Preparation: Present Tenses
Simple Present
Form
| I work | I don’t work | |
| You work | You don’t work | |
| He / she / it works | He / she / it doesn‘t work | |
| We work | We don’t work | |
| They work | They don’t work |
“Don’t” is short for “do not”. ”Doesn’t is short for “does not”
| Do I work? |
| Do you work? |
| Does he / she / it work? |
| Do we work? |
| Do they work? |
Use
| Talking about general facts and opinions |
Talking about routines / repeated actions | |
| Where do you live?
I live in London.
What do think about our boss? I think she’s excellent.
What do you do? I’m a production manager. |
How often do you travel abroad?
I travel abroad most months.
When do you get up? I usually get up at 6:00 am.
When do you finish work? I finish at 5:00 pm. |
|
| Talking about timetables / schedules | Talking about wants likes and needs | |
| When does your train leave?
It leaves at 6:52 pm
When does the meeting start? It starts at 9:00 am. |
Do you want an invoice?
Yes, my boss always wants to see one.
Do you need more time? Yes, I need another 20 minutes.
Do you like coffee? Yes, I like coffee, but I don’t want one at the moment. |
Signal words
The following are signal words for the simple present, because they indicate routine:
always, usually, normally, often, sometimes, hardly ever, never
Verbs only used the simple form
Some verbs are only used in the simple form and not continuous. These verbs express a state and not an action. They include the following:
be, seem, believe, cost, own, belong, know, mean, prefer, understand, love, like, hate, hear, mean, realize, want, like, need
Present Continuous
Form
| I am working (I’m working) | I am not working (I’m not working) | |
| You are working (You’re …) | You are not working (You’re not ….) | |
| He / she / it is working (He’s …) | He / she / it is not working (He’s not …) | |
| We are working (We’re …) | We are not working (We’re not…) | |
| They are working (They’re …) | They are not working (They’re not… |
| Am I working? |
| Are you working? |
| Is he / she / it working? |
| Are we working? |
| Are they working? |
Use
| Talking about now (at the moment of speaking) | Talking about temporary things around the time of speaking | |
| What are you doing?
I’m waiting for Carl.
What are you drinking? I’m drinking an espresso.
What are you thinking about? I’m thinking about how we can solve the problem. |
Where are you living at the moment?
I’m living with a friend until my apartment is ready.
What are you working on? We’re working on lots of different things.
Why is Sarah so demotivated? She is looking for a new job. |
|
| Talking about trends and developments | Talking future plans | |
| More and more people are working from home.
Our business is growing rapidly.
I’m learning lots of new skills. |
Where are you going on holiday?
We are going to Italy in August.
(See also future tenses.) |
Compare:
I work for ABC. = You are an employee of ABC.
I’m working for ABC. = It’s a temporary situation (Maybe you are a freelancer).
I live in Ulm. = Ulm is your home.
I’m living in Ulm = It’s a temporary situation (Maybe you are thinking of moving).
Signal words for the present continuous
The following are signal words for the present continuous as they indicate an action at the time of speaking:
At the moment, now, currently etc.