This document provides examples to illustrate the use of the present simple and present continuous tenses in English. It shows sentence constructions using different verbs in both tenses and analyzes when each tense would be used based on whether the verb describes an action, state, repeated event, or ongoing activity. Key distinctions are made between verbs that indicate an action which can be used in either tense versus stative verbs which are generally only used in the present simple tense.

1. Present simple and
continuous
Again!

2. Choose one tense and tell
us why
I ... breakfast every morning (have)
The kids ... up very quickly (grow)
Hurry up! We ... for you! (wait)
The Amazon ... into the Atlantic Ocean
(flow)

3. Messi .... the ball and scores a penalty!
(hit)
Mr and Mrs Shaw ... in Bristol (live)
(when?)
Have I told you I ... a cookery course? (do)
I ... this letter to complain about the
service... (write)
You (always) ... ! Give it up, for God’s sake!
(smoke)

4. Present simple
I have breakfast every morning
Mr. and Mrs Shaw live in Bristol
The River Amazon flows into the Atlantic
Ocean
Beckham kicks the balls and scores a
penalty

5. I have breakfast every morning
(repeated actions or habits)
Mr. and Mrs Shaw live in Bristol
(permanent situations)
The River Amazon flows into the
Atlantic Ocean (facts that are always
true)
Messi hits the balls and scores a penalty
(instantaneous events - sport
commentaries, for example)

6. Present continuous
Hurry up! We’re waiting for you!
Have I told you I’m doing a cookery course?
Mr and Mrs Shaw are living in Bristol at
the moment
The kids are growing up very quickly
You’re always smoking!

7. Hurry up! We’re waiting for you! (action in
progress at the moment of speaking)
Have I told you I’m doing a cookery course?
(action in progress in a ‘longer’ present,
but not necessarily at the moment of
speaking)
The kids are growing up very quickly
(changes)
You’re always smoking! (activities that
annoy the speaker)

8. Action verbs
They describe an action, and they can be
used both in the present simple or
continuous:
He runs a mile every day
He’s running the New York marathon

9. State not an action, so
verbs
They describe a state,
they do not normally appear in the
continuous form. Typical examples are:
• Verbs of the senses: see, hear, feel, taste, smell, look,
sound. (e.g. This cake tastes delicious.) We often use can
or could with these verbs when we refer to what we see,
hear, etc. at the moment of speaking. (e.g. Jim must be
at home. I can see his car parked outside)
• Verbs of perception: know, believe, remember, forget,
recognise, think, expect, understand, notice, realise,
seem, sound, etc. (e.g. I don't know his name.)

10. • Verbs which express likes and dislikes: love,
like, hate, dislike, enjoy, etc. (e.g. Shirley loves
jazz music.)
• Other verbs: Include, matter, need, belong,
cost, prefer, mean, own, appear, believe,
want, have (=possess), etc. (e.g. That jacket
costs a lot of money.)

11. Some verbs have two different meanings:
a stative one (always in the present
simple) or an active one (present simple or
continuous)

12. Examples:
STATES (simple tenses)
continuous)
I think you're right. (= believe)
ACTIONS (simple or
I'm thinking about the problem.
We have three cars. (=own)
We're having lunch. (= eating)
I come from Sweden. (= live in) I'm coming from Sweden. (=
travelling)
I see your problem. (=understand) Mark is seeing his boss. (=
meeting)
This perfume smells nice. (= has a He is smelling the milk. (= is
nice smell)
sniffing)

13. She appears very nervous.
(= seems)
She appeared in a film.
The bag weighed five kilos.
They weighed / were weighing
my bag.
The coat fits. (= is the right
size)
I'm fitting a lock to the
window.
The food tastes delicious.
(= has a delicious flavour)
He is tasting the food.
(= is testing the flavour of)