about that in a later part of this lesson, okay? So that’s what it sounds like. This is a basic description of these two differences which you can keep in mind as we now move forward with the present simple tense. Now, let’s look at when we use the present simple tense, okay? So, we have five different situations in which we can use this tense. Let’s go through them one by one. First of all, we can use the present simple tense to talk about things which are permanent. Which are more or less always true, okay? For example: “We live in New York”. So, let’s suppose that this is where you live, right? Not just for a short time, but for a long time, and more or less, it’s a permanent situation. It’s always true for you. It doesn’t mean it’s completely true always, but most of the time, this is where you live. So, that’s what we consider permanent. So, we could say “We live in New York”, “He works at a bank”, so when we say, “He works at a bank”, it means that’s his permanent regular job, okay? It’s not a temporary job, it’s not a job that he has just for a little while, that’s where he works most of the time, okay? So, we use this for permanent situations. Think about yourself, okay? Whenever you’re trying to learn a tense, one of the great things you can do is to think of an example that applies to your life, or to people that you know. What is permanent for you? So, you could say a sentence right now, such as “I live in “, whichever city you live in. Or, if you’re working somewhere, and then you could say “I work _“, okay? So, you, by making these sentences are already using the present simple tense. It’s that simple. Okay. So, let’s look at another situation in which you can use the present simple tense. For routines. So, what’s a routine? A routine is something you do regularly, okay? For example, “I wake up at 6:00 every day.”, okay? “I go to sleep at 11:00”. So, wake, go, these verbs are in the present simple tense because they’re talking about a regular activity, a routine. We can also use this tense to talk about facts. For example: “The sun rises in the east”. It’s just a fact, it’s something that’s a scientific truth. It’s not something that I decided or you decided, it’s just true. We could also say “The sun sets in the west”, okay? Next, we can use this tense to talk about schedules, because think about it, what is a schedule? A schedule tells us when something is going to happen, and that’s kind of connected to this point, right? A regularly scheduled event. So, for example, we could say “Our class starts at 9:00.” Why are we using present simple? Because our class always starts at 9:00, alright? It’s kind of permanent, it’s kind of a routine, it’s a schedule. Or, the flight leaves at noon. Not just this time, but the flight always leaves at noon. It has a schedule and therefore we’re using the present simple tense with the words “starts” and “leaves”. Okay, got that? Now, let’s look at one other situation. There are some words in English, and they’re called adverbs of frequency, to describe how often something is happening. And these words are shown down here, but let’s look at this sentence first. “She always takes the bus”. So, always is a word that tells us how often something happens, and all of these words down here are just like that. So, if always is like 100% of the time, we have other words. We have the word “never”, which is 0%, it never happens. It doesn’t happen at all. So, we could say he or she never takes the bus. We could also say, let’s say, 50% of the time, okay, she takes the bus. So, we could say “She sometimes takes the bus”. Or, once in a while, okay, “She rarely takes the bus”. Or, “She often takes the bus”. So, when you see one of these words, which are called adverbs of frequency, that also tells you that you should be using the present simple tense, along with these other situations. So, if you want to learn it really well, as I said, apply it to yourself. Say something about your routine. Say something about what you always do, or what you never do, and that way, you are already using the present simple tense. Now, let’s look at how to form the present simple tense. So, I’ve divided the board into three sections. For positive sentences, negative sentences, and for questions. And we’ll go through each one step by step, okay? So, for these subjects, I, You, We, and They, we just say “work”. For example, “I work”. You can say it after me, that way, you will remember the grammar, you’ll also get the pronunciation, and it’ll help you to learn and remember. So, repeat after me: I work, you work, we work, they work. Good. Now, look what happens here. When it comes to he, she, and it, we need to add an “s”, okay? That’s all. We need to add an “s” for he, she, and it, not because it’s plural, it’s not plural, but from a grammar point of view, in the present simple, we need to add an “s” here. So, say it after me: He works, she works, and it works. Okay? Very good. So, that’s for a positive or affirmative sentence. Now, let’s look at a negative sentence. So, what we would say is “I don’t work” if we’re shortening it, or we would say “I do not work”. So, what happened here? How did we make it negative? First, we have to add this word “do”, and down here, we have to add the word “does”. So, this is a helping verb that we have to use in this negative form, alright? So just learn it the way it is and then you’ll understand it and you’ll get used to it. So, we say “I do not work”. The “do not”, when we shorten it, becomes “don’t”, and how does that happen? We take out the “o” here and then we squeeze these words together, we join them together, and it becomes “don’t”. So, first, let’s say it with the contraction, with the short form, because that’s how we usually speak. It is correct to say, “I do not work”, but usually we’ll say “I don’t work”, alright? But the most important thing to remember is here we say, “I do not work” but here it becomes “He does not work”, and “does not” when we shorten it, when we contract it, becomes “doesn’t”. So, what happened here? We cancelled the “o” and again, we joined these two words “does” and “not” and it became “doesn’t”, and you can always know how to spell this contraction or this short form because of where we put the apostrophe. We put the apostrophe, this little comma that’s in the in the air, in the place where we take out a letter. So, we put it here instead of the “o” and we put it here instead of the “o”. So, let’s go through these. I don’t work, You don’t work, We don’t work, They don’t work. Now, let’s go to he, she, and it. Remember, he, she, and it is always going to be a little bit different. Let’s hear it and say it: He doesn’t work, She doesn’t work, It doesn’t work. Let’s say the phone, the computer, it doesn’t work, okay? Now, let’s go to the questions. So, what happens in the questions? In the question, we also have to use that helping verb: “do”. “Do” here, and “does” down here, and we have to change the order, so instead of saying “I do”, we say “Do I?”, alright? So, repeat it after me: Do I work? I don’t know, I don’t remember. Do you work? Do we work? Do they work? Down here, you would say, with he, she, and it: Does he work? Does she work? Does it work? Alright? Now usually, of course, you’re not just going to say “Do you work?” You might say something more than that. Do you work on Fridays? Do you work Monday to Friday? Do you work at the bank? Alright? So usually there’s something more, but I’ve just put the basic form here so that you understand the structure of how to use this tense. Now, another important point is that sometimes, when we ask questions, we don’t just start with “do” or “does”, but we need to add a question word, right? So, maybe you want to say “where”. What are the question words, first of all: who, what, when, where, why, how, how much, how many, how often, okay? These are all what are called question words, but if you have one of these question words, all you have to do, it’s really easy, the only thing you have to do is to put that question word right before this structure. So, “Where do you work?”, right? When do you work? Why do you work? How much do you work? How often do you work? But we’re keeping the same structure and we still need to have that helping verb “do”. The same down here: Where does he work? When does she work? Okay? So, keep that structure and even if you have a question word, don’t worry, just put it at the beginning. So, here we have some examples: Where do you live? What do you do? Okay? But the most important thing to remember is this part, okay? He works. She works. It works. This is the only place in the entire board where we’re adding an “s” to the verb itself. Everywhere else, we’re just using the base form of the verb, right? So, let’s say our verb is “to work”. So, here it’s “work”. I work, I don’t work, Do you work? He works, here it’s different, but after that, it goes back to the base form of the verb, right? He doesn’t work. Does he work? So even though with he, she, and it in the positive sentence we add the “s”, but here in the negative, no, go back to the base form and in the question, go back to the base form of the word “work”, but you do need to remember that in that positive sentence, add the “s”, okay? So, that’s the structure of the present simple tense. It’s really pretty straightforward, you just need to practice it and you will get it. Now, let’s look at some of the spelling changes we need to make in the present simple tense. We only need to make those changes, as I mentioned earlier, when we’re using he, she, or it, because, for example, we say “I work” but “He works”, right? So what was the spelling change we needed there? We had to add an “s”. And most of the time, with most verbs, all you need to do is add that “s”. For example, dance becomes dances. You can say it after me as well, okay? Cook – cooks. Sleep – sleeps. Alright? So there, all we did, we just added the “s” for the he, she, or it. Next, if the verb ends with an s, or an sh, or a ch, or an x, then we need to add “es”. And we can almost hear it, okay? Just listen. For example, kiss – kisses. You see that we’re hearing “kisses” “es” a little bit – it’s a little bit longer, so that tells us we need to add an “es”. The next one, wash becomes washes. Teach – teaches. Fix – fixes. Okay? So, that’s another change. Another one is verbs ending in a consonant and y. What do I mean by that? If we look at this verb: study, it ends with a y, right? And just before the y, we have a consonant. What’s a consonant? Anything that’s not a vowel is a consonant. So, what’s a vowel? A vowel in English is a, e, i, o, or u. Everything else: b, d, g, x, etc., these are all consonants. So, d is a consonant. Or here, in the word try, we have a y and before that, we have a consonant, right? So, what happens in those cases? We have to drop that last y and we have to add “ies”. You’ve probably seen this lots of times, okay, but this is actually what’s happening. So, study becomes studies. Try becomes tries, okay? You’ll get it, you’ll see. Fry – fries, right? Like French fries, okay? Alright. So, then, last of all, there are some other verbs. They’re usually irregular verbs, okay? These are the most common patterns, but there are a few verbs where the ending might be different in one way or another, okay? Sometimes the verb really changes and you have to pay attention to that. You may be familiar with many of these already, but here are a few examples. Go becomes like “I go”, “He goes”. “I do”, “She does”. “I have”, “It has”. So you see that in some cases, the verb changed completely, okay? So these are the most common patterns for spelling changes in the present simple tense. Now, let’s look at how to give short answers in English. See, in real conversation, when someone asks you a question, we don’t usually repeat the whole question in our answer. We just give what’s called like a short answer. Let me give you an example. If someone says, “Do they need help?”, then you can just say, in short, either “Yes, they do” or “No, they don’t”. So, we do not have to say “Yes, they need help”, right? You don’t have to repeat that whole question. You just give what’s called the short answer. And how do you know how to shorten it? It’s really easy. So, if the question starts with “Do”, like this, right? Then your answer will include some form of “do” or “don’t”, depending on if it’s a positive sentence or a negative one. So, we see here “Do they need help?” “Yes they do.”, right? Or “No, they don’t.” Alright? So, the “do”, the way the question starts is the way you will be able to answer it, alright. It’s really pretty simple, it really is. The important thing to remember is that in the affirmative or positive answer, we cannot shorten it, okay? There is no way to shorten that correctly. So here, we have to say “Yes, they do”, but here we can use the short form, or that contraction that we learned, and you can say “No, they don’t”. Alright? Let’s look at another example. This time, I think you’ll be able to apply the principle yourself. So, the question is “Does he speak French?”. So, how did it start? With “does”. So, what are our options? “Yes, he does.”, right? Or “No, he doesn’t.” Okay? Again, the “does” is used in the short answer. “Yes, he does.” “No, he doesn’t.” Got it? Alright. So, based on that, you can see that you could answer any question that someone’s asking you in present simple by just listening carefully to the question, but you do have to pay attention also to the subject here. So for example, in this last one, “Do you like this song?”, somebody asks you, “Do you like this song?”. So your answer – they’re asking you, so you can’t say “Yes, you”, you have you say “Yes, I”. “Yes, I do”, the “do” comes into play again, or “No, I don’t.” So again, you do see the same principle applied all the way. And again, remember, in the positive form, you cannot shorten it, but in the negative form you can and you should shorten it because that’s how we normally speak, and these short answers are used a lot in normal conversation, so it would be a good idea for you to learn them and it’s really pretty fast and I think you might have already learned them. So, do you understand? You could say “Yes, I do!” I hope that’s what you said, okay? Alright. Now, let’s look at some common mistakes that students often make when they start using the present simple tense, and this way you’ll know what to be careful of so that you don’t make these kind of mistakes, alright? Let’s look. So usually the mistakes are of four different kinds. Sometimes, the mistake is in the tense itself. So remember we mentioned at the beginning that there can be present simple and present continuous, and that present simple is for something permanent and present continuous is for something temporary. So sometimes, learners get mixed up between these two tenses. So, let’s say in this example that this person lives in Tokyo, right? It’s not just for a little while, it’s where that person lives. So, if that person said “I am living in Tokyo”, that would be wrong. If that’s where the person stays permanently, he or she should say “I live in Tokyo”. They could say “I am living in Tokyo” only if it’s something temporary, alright? So, that is one mistake that’s sometimes made with the present simple, that confusion between it and present continuous. Now, let’s look at another kind of mistake. That’s when a mistake is made with the verb form. You’ll find it because now you’re good at this, okay? Ready, let’s read. These are all mistakes, okay, so these are all wrong, we’re going to correct them together. The sentence right now says “We likes to travel.” So, the verb is wrong. What should it be? “We like to travel”. Say it after me: We like to travel. Good. Here’s a mistake, the same thing in the verb form, but in a negative sentence: “They doesn’t eat vegetables.” That’s wrong, you know that. What should it be? “They don’t eat vegetables”. Say it after me: “They don’t eat vegetables”. Good. And here’s a mistake in the question: “Does you talk to him often?” That’s wrong. We can’t say that. We need to say what? “Do you”. Say it after me: “Do you talk to him often?” Good. Alright? So those are verb form kind of mistakes. Another mistake that’s possible is in spelling. We looked at the many kinds of spelling, right, and you need to make the changes. So here, the person wrote “She trys to save money”, but the spelling of the verb is incorrect, because here it’s a y and before that it’s a consonant, remember? So what should it be? “Tries”. They had to drop that “y” and add “ies”. So, you’ll pick up those spelling changes, okay? Just pay attention when you’re reading and so on and it’ll come to you unnaturally. Next, sometimes an entire word is missing. So, let’s look at this one. This is a question: “What time you finish work?”. It almost sounds right, but it’s not. It’s wrong. Grammatically in English, that’s wrong. Can you understand it? Yes, you can understand it, but it’s still wrong. So, how do we correct it? Did you find the mistake? So we should say “What time do you finish work?”. So, what was missing was that helping word, okay, that helping verb, remember, we do have to add that even if you have a question word here like “what time”, alright? “What time do you finish work?”. So, these are the four main kinds of mistakes that you have to be careful of. In tense, using the wrong tense, using the wrong verb form, making any kind of spelling mistakes, or leaving out an essential verb or helping verb. Alright? That’s it! You’ve been learning a lot, so now it’s time to practice. Let’s get started. Number 1: I take, but he . What would you say in present simple? I take, he takes, right? You have to add that “s” there, right? Very good. Now, let’s work it the other way. Number 2: She does, We . Do you know it? We do. Very good. Number 3: You enjoy. She . Yes, I can hear you. She enjoys. Very good. Alright Now, let’s make some phrases negative, alright, so we’re going from positive to negative. Number 4: They study. They _________. Use the contraction. They don’t study. Right? “Don’t” being short for what? Do not. Right, you’ve got it. Number 5: The next one. He sings. Make it negative. He ____. Yes, He doesn’t sing. “Doesn’t” is short for what? Does not. Very good. Now, let’s make some questions. So, let’s read the sentence first. Number 6: She wants to buy a new phone. How would we ask the question? What’s the helping verb you have to use, helping word? Do, or does, giving you a clue there. Here, it’s “She”, so we have to say, “Does she want to buy a new phone?” Okay, so remember, we come back to the base form of the verb and we have to use “do” or “does”, but because it’s she, we’re saying “does”. “Does she want to buy a new phone?” Okay? Good. Let’s do the last one. Number 7: They sell books online. Ask a question about that. Again, what are you going to start with? “Do” this time, right. “Do they sell books online?”, right? Okay? Why “do”? Because now we’re talking about they. And why “does” here? Because we were talking about “she”, alright. So, if you got those right, that’s great! If you got any wrong, maybe you can go back later and check those parts, but we’re going to practice some more, we’re going to learn a little bit more, and you’ll get it for sure by the end of this, okay. Stick with me. To review: you know the present simple tense when you know when you use it, which we talked about, and how to use it. And how do you know that you know how to use it? When you can do these things: you can make a positive sentence, a negative sentence, and a question. For example, you should be able to say easily “They live in Amsterdam.” or “They don’t live in Amsterdam.” or “Do they live in Amsterdam?”. You should be able to switch easily and comfortably and quickly and correctly between these three sentences, okay? So, remember, this is the present simple tense, but this is an entire series that we have of English tenses, so from the present simple, you can go to the next class which is on the present continuous tense, and that way you can take your English forward step by step, alright? And if you’d like a little more practice on this tense, the present simple tense, go to http://www.engvid.com , alright? Thank you very much for watching, I know you’re a serious student, and I know you’re going to make good progress. Hi, I’m Rebecca, and welcome to this class on the present continuous tense, which is also called the present progressive tense. Now, this class is part of the engVid series on English verb tenses. So, the present continuous tense is a basic tense. It’s usually one of the first tenses that you start to learn when you start studying English. However, it doesn’t exist in every language, and it might not exist in your language. So, it’s possible to make mistakes very easily and it’s a basic tense, so we really don’t want to make those kind of mistakes. So, just stay with me. We’re going to go through it step by step. I’ll show you exactly how to use it, we’ll do lots of practice together, and you will understand and be able to use it. So, are you ready? Let’s start. So, there are two basic tenses, first, to start to talk about the present. They are the present simple and the present continuous, okay? We know it has two names, I’m just going to use one name. So, what’s the difference? Let’s look at some examples in each of these tenses. So, in the present simple, I would say “I work”. In the present continuous, I would say “I am working”. So, what is the difference between these two? “I am working” talks about something that’s happening right now. For example, I am teaching. You are watching. You are listening. Or, it can also talk about something temporary, like you’re watching this lesson this moment, but also for a short time. Short is a general idea, okay? So, it could be something that’s happening now, or something temporary. However, we use “I work” in present simple to talk about things that are true in general. I work in this company, but I’m working now. Or, I work in this company, but I’m not working now. I’m having lunch. See the difference, okay? We also use present simple to talk about things that are more permanent, like your job, right? You don’t change your job usually every day. It’s more or less permanent; where you work, where you live. This is more permanent and general, present simple, and this is more temporary and now. So, that’s the basic overview and the basic idea. And, how do we actually form this tense? We form it by using the subject like I, you, we, they, he, she, it, plus the verb “to be”, plus the verb, plus -ing. Let’s look at an example: “I am working”. So, we have the subject and the verb “to be” and each form of the verb “to be”. I am working, You are working, We are working, They are working, He is working, She is working, It’s working, okay? Like the computer, the air conditioner, whatever, okay? So, that’s the basic overview of this tense. Now, let’s look at when we use the present continuous tense. So, as we saw earlier, we can definitely use it to talk about something that’s happening right now. For example, “The baby is sleeping”, don’t make noise, okay? Or for example, “Oh, it’s raining outside”, alright? So those are examples of something happening right now. We can also use this tense to talk about something that’s happening around now. For example, “He is writing a book”. So, he might not be writing it this minute, but he’s writing it around now. We don’t know how long it’ll take, but it’s happening around this time. So, we can use it in that context. For example, we could also say “He’s working on a project”. Maybe the project is going to take one week and maybe it’ll take one year, or ten years, we don’t know, but it’s happening around now, okay? Next, we can also use it to talk about something temporary. Not something that happens all the time, but something temporary. For example, that book, right? We don’t know, maybe it’s going to take him three years to write the book, but in his mind, it’s not something that’s going to last forever. It’s something temporary, okay? So, this is more about how you look at what is happening. Or, this example, something temporary, “We are staying at hotel”. We live in our home, that’s permanent, but right now, while we’re in this city, while we’re travelling, we are staying at a hotel. That’s something temporary. Okay? Next, we can also use it to talk about a trend. A trend is something that’s changing, okay? Something that’s developing. For example, “The prices of homes are increasing”. Let’s say the prices were here, and now the prices are going up, so we can say the prices are increasing. Some sort of changes that are happening. And we can also talk about a trend in terms of something that’s popular. Often, we talk about things – fashion trends, for example, right? People are wearing a certain color. People are wearing bright colors this summer, or people are wearing certain kinds of shoes. So, we can talk about trends using this present continuous tense, alright? So, those are the basic ways in which we use this tense, but I just want to let you know that there are also two slightly more advanced ways in which we can use this tense. So, let’s look at what they are. The first one is to talk about some kind of repeated action, but it’s usually something negative. So, we’re using it to kind of – when we want to complain about something. For example, if you say, “They’re always making noise”, that’s a negative remark, right? So, we can use “always” in this context with the present continuous tense. Usually, we use words like always, never, sometimes, frequently, and so on, to talk about present simple. Something that’s true in general. For example, “They always help us”, or just to talk about facts. But when you’re talking about something negative, then very often we can use this present continuous tense, but that’s a slightly more advanced way to use it, so don’t worry about it too much, but you might hear people using it that way. And, another point, I know that I said this is called the present continuous, and it talks about the present, not the past, not the future, the present, however, sometimes we can actually use it to talk about the future, but only in a special way. So, let’s look at what that is. If I say, “She’s flying to Mexico next week.”, now, if I didn’t say “next week”, if I only said, “She’s flying to Mexico”, what does it mean? It’s happening right now. So, when I want to use this tense to talk about the future, I have to say something like this. I have to say next week, tomorrow, next summer, next year, I have to give it some kind of time in the future and then you can use present continuous for the future in a slightly more advanced way, okay? So, those are the basic ways in which we use this tense. Now, let’s look at when not to use the present continuous tense. So, first of all, everything here, all these examples, these are all wrong, okay? And we’re going to understand why. So, we cannot use the present continuous tense to talk about any permanent actions or activities. For example, for most people, where they live, where they work, these are more or less permanent. They don’t change every day. They’re not temporary, right? So, if I live in Canada all the time, then it would be wrong to say, “I am living in Canada”. That would only be okay if it was something temporary. Similarly, if I work at ABC company, and that’s my permanent job, it would be wrong to say, “I am working at ABC Company”. I would need to say, “I work at ABC Company”. That would be a difference tense, the present simple tense. And similarly here, if I live in Canada, I need to say “I live in Canada” and not “I am living”, because that would be temporary. So, that’s the most common kind of mistake that people make, so be really careful of that. Similarly, we have stative verbs. This is another area that you have to be really careful about. Why? Because in English, there are two kinds of verbs: action verbs and what are called stative verbs. So, action verbs are your normal verbs that you know most of the time like work, run, play, jump, okay? And stative verbs describe a state, or a condition. It could be a mental state. It could be an emotional state, okay? And with this tense, we cannot use stative verbs, and in fact, in any continuous tense in English, you cannot use stative verbs. Let me give you some examples of stative verbs. For example, it would be wrong to say, “I am understanding English”. No. You cannot say that, because “understand” is a stative verb, to do with your mind, so it’s wrong to say that, okay? This is all wrong, okay. It would be wrong to say, “We are liking this show”. Liking is wrong because “like” is a stative verb. So, we would need to say, “We like this show”. “I understand English”, okay? Similarly, here, when you talk about verbs that refer to what you own, what you possess, what you have, we cannot use those verbs in the stative form with this tense. So, it would be wrong to say, “They are having a car”. You would need to say, “They have a car”. Similarly, again, there’s a long list of stative verbs, but the verb “need” and the verb “want” are very common verbs which are usually stative verbs and therefore you can’t use them in this tense. So, it would be wrong to say, “Are you needing help?”. You would need to say, “Do you need help?”, okay? So, whether you have learned the present simple or not, don’t worry right now, just understand that with the present continuous, you cannot use stative verbs, so everything here is wrong. Now, let’s look at how we form the present continuous tense. Let’s start by looking at a sample sentence. “I am working”. So, we saw that there are three parts: I, which is the subject, am, in this case, which is a form of the verb “to be”, then we have the verb “work”, right, and then we have “-ing”, alright? So, in order to use this tense correctly, you need to know two things: you need to be sure that you know the verb “to be” perfectly, and then you need to know how to add the verb + ing and any changes you need to make in spelling. So, what I’ve done is I’ve divided this lesson. First; into just looking into the verb “to be” to make sure that you’re using it correctly, because if you have mistakes in the verb “to be”, this central part, then you will make mistakes in this tense. But if you’ve got it right, then you’ll be absolutely fine. So, let’s just take a minute to review the verb “to be”, alright? And then we’ll move on to the next part. So, in a positive sentence, it would be I am. You are. We are. They are. He is. She is. It is. Now, when we say the verb “to be”, the verb “to be” is one of the most common verbs, but it is used in two ways. One is by itself. For example, I can say “I am a teacher.”, or we can also use the verb “to be” as a helping verb, as it’s being used in this tense. Then, I could say “I am teaching”. Now, the verb “to be” became a helping verb, but one way or the other, whether I’m using the verb “to be” by itself or I’m using it in this context, then I still need to know exactly how to use the verb “to be”. So now, let’s look at the negative. I am not. You are not. We are not. They are not. What do you notice? We’re just adding “not”, right? Let’s do it a little bit more. He is not. She is not. It is not. Okay? Right now, don’t worry about this last part. We’re going to add that soon, okay? Let’s just get this part right, the verb “to be”, alright? Next, let’s look at when we have the verb “to be” in a question or in our tense. So, what do we do? Instead of saying “I am”, we say “Am I?”. If you had the verb after that, you’d say, “Am I working?” and so on, but we’ll look at that in a minute. Right now, just master this part. It’s a critical part of understanding and using this tense correctly. Are you? Are we? Are they? Right? The same at the bottom here: Is he? Is she? Is it? Alright? So, make sure that you can use the verb “to be” so that you can use the present continuous tense correctly. Now, let’s look at how we form the full present continuous tense. You already know the verb “to be”, now we’ll say a positive sentence, a negative sentence, and a question. So you can repeat after me, it will be very good practice to also hear the correct form. I am working. You are working. We are working. They are working. He is working. She is working. It is working. Okay, got that? Good. For the negative, it’s very easy, you just add “not” before the verb, plus the -ing, so “not working”, right? You are not working. He is not working. They are not working. Like that, okay? It’s very simple, just take this and add “not working”. Now, for the question, we have to reverse the order. So, instead of saying “I am”, we say “Am I?”, right? Just like with the verb “to be”, same thing, that’s why I told you the verb “to be” is so important, it’s part of this tense. So, repeat after me, the questions: Am I working today? Are you working? Are we working? Are they working? Is he working? Is she working? Is it working? So, that’s your basic question form. Now remember, you can always add a question word before that. For example, you could say “When are you working?”. Where are you working? How long are you working? But what’s important – what’s important if you do that is to keep this same order. Keep your question order. Don’t turn it back into a sentence. Just add the question word, like when, or how long, or why, or something like that, and keep this structure. When are you working? Where are you working? Why are you working? And so on, okay? And that’s how you form the present continuous tense. Now, let’s look at how we use contractions in the present continuous tense. So, in English, sometimes, instead of saying, for example, “I am learning”, we shorten it or contract it and say, “I’m learning”. So, why do we do that? Usually, it’s faster, it’s easier, and we use it a lot in informal conversation and also in informal writing. We do not usually use contractions like these in formal business writing or in academic writing, but we use them a lot on an everyday basis. So, let’s see how to spell them and how to pronounce them. So, I am becomes I’m. What happened here? We took away the A and put an apostrophe where we took away the letter and we joined those two words. I’m. You are becomes you’re. We are becomes we’re. They are becomes they’re. He is becomes he’s. She is — she’s. And it is — it’s. Okay? Alright, so let’s say a sentence, a really short sentence, with these contractions, so you can learn how to say them easily and naturally. I’m learning. You’re learning. We’re learning. They’re learning. He’s learning. She’s learning. It’s learning. Okay? Good. Now, we can do the same thing when it’s negative. So, instead of saying “I am not”, we can shorten it in one way only, we can say “I’m not”. So basically, we just took the “I’m” and added “not”, alright? So, we just got rid of this and then we joined these two, okay? Sorry, we didn’t join them, but we used them, one after the other, okay? I’m not. So, let’s say a sentence: I’m not watching. Are you watching TV? No, you can put it off, I’m not watching, okay? Next: You are not becomes what? There are two possibilities here. First, let’s just add “not”. So, “you are not” can become you’re not, we’re not, they’re not. Or, “You are not” can be contracted in a different way. Here, we’re just going to take away the O here and put an apostrophe and combine these two. What we did here is we took this one and we got rid of this letter and combined this one. So, let’s look at it for a second. “You are not here” became “You’re not”. We contracted these two words. “You are not here”, we got rid of the o and we joined these two words: are not. So, the other possibility is “You aren’t”. Say it after me: You aren’t watching. We aren’t watching. They aren’t watching. Okay? Very good. The same here – “He is not” can become “He’s not”, right? We got rid of this one. She’s not, It’s not. Or, we can get rid of the o here and join this and we can say “He isn’t”, She isn’t watching. It isn’t watching. So that’s how we spell and pronounce the contractions. Now, let’s look at some spelling changes we need to make to the verb when we’re using the present continuous tense. So, with all of the verbs, you need to add “-ing”. And to most of the verbs, that’s all you need to do. You just need to add “ing”. For example, eat becomes eating. Walk – walking, right? All we did was add that “ing”, but with some verbs you need to make a few small other changes. For verbs ending in E, we need to drop the E and then add “ing”. For example, use becomes using, so we dropped or cancelled this E and added ing. Take becomes taking. Again, we dropped or cancelled the e, alright? Good. For verbs ending in “ie”, we need to drop the ie and add y and then add the ing. For example, lie, right, l-i-e, cancel ie, add y, then ing. Lying. Tie becomes tying, okay? That’s it! Now, for some verbs, ending in a C-V-C pattern, we have to double the last letter. What does that C-V-C? C stands for consonant, V for vowel, and C again for consonant. A vowel in English is A,E,I,O or U and a consonant is any other letter. So, what you do is look at the verb, alright, you look at the verb from the end, it will be easier, and if it follows that pattern, right, C, a p is a consonant, an a is a vowel, and then the l is a consonant, so if it follows that pattern, C-V-C, then double that last letter. Now, there are some special circumstances, it doesn’t always apply, but it often applies. There are patterns in English spelling and sometimes there are exceptions. So, in this case, clap becomes clapping. Sit becomes sitting. Okay? And those are the major spelling changes you need to make. Now, let’s look at how to give short answers in the present continuous tense. So, in English, if someone asks you a question and your basic answer is “Yes” or “No”, we don’t usually just say “Yes” or “No”. We usually say a little bit more than that. But, at the same time, we don’t have to repeat everything they asked us in the question in our answer. So, what we do is something like this. If someone says, “Is he working late?” you could simply say “Yes, he is”, or “No, he isn’t.” And how do you know what to say here? You just take it from here, right? So, is he? Yes, he is. Or, no, he isn’t. Alright, so, what’s important to notice is that in the positive answer, you cannot use any contraction. You cannot shorten it and say “Yes, he’s”. No, that’s wrong. But in the negative, you can definitely use the contraction. You can say “No, he is not”, it’s not wrong, but usually we’ll just use the contraction. The same thing here: “Are they going to the meeting?” So, we could say what? Yes, they are, or no, they aren’t, okay? So, you’re basically taking your answer clues from the question itself. And again, no contraction possible in the positive answer. Here’s another one. “Are you studying?” So here, it’s going to be a little bit different. Why? Because they’re asking, “Are you” and they’re – you have to answer with “I”, right? So here, you cannot use it, but you will simply say “Yes I am” or “No, I’m not”. Got it? You can’t take it from there, but you can still just give a short answer. You don’t have to say “Yes, I am studying”, “No, I am not studying”, just say “Yes, I am”, “No, I’m not”. In fact, it’s a good thing to just know this phrase, alright? Yes, I am. No, I’m not. So, for example, if I ask you “Are you learning the present continuous tense?” “Yes, I am.” “Are you making progress in your English?” “Yes, I am”. “Are you feeling happy?” I hope you’re saying “Yes, I am.” Now, let’s practice what you’ve been learning. So, we have some positive sentences we’re going to work with, some negative ones, and some questions. So, first, we’ll take a sentence which is in present simple and we’re going to change it to present continuous, okay? Number 1 — “I go” becomes what? “I am going.” Or “I’m going.” Alright? You can also contract it or shorten it. “We wait”. Let’s use the contracted form and turn it into the present continuous form. “We wait” becomes what? “We’re waiting”, right? We’re waiting. We are waiting. We’re waiting. Good. “They play” – again, let’s use the contraction just so you can practice the spelling, also where to put that apostrophe and so on and pay attention to it. “They play.” becomes “They’re playing.”, okay? Very nice. Alright. Now, we have a sentence that’s already in present continuous. What we want to do is to change it to the negative form in present continuous. “She’s calling.” How can we make that negative? There are two ways. She’s calling – make it negative – She’s not calling, this is one way, and the other way – She isn’t calling, right? Those were the two ways that we learned. She’s not calling. She isn’t calling. Alright? Very good. “We’re cooking”. Make it negative. First, the easy way, you can always just use the easy way too, if you’re unsure – We’re not cooking. I call this one the easy way, because you just need to add “not” and it’s 100% right. It’s not like that one is better than this one, no, everything is equally correct. We’re not cooking, or what’s the other way though? We aren’t cooking. Okay? So again, pay attention to the spelling there. Next, number 6 – “I’m reading”. Make it negative. What will it become? I’m not reading, and in this case, that’s the only form that we can make it negative. Alright. Now, the questions. So, right now, it’s just a sentence. Let’s see how we can make it into a question. “They are buying a new car.” Make it a question, it’s really easy. Got it? Yes, just move these around. Are they buying a new car? And of course, the first word will be capitalized, and the second word will not. “She is doing her homework.” Make it a question, what is it? The same thing. Is she doing her homework? Good. And if you’re writing it, again, it would be capital for the first letter and then not capital after that. “We are leaving at 8:00.” Make it a question – same thing. Are we leaving at 8:00? And of course, at the end of each of these, we would have a question mark if you’re writing it down. So, how did you do? Hope everything is going well, and I’m sure it is. Let’s look at a little bit more. Now, let’s look at some common mistakes that are made with the present continuous tense, and you can help me correct them. The first kind of mistake – sometimes the verb “to be” is missing. For example, “My brother watching the news”. So, what did that student need to say? What did that person want to say? What’s missing? The verb “to be”? So, we have to say “My brother is watching the news”, okay? Remember, we have the subject, the verb “to be”, and then the verb + ing. Sometimes, the same thing can happen but in a negative sentence. For example, this person wrote “John not helping”. How can we correct that? “John” – the easy way to correct it is to say “John is not helping” or you can always contract it and say “John’s not helping”. Okay? Or we can say “John isn’t helping”. Alright. Sometimes, the verb “to be” is missing in a question. Instead of saying “She going?”, what’s wrong there? What should we be saying? We should be saying “Is she going?”. Is she going, right? Again, we needed that verb “to be”. We can’t have this tense without the verb “to be”, right? That’s why we looked at it so many times, so make sure that you don’t forget it. Next, sometimes the verb “to be” is there, but it’s incorrect. There’s an incorrect form of it being used. For example, this person wrote “Bob and Maria is driving home”. That’s not right. They have the verb “to be” but it’s not in the right form because “Bob and Maria” is like “they”, right, so it should be “Bob and Maria are driving home”, okay? And here, this person wrote “He ain’t studying.” Now, “ain’t” is actually slang. You might hear it a lot in songs or in music or in movies, okay, but in academic English, in correct grammar, it’s not acceptable, so if you’re doing an exam or if you’re writing a paper for university or if you’re trying to impress a client, it’s probably not such a good idea to use it. Instead of that, you should use the correct version which is what? “He isn’t studying”, okay? That doesn’t mean you can never use slang, you can certainly use slang with your friends or casually whenever you want to, but just be aware – what is slang, and what is not slang. Next, sometimes the verb, the main verb, not the verb “to be”, but the verb in the sentence is used incorrectly. For example, this person wrote “She is do her homework”. How can we fix that? “She is doing her homework”. And this one wrote “The game is start now”. It should be “The game is starting now”, okay? There we go, good. See, I’m sure you can find these now yourself, right? And that’s the way. Now you’ve learned, you know the rules, you’re able to apply the words, whether you’re reading something or whether you’re looking at something or whether you’re writing it yourself or whether you’re speaking, it will come out right. Next, sometimes mistakes are made in spelling. For example, there are several mistakes here. “She’s lieing” but this should be what? Not lie, lying. This was one of those verbs also, “She’s siting”, but it’s consonant, vowel, consonant, so we need to double the last letter, sitting, and here, “writeing”, ends with an E, the verb “write”, so we need to get rid of that E, okay? So be careful of those spelling changes that we talked about. Also, here’s a spelling mistake. This person wrote “Were going to the mall.” That’s what they wanted to say, but what’s missing here? The apostrophe, good. So, that goes right here, okay? Instead of “We are” it became “We’re”. “We’re going to the mall”. Okay? Next, sometimes people forget, and they use a stative verb anyway in this tense and they might say something like “I am needing some water.”, but can we say that? No. In correct English, you cannot say that, because “need” is one of those stated verbs. So, you’d need to change that and just say “I need some water”. The same here, “I’m wanting to visit Hawaii”. No, “want” is another stated verb, so we just say, “I want to visit Hawaii”, okay? And last of all, remember what I told you, what we talked about earlier, that we don’t and should not be using this tense to talk about permanent situations. So, for example, somebody asked this person “What does your company do?” and he said, “We are manufacturing cars.” But that’s not right, because it’s not something they do just temporarily, it takes a lot of work and organization to do this work, so it should be not “We are manufacturing cars.”, but just “We manufacture cars.”, okay? So, in that case, using the present continuous tense would be incorrect. You just needed there – the other present simple tense. So, these are some of the common mistakes, and I think you see that once you know the rules, the rules actually make it easier for you. They free you to speak and communicate more correctly. So, we’ve covered a lot in this class. Let’s review now, just one last time. You know this tense when you can make, what? A positive sentence, a negative sentence, and a question. For example: “David is making coffee.” A positive. “David is not making coffee.” A negative sentence. “Is David making coffee?” A question, or to add question words to that, for example, “When is David making coffee?” “Why is David making coffee?”, and so on. Okay? So, what can you do from here? To practice this tense, try to think of examples in your own life. Talk to yourself as you’re going through your day. What are you doing at that moment? I’m waking up, I’m brushing my teeth, I’m taking a shower, I’m having breakfast, there are so many things that you can say as you’re walking around. You don’t have to say them aloud, you can also say them in your mind, okay, but try to use the tense that you’ve learned so well right now, okay? Now, when you feel that you know this tense, then you can go on to the next lesson in this series, because this is a series of the verb tenses. Next, after that, you can also practice a little bit more, if you wish, by taking a quiz on http://www.engvid.com . Thanks very much for watching, and all the best with your English. In this lesson, you will learn the difference between the present simple tense and the present continuous tense, which is also called the present progressive tense. In other words, you’ll learn the difference between saying “I work” or “I am working”. So, this lesson is part of a series created by engVid to help you learn all of the English verb tenses. Now, I have created lessons on each of these tenses separately, and maybe you have already watched them, and now you’re watching this, which is great, or you can watch this lesson and then you can go on and watch the other separate lessons so that you can go into more detail if you wish. So, both of these tenses are basic tenses. However, they don’t exist in all languages, and maybe they don’t exist in your language, so pay a little more attention and as you do, you will understand easily the differences between these tenses. So, shall we begin? Let’s go! So, the present simple tense sounds like this: I work. The present continuous tense sounds like this: I am working. So, what’s the very basic difference? The basic difference is that “I am working” talks about something that’s happening right now, or something temporary that happens for a short time. “I work”, present simple, talks about something that’s true in general, or something more permanent, something that lasts for a long time. That’s the very basic difference, but we’re going to be looking at all of the really specific differences between these two tenses. But first, let’s see, what does this tense even look like? What does it sound like? Let’s see that. So, with present simple, we basically take the subject + the verb. In this case, our sample verb is “work”. So, it would sound like this – you can say it after me if you like. It’s good to repeat things out loud, helps you to feel more comfortable and get used to using it yourself. So, we would say: I work. You work. We work. They work. But here we have a difference: He works. We have to add an “s” there. She works. It works, okay? Again, once you’ve studied this tense in detail, you’ll know all of these changes perfectly, but I’m just giving you an overall view. When it becomes negative, it becomes “He does not work.”, or, if it becomes a question, it would say “Does he work?”, alright? So, that’s the basis of the present simple. Now, let’s look at present continuous. Now here, what happens? We have a subject: I, he, you, they, etc., + the verb “to be”, we need that helping verb here, + our basic verb, which in this case is “work”, + “-ing”, so it’s a little bit longer because we have that helping verb in the middle, plus we have “-ing” at the end, okay? So, how does this sound? I am working. You are working. We are working. They are working. He is working. She is working. And, it is working, alright? So, that’s the basic positive form of it. The negative form would be just to add a “not”. “You are not working”. He is not working. And if we shorten that, it becomes “He isn’t working”. And if we make it into a question, change the order, we would say “Is he working?” Are you working? Are they working? And so on, okay? So, that’s the basic structure of the two tenses, and next we will be looking at when to use them. So, we use these two tenses in different ways. Let’s understand now what they are. So, in the present simple, we would say, for example, “I live in this building”. This is my permanent residence. This is where I live all the time. So, we use present simple: “I live”. In present continuous, we might say “I am staying at a hotel.” This is something temporary. It’s not all the time, it’s only for some time. So, here, we have “I am staying”, which is present continuous, here we have “I live”, which is present simple. Permanent, temporary. Next, we could say “He plays the guitar.” This is true in general. It means he knows how to play the guitar. He plays. Present simple. Here, we could say “He is playing the guitar.” That means he’s doing that right now. He is playing now. As soon as we say, “He is playing”, even if we don’t use the word “now”, this tense already means that it’s happening right now, okay? So, he plays in general, but he is playing the guitar means it’s happening right now. Another example, “We watch the news at 9:00pm.” “We watch”, okay? This is to talk about a routine, every day we watch the news at 9:00pm. Alright? So that’s to describe a routine, something that happens regularly. Or, we could say here “We are watching the news.” “We are watching” means what? In this case again, it’s happening right now, okay? We’re watching the news, call us later, we’re just watching the news, happening now. But, every day, we watch the news at 9:00, okay? So that’s a routine, that’s again something that’s happening now. See the difference? Let’s look at another one. “The sun sets in the west.” “The sun sets”, okay? The sun rises in the morning, the sun sets in the evening. This is just a fact, okay? So, we use present simple to talk about facts. But, here, we could say “Look, how beautiful, the sun is setting! The sky is all orange and pink and lovely colors”. So, this means the sun “is setting” means it’s happening right now, alright? So here, it was a fact, the sun sets in the west, it’s just a fact, and here, it’s happening now. So, these are the first few differences between these two tenses. Now, here are some more differences. In present simple, we would say “The price rises every year.” This is something that happens in general. In present continuous, we might say “The price is rising this year.” This is a trend, this is the general direction in which things are changing, so here, the price “is rising” this year, but the price “rises every year”, okay? This is present simple. Next, suppose we want to talk about a habit. We might say “She always takes the bus.” She always takes – but here, we might say “She is always complaining about the bus.” So, when you’re talking about a negative habit, then we can use present continuous, but if you’re just talking about a regular habit, then you would use present simple. Alright? Next, we could say, in present simple, “The flight leaves at 7:00pm.” Now, why do we use present simple for that? Because it’s a regularly scheduled event, right? The flight leaves at 7:00pm, that’s the schedule. It always leaves at 7:00pm. But in present continuous, we might say “The flight is leaving.” The flight is leaving means what? The flight is leaving right now, okay? And we know that because we have “is leaving”. Here, we had just “leaves”. Okay. And now here’s something where both of these tenses can actually be used for the same purpose, but in different ways, with different language. So, we could say, for example, even though this is the present simple, and even though this is the present continuous, until now we have been talking about present uses, but let’s look at this example, this is different. “The flight leaves at 7:00pm tomorrow.” What, Rebecca, really? Leaves, present simple, and tomorrow? Yes, we could say that, and we do say that sometimes. Why? Because it’s kind of connected with this one because it’s a regularly scheduled event, right? Then we could use it to talk about tomorrow, okay? And sometimes we do. So, we could say “The flight leaves at 7:00pm tomorrow.” and it’s kind of connected to this idea of the schedule, alright? But similarly, you could also say “The flight is leaving at 7:00pm tomorrow.” Again, you’re saying, “Rebecca, really, this is present continuous, why are we using it to talk about the future?” Because we can! It has a special use where we can say – use present continuous to talk about something in the future but you have to say something like tomorrow, next week, next Monday, next year. You have to give the time, because if you say, “The flight is leaving at 7:00pm.”, what does it mean? It’s leaving right now. But – or, a little bit in the future – but if we say the flight is leaving at 7:00pm tomorrow, then we know for certain it’s in the future and yes, we can also use present continuous along with a few other ways to talk about the future. There’s one other really important difference between the present simple tense and the present continuous tense, and that has to do with the kind of verbs we can use with each tense. So, one way to divide verbs in English is to see whether it’s an action verb or whether it’s a stative verb. An action verb is something that has action. For example, run or jump, or sing and dance, read and write. These are all action verbs. And action verbs, we can use in the present simple tense and we can also use them in the present continuous tense. For example, I could say “She runs”, as in, she runs every day, or “She is running”, like she’s running right now, but stative verbs are different. Stative verbs describe a state or condition. It could be a mental state, it could be an emotional state, it could talk about possession, it could talk about certain senses, and there is a list of stative verbs which you need to learn when you’re studying English grammar, because most of the time, we cannot use the stative verbs in the continuous tenses. But, with the present simple, you can use all the verbs. You can use the action verbs and you can use stative verbs, no problem, alright? So, for example, we can definitely say “He knows them.” or “We like them.”, knowing being something mental, and like being something emotional, alright? So, with present simple, use any verb you like. With present continuous, be careful, definitely you can use the action words, but if you are not sure about the stative verbs, avoid them. As a general rule, be careful of using any stative verbs with the present continuous tense.
By Amjad Izhar
Contact: amjad.izhar@gmail.com
https://amjadizhar.blog
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