Presente Simple Vs Presente Continuo

Present Continuous (I am doing)	Present Simple ( I do)
Use the present continuous: Talk about something that is happening at or close to the time of speaking. For a temporary situation.	Use the present simple: To talk about things in general or things that happen repeatedly. For a permanent situation.

• El Presente Simple expresa hábitos, mientras que el Present Continuous indica lo que está ocurriendo en el momento de hablar.
• Ejemplo: I usually study at home, but today I'm studying at my friend's house. (Normalmente estudio en casa, pero hoy estoy estudiando en casa de mi amigo.)

• Los Verbos "Estáticos": Se utilizan para expresar gustos, sentimientos y deseos, actividades de la mente, posesión y percepción. Se refieren a estados en lugar de a acciones, por lo que NO se puede usar el Present Continuous.
• Ejemplo: She likes the film. (A ella le gusta la película)
• Ejemplo: I don't know the answer. (No sé la respuesta)

• Listado de verbos estáticos: Want, need, prefer, have, like, love, hate, belong, see, hear, know, realize, belive, suppose, mean, understand, remember, forget, seem.

 EXERCISES

1. Decide whether the verbs in these sentences are right or wrong. Correct the ones that are wrong.

• I don’t know your telephone number.
• Please don’t make so much noise. I study.
• Look! Somebody is climbing that tree over there.
• Can you hear those people? What do they talk about?
• Are you believing in God?
• Look! That man tries to open the door of your car.
• The moon goes around the earth.
• What are you thinking about my idea?
• The government is worried because the number of people without jobs is increasing.
• I’m usually going to work by car.

2. Put the verb in the correct form, present continuous or present simple:

• I ___________(not/belong) to a political party.
• Hurry! The bus ___________(come). I __________(not/want) to miss it.
• The Nile River ___________ (flow) into the Mediterranean.
• The river ____________(flow)very fast today – much faster than usual.
• We usually __________(grow) vegetables in our garden, but this year we __________(not/grow) any.
• Can you drive? No, but I ____________(learn).
• You can borrow my umbrella.It ______________(rain) now.
• George says he’s 80 years old, but I ___________(not/believe) him.
• Ron is in San Francisco now. He __________(stay) at the Hilton Hotel. He usually _____________(stay) at the Hilton Hotel when he’s in San Francisco.
• My parents ________(live) in Winnipeg. They were born there and have never live anywhere else.
• She __________(stay) with her sister until she finds somewhere else to live.

3. Choose the correct answer.

• When he comes / is coming, I’ll go.
• They shop / are shopping at the moment.
• The earth is / is being round, not flat.
• She talks /is talking to him on the phone every day.
• Do you know that I learn / I’m learning Chinese.

4. Choose the correct time expression:

• We are listening to music every day / at the moment.
• An astronomer looks at the stars at night / today.
• I use my telescope this minute / once a week.
• The planets move around the sun right now/ all the time.
• We are reading about aliens now/ on Wednesdays.
• John goes to an astronomy class every week / now.

5. Complete the sentences using the Present Simple or Present Continuous:

• Usually, Sally _________(wear) black clothes, but today she ________(wear) red.
• My parents never __________(watch) space adventure films.
• We ____________(read) a Shakespeare play in English class this month.
• The stars __________(shine) very brightly tonight.
• Strange things __________(happen) at night.
• Help! A UFO _____________(fly) towards me!

6. Write questions with the words below. Use Present Simple or Present Continuous.

• Day/studies/Ingrid/every/English______________________________________
• Project/working/is/Ben/on/space/his/in_________________________________
• Now/you/are/watching/TV/? _________________________________________
• Sky/astronomers/watch/night/the/at____________________________________
• Moment/we/listening/are/music/to/the/at/_______________________________
• Films/he/often/watch/scary/does/?_____________________________________

7. Make sentences with the words below. Write the verbs in the correct Present Simple or Present continuous.

The girls I The boy My friends Steve

Sometimes Never Often Always

Study See Watch Play Eat Dance

At a disco Pizza A film TV English football

Now Every week On Mondays At the moment Every day Right now

• __________________________________________
• __________________________________________
• __________________________________________
• __________________________________________
• __________________________________________

8. Write sentences. Use the present simple or present continuous form of the verbs.

• Rajit /not work/ today.  ____________________________
• Rajit/ go/ with Leila to see the models. _________________________
• They / think / about the interview. ___________________________
• Leila /not write/ for the magazine every week. ________________________
• Rajit’s father /sell/ clothes. ____________________________
• They all / enjoy/ their jobs. __________________________________

9. Circle the correct form of the verbs.

Rajit and Leila are young designers. They design / are designing clothes. At the weekends Rajit helps / is helping in his father clothes shop. Leila also works / is working for a magazine. She’s a reporter and she writes / is writing articles for the magazine. She doesn’t design / isn’t designing clothes today because she and Rajit visit / are visiting two models. Leila writes / is writing an article about them.

10/ Complete the sentences about Meg and Robert. Use the present simple or present continuous.

Buy     listen     play     read     tidy

• Diana __________ a lot of books.
• She sometimes ___________ to romantic music.
• Robert ___________ football at the moment.
• Meg ____________ a CD.
• She __________ magazines right now.
• She _____________ her room every day.

SOLUCIONES