Talking about the present
Level: intermediate
We use the present simple to talk about:
- something that is true in the present:
They live next door to us.
He works for the Post Office.
- something that happens regularly in the present:
The children come home from school at about four.
We often see your brother at work.
- something that is always true:
Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
The Nile is the longest river in Africa.
We use the present continuous to talk about:
- something happening at the moment of speaking:
I can't hear you. I'm listening to a podcast.
Please be quiet. The children are sleeping.
- something happening regularly in the present before and after a specific time:
I'm usually having breakfast at this time in the morning.
When I see George he's usually reading his Kindle.
- something in the present which we think is temporary:
Michael is at university. He's studying history.
I love Harry Potter. I'm reading the last book.
- something which is new and contrasts with a previous state:
Nowadays people are sending text messages instead of phoning.
I hear you've moved house. Where are you living now?
- something which is changing, growing or developing:
The weather is getting colder.
Our grandchildren are growing up quickly.
- something which happens again and again:
It's always raining in London.
They are always arguing.
George is great. He's always laughing.
Note that we normally use always with this use.
We use modal verbs:
- to talk about the present when we are not sure of something:
I don't know where Henry is. He might be playing tennis.
'Who's knocking at the door?' – 'I don't know. It could be the police.'
- to talk about things like ability (can) and obligation (should):
I can speak English quite well but I can't speak French at all.
You should do your homework before you go out.
- Present simple and present continuous 1
- Present simple and present continuous 2
- Present simple and present continuous 3
Hello!
Could you please clarify the following:
1. Present Continuous for something which happens again and again:
It's always raining in London.
They are always arguing.
George is great. He's always laughing.
As far as I understand, first two sentences reveal irritation, which is absent (if I understand it correctly) in the third one about George.
So, "something which happens again and again" sounds like habitual actions to me. So, can I say that "I'm calling my friend every day" (it happens again and again") or "I call my friend every day" (it has become my habit), I drink coffee (habit) or I am drinking coffee (it happens again and again)? Or can I use these sentences interchangeably?
So, could you please clarify the difference between habitual actions and something that happens again and again, besides irritation?
I'm very very grateful for your immense help and thank you very much for the answer to this post beforehand!!!
Hi howtosay_,
It's an interesting question. I should point out that the example sentences all include "always". This word combines with the present continuous to give the meanings of irritation or repeated actions. Without "always", the meaning is not the same. Compare "He's always laughing" with "He's laughing". If you say "He's laughing", it just shows an ongoing or temporary action (i.e. he's laughing right now - it's not habitual). That's also the apparent meaning if you say "I'm calling my friend every day" - it's an ongoing or temporary action. If it is a habitual action, you could say "I'm always calling my friend (every day)".
Does that make sense?
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Hello, Jonathan!
Thank you very much for your reply! Now I draw my attention that "always" makes a big difference.
But could I ask you to clarify about the following:
Can I say "I always call my friend in the evening" and "I'm always calling my friend in the evening", "I always drink coffee" and "I'm always drinking coffee" with no sign of irritation and other differences in the meaning?
Hi howtosay_,
I'm glad it was helpful!
Yes, right. The present simple is used for actions that are factual in nature and which don't really end or change over time. The present continuous is used for actions that are true at the moment, but which may not necessarily continue forever - i.e., we understand that they will eventually stop. So, both "I always call my friend in the evening" and "I'm always calling my friend in the evening" indicate regular activities, but using the present simple means the speaker sees this action as more long-lasting and possibly going on forever. On the other hand, using the present continuous suggests that this may be true now, but may not go on forever.
About irritation, we should point out that meaning comes not only from the words and grammar in the sentence, but also the context in which it is said. Saying "I'm always drinking coffee" does not necessarily show irritation. But, it can have this meaning, depending on the context. For example: "I'm always drinking coffee to give me energy but I know it's not good for me and I wish I could cut down on it."
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Hello, Jonathan!
I'm very very grateful for your explanations!!! One more question has come to my mind: I'm used to hearing sentence like "My daughter goes to school". It is a fact in the present and probably it will last for about 10 years, so I guess it's about long-lasting action. Could you please tell which variant would you choose:
1. My daughter goes to school.
2. My daughter is going to school.
The second sentence sounds like she is going to school for some short period of time. Am I right in thinking so?
Hi howtosay_,
That's great. I'm glad it was helpful!
Yes, I would choose 1 as well. You're right that 2 sounds like a short period of time (e.g., you are talking about what your daughter is doing right now, at the moment of speaking; or she is temporarily going to a school that is not her regular school). I think most people would view this as a long-lasting action.
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Hello, Jonathan!
Thank you very much for your helpful answers!!!
Hello howtosay_
That's a great question you have asked. Thank you very much for asking this question.
Shetu Yogme.
Hello Teacher,
Our neighbours ___ on holiday. I don't know how they can afford it.(go)
I chose "always go" but I was wrong. The correct answer is "are always going". Why?
Hello The Best,
It's possible to say 'Our neighbours always go on holiday' to speak about a habitual action. We often say something like 'Chris and Kimberly always go to the beach on holiday', which describes what they do every year.
Here, though, the situation is a little different. The second sentence reveals the speaker's feelings and thinking about the subject. By saying 'I don't know how they can afford it', they show that the speaker doesn't approve or doesn't like it for some reason.
When we speak about a regular action that someone else does that we don't approve of in some way, then we often use 'always' and the present continuous to communicate this idea.
Does that make sense?
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Yes,it makes sense! Thank you !
Yes, it does, okay.
Shetu Yogme.
Hi team. Can you explain for me about the reason I wrong in two sentences? Firstly, "Each song only costs/is only costing 50 cents at the moment because they are on special offer", and I chose "is only costing" because I think this is a changing situation, but I'm wrong. Secondly, "I want everyone to do exercise, and that includes/is including you too!", I chose "is including" because I think this is an action happening now and I'm wrong again. Thank you very much for your explanations.
Hello minhoang,
We generally don't use stative verbs (https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-grammar/present-continu…) such as 'cost', 'want', and 'include' (and see others in the list on that page) in the continuous.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi team. I have a question about what difference between actions happen again & again (using in present continuous) and current habits (using in present simple)? For example, in a sentence: our neighbors are always going on the holiday. I think this is a current habit of neighbors on the holiday, so I think we should use "always go" replace "are always going", right? Thank you very much in advance for your explanation.
Hello minhoang,
Usually we choose a simple form for habits, so we would say 'Our neighbours go on holiday in the summer'. The time reference is probably needed as the sentence doesn't really convey much information otherwise.
When we use a continuous form for a habit it suggests irritation on the part of the speaker. The implication is that something happens too often and is annoying. For example:
Our neighbours are always throwing parties during the week. I can't get a decent night's sleep!
Thus, it's possible to use the continuous for if the action (going on holiday) is irritating in some way. That would depend on the context and the speaker, of course.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Nevi,
I guess what you mean here is postposed or postpositive adjective (i.e. an adjective which follows the noun it describes) rather than postponed. In any case, I think your example here is a relative clause (experiences which are related to...).
Postpositive adjectives are quite rare in English. You can read more about them here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postpositive_adjective
You can also read a discussion on the topic here:
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/91664/when-can-an-adjective-be-postposed
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello again Nevi,
In my answer I said that it is a relative clause; I did not say whether I would class related as a passive verb or an adjective. This was deliberate. The sentence is ambiguous and can be read either way (people relate it to..., for example).
Past participle adjectival forms are often ambiguous. Even a simple sentence such as 'I was interested' this can be read either way, and I don't think it makes any difference which label you choose to apply to it.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Nevı,
This is a reduced adjective clause. The full version would be:
There are a couple of things to note:
I hope that helps :)
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Nevı,
Let me make a correction to my previous comment. I hope this one will explain it better :)
The basic position of an adjective is before the noun. But, it can be positioned directly after a noun, and this is called postposition. Postposition is compulsory with pronouns, e.g. 'those' and 'something':
The examples above have single adjectives ('closest' and 'new'). But adjective phrases tend to be put in postposition, even with ordinary nouns, if the adjective phrase is ‘heavy’. ‘Heavy’ means that the phrase is long and contains a lot of information. So, it would be natural to say:
It’s not compulsory, though, and it’s also possible (but perhaps less preferred) to say:
But not:
This is not specifically about comparative or superlative adjectives, but since those types of adjective often occur in heavier phrases, they are often postposed. Here are some other examples with ordinary adjectives.
This may also have a lexical element. Some adjectives are used in postposition even as single words, e.g. 'available' in There are a few rooms available, so I believe phrases starting with 'available' will also be commonly postposed (e.g. There are a few rooms available in the hotel).
I hope that helps.
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Nevı,
Yes, exactly :)
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Nevı,
Yes! It means the same thing.
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Nevı,
It's possible to understand the sentence that way. But actually, I think the intended meaning is different. In the structure have + object + past participle, 'have' means 'to cause something to happen or someone to do something' (Cambridge Dictionary). This is the meaning of the has some observers concerned part. It's saying that the deal was the cause of an effect (some observers have become concerned). News reports often report on events and their consequences, so that's how I understand this sentence.
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Nevı,
I wouldn't say they have the same meaning, though the meanings are similar. I'd suggest you look them up in the dictionary to see more precise definitions and example sentences. If you want to check your understanding with us afterwards, we're happy to help you work out any final doubts.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Sir,
I have looked up the meaning of 'tend' in this dictionary. I think, 'will' can also have the same meaning in this case. For example:
So, what is the difference between 'tend', 'will' and present simple?
Shetu Yogme
Hello ShetuYogme,
Tend describes an expected tendency but it quite tentative, so when you say 'people tend to...' it describes something that often happens but is not a sure thing. Will implies a greater degree of confidence / likelihood. The present simple describes typical outcomes. There may be exceptions but actions described by the present simple occur the overwhelming majority of the time unless limited in some way by adverbs or other devices.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Peter sir,
So, I can say both 'tend' and 'will' mean the same thing. The only difference is that 'tend' expresses tentativeness, while 'will' expresses a greater degree of confidence and likelihood. Am I right?
Consider the following sentence:
We know that it is a well-established scientific fact. That's why, I think it would not be fitting to say "Ice will float over water" or "Ice tends to float over water".
Then why, according to LDOCE, is it correct to use will in the following sentence?:
I think we should use the present simple here. What do you think, sir?
Shetu Yogme
Hello Shetu Yogme,
Tend means 'this is typical'; will means 'this is what I expect'; the present simple describes habitual actions or behaviour. Obviously, in many contexts all of these are possible.
Your examples are not contextualised so it feels like you are attempting to place too stiff a rule on the forms' usage. For example, if a teacher were demonstrating how to create an emulsion (here, a mixture of oil and water) they would be more likely to say 'Oil usually floats on water' or 'Oil tends to float...' as a way of highlighting the fact that they are showing an exception to that rule.
Context is important as it helps the speaker to identify the best option for a particular moment.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Peter,
As you say context is important, I fully agree. But I don't know how I can contextualise these examples because these are not my examples – I picked up these examples from dictionaries, which usually don't provide contexts.
You said:
Could you please make it clear what exception to what rule the teacher is showing?
Shetu Yogme
Hello Aysn,
The verb 'suggest' can be followed by 'that' + a clause. This is the structure of the sentence you ask about. The word 'that' is omitted here -- this happens quite frequently -- but if it were included, the basic elements of the sentence would be: 'A study suggests that the vaccine cuts transmission'.
Perhaps you are thinking of is a different structure after 'suggest' -- the use of a verb in the '-ing' form. This can be seen in the sixth example sentence in the dictionary entry I referred you to: 'Tracey suggested meeting for a drink after work'.
Does that make more sense?
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Aysn,
I can see how that is confusing. Let me explain it more fully, and I'm sorry that my first reply didn't help.
The first thing to note is that 'suggest' has several different meanings. The most common meaning, which is the first one in the dictionary, is to propose something. For example, a teacher often suggests that a student study -- it's like a recommendation.
The second most common meaning is to indicate, and that is the meaning in the sentence you ask about. In other words, the results of the study indicate that the vaccine cuts transmission.
When 'suggest that' has the first meaning (propose), then the verb goes in the bare infinitive form. I'm not sure if you're familiar with the idea of the subjunctive, but that is the idea here -- if that doesn't mean anything to you, then don't worry, it's not important.
But when 'suggest that' has the second meaning (indicate), the verb goes in the normal form. That is why your sentence says 'cuts' instead of 'cut'.
Does that make more sense now? Sorry for not explaining it in more detail the first time!
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Kapil Kabir,
Inversion can be used in many different ways. Probably the most common is in question formation, but it can also be used for emphasis and for other reasons. In this case, 'then' is one of a group of short adverbs (others, for example, are 'here' and 'there') that often go first in a sentence. After these, subject-verb inversion is common, unless the the subject is a pronoun -- in such a case, usually there is no inversion.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Kapil Kabir,
It's very hard to say without seeing the context in which the sentence is used. I think 'the separation' or 'their separation' would be more likely, but I'd need to see the context to be sure.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Rsb
As I understand it, 'look' isn't used to speak about a change of state, but rather about a state, even if you modify the sentence with an adverbial such as 'these days'.
You might find it interesting to do a little research on this subject. A good place to start might be the Linking verb and Copula entries in the Wikipedia.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team