Part 13 Basic English – Essential Lessons for Beginning English Learners

Use the present continuous to speak about what is happening at the present moment in time.

Positive Form

Subject + to be + verb + ing + objects

• He is watching TV.
• They’re playing tennis at the moment.

Negative Form

Subject + are not + verb + ing + objects

• She isn’t studying at the moment.
• We aren’t working now.

Question Form

Wh? + do + subject + verb + ing + objects?

• What are you doing?
• Are you cooking dinner now?

NOTE: We use time expressions like ‘at the moment, currently, this week – month’ with this form of the present continuous.

Lesson 24: Present Simple vs. Present Continuous

Use the present simple to talk about activities or routines which take place on a regular basis.

•  I often go jogging on Saturdays.
• He usually has coffee for breakfast.

Use the present continuous to speak about what is happening at the present moment in time, around the present moment, or for a future scheduled event.

• We’re working on the Smith account this month.
• She’s watching TV at the moment.

Stative verbs are verbs which express a state. Action verbs are verbs which express something a person does.

• I hope to see you soon. (stative verb)
• He is cooking dinner at the moment. (action verb)

Stative verbs cannot be used in the continuous forms. Here is a list of common stative verbs:

• believe
• understand
• think (opinion)
• want
• hope
• smell
• taste
• feel
• sound
• look
• seem
• appear

Lesson 25:  When to Use the Past Simple and the Present Perfect

Sometimes the past simple and the present perfect are confused. It is important to remember that the past simple is used to express a finished past action which occurs at a specific moment in the past. The present perfect is used to express something that happened at an unspecified moment in the past. For example, if I visited Paris in 2004, I could express this in two ways:

Past Simple

• I visited Paris in 2004.
• I went to Paris a few years ago.

Note that the moment in time is specific – in 2004, a few years ago.

Present Perfect

• I’ve been to Paris.
• I’ve visited Paris.

In this case, the moment of my visit is not specific. I am speaking about an experience that I have had in my life up to this moment in time.

This is the key to understanding the difference between the past simple and the present perfect. The past simple expresses something which happened at a specific time in the past. The present perfect expresses something that I have experienced in my life without giving the exact time.