Don’t Panic English

Present Simple vs. Present ContinuousCommunicative Grammar Course Intermediate Week 1 Video 1 - Introduction

What are you going to learn about this week?

Present Simple

Present Continuous

Stative Verbs

VIP members: Communicative Grammar Task

Intermediate Week 1 Video 1

Study the explanations and compare the examples.

Present Simple (I do)Use the simple for things in general or things that happen repeatedly.

Water boils at 100 degrees celsius.

Intermediate Week 1 Video 1

Study the explanations and compare the examples.

Present Continuous (I am doing)Use the continuous for something that is happening at or around the time of speaking. The action is not finished.

The water is boiling. Can you turn it off?

Intermediate Week 1 Video 1

Study the explanations and compare the examples.

Present Simple (I do)Use the simple for things in general or things that happen repeatedly.

Excuse me, do you speak English?

Intermediate Week 1 Video 1

Study the explanations and compare the examples.

Present Continuous (I am doing)Use the continuous for something that is happening at or around the time of speaking. The action is not finished.

Listen to those people. They are speaking Spanish.

Intermediate Week 1 Video 1

Study the explanations and compare the examples.

Present Simple (I do)Use the simple for things in general or things that happen repeatedly.

What do you usually do in the evening?

Intermediate Week 1 Video 1

Study the explanations and compare the examples.

Present Continuous (I am doing)Use the continuous for something that is happening at or around the time of speaking. The action is not finished.

A: I can’t come tonight, I’m busy.B: Why? What are you doing?

Intermediate Week 1 Video 1

Study the explanations and compare the examples.

Present Simple (I do)Use the simple for things in general or things that happen repeatedly.

Most people learn to swim when they are children.

Intermediate Week 1 Video 1

Study the explanations and compare the examples.

Present Continuous (I am doing)Use the continuous for something that is happening at or around the time of speaking. The action is not finished.

Anna is in Germany at the moment. She’s learning German.

Intermediate Week 1 Video 1

What’s the difference between these two sentences?

My parents live in Budapest.

I’m living with some friends until I find a flat.

Intermediate Week 1 Video 1

What’s the difference between these two sentences?

My parents live in Budapest. I’m living with some friends until I find a flat.

1. temporary situation - for a short time only2. permanent situation - every day

Intermediate Week 1 Video 1

What’s the difference between these two sentences?

My parents live in Budapest. - 2. permanent situation

I’m living with some friends until I find a flat. - 1. temporary situation

Intermediate Week 1 Video 1

Which tense is commonly used with adverbs of frequency? (e.g. often, sometimes)

Intermediate Week 1 Video 1

✔ Present Simple

Why do we say this sentence in the Present Simple and NOT

the Present Continuous?I’m hungry. I want something to eat.

‘Want’ is a stative verb and is not usually used in continuous tenses.

Intermediate Week 1 Video 1

The Present Simple is used for:

1) permanent situations2) repeated habitual actions3) general truth

Intermediate Week 1 Video 1

Which sentence goes with the following uses? 1) permanent situations2) repeated habitual actions3) general truth

a) The park often holds festivals. b) The Earth goes round the Sun.c) Mr Chin lives in China.

Intermediate Week 1 Video 1

Which sentence goes with the following uses? 1) permanent situation2) repeated habitual actions3) general truth

a) The park often holds festivals. - 2) repeated habitual actionb) The Earth goes round the Sun. - 3) general truthc) Mr Chin lives in China. - 1) permanent situation

Intermediate Week 1 Video 1

The Present Continuous is used for:

1) actions happening now2) temporary situations3) future arrangements

Intermediate Week 1 Video 1

Which sentence goes with the following uses? 1) actions happening now2) temporary situations3) future arrangements

a) This week we are holding an Indian week. b) Some friends of ours are visiting us next week. c) We are waiting to go down the Colorado River.

Intermediate Week 1 Video 1

Which sentence goes with the following uses? 1) actions happening now2) temporary situations3) future arrangements

a) This week we are holding an Indian week. - 2) temporary situationsb) Some friends of ours are visiting us next week. - 3) future arrangementsc) We are waiting to go down the Colorado River. - 1) actions happening now

Intermediate Week 1 Video 1

Let’s take a look at the rules together in the next video.