The Simple and Continuous Tenses || Structure Practice || With Examples ||

Simple Present Tense for Habitual Actions
The simple present is the tense you use for any habitual action. Use it for things that you always do, are regular or true.

Lisa likes football.
Water boils at 100 °C.
I don't eat meat.
I clean my room every day.

Present Progressive Tense for Current Action
The present progressive tense is for anything that is happening right now. Progressive tense verbs end with "-ing" and have a helping verb ("to be" verb, in the present tense). We can also use it to talk about temporary actions, trends and things that are happening these days.

She is reading a newspaper.
People are using social media more than ever.
They are all playing in the garden.
I am watching a great TV series.
Do you know the difference between 'I was reading a book last night' and 'I read a book last night'? The first is an example of the past progressive tense (the -ing form), the second is the simple past tense. But what is the difference between them?
Simple vs progressive tenses (-ing form)
Do you know when to use the simple tense and when to use the progressive tense (the -ing form)? This is a challenge to many Norwegian students and we see that students often tend to use the progressive tense in sentences where the simple tense would be more appropriate and more precise. The meaning of a sentence will change, depending on which tense you use. It is therefore important to understand the difference.

As a general rule, we can say that the simple tenses (past, present, and future) are used to describe facts, habits, permanent situations, and situations that have already been resolved. The progressive tenses (past, present, and future) describe incomplete and temporary actions and actions that take place over a period of time.
Simple Present Tense
We use the simple present tense:

1. For facts

Whales live in the ocean.
Aconcagua is the highest mountain in Latin America.
The flight from Chile to Australia is thirteen hours.
2. For repeated or regular actions

Flights to Buenos Aires leave every hour.
I eat breakfast at the table.
We work every day of the week.
3. For habits

I brush my teeth three times a day.
He only drinks milk.
We celebrate Christmas on the twenty-fifth of December.
4. For things that are generally true in the present time period:

Boca Juniors is the best team in Argentina at the moment.
She is my girlfriend.
We study English.
Present Progressive Tense
We use the present progressive tense:

1. When somebody is doing something at this moment.

Sarah is changing her clothes right now.
Her boyfriend is waiting for her.
We are learning the progressive tense in English.
2. When something is happening at this moment. When the action has started but hasn't finished.

It is snowing at the moment.
The economy is growing at an exponential rate.
The children are sleeping so please be quiet.
3. To talk about something that is happening around the time of speaking but not necessarily at that exact moment.

Alfredo is studying a lot for his exam.
I'm reading a great book. (Not necessary right at this moment)
We are planning a trip to Jamaica.
Present vs. Progressive Tense
A significant difference between these two tenses is we use the simple present tense for things that are permanent or are in general and the present progressive tense for things that may change or are temporary.
Verbs that we don't use in the Progressive Tense
Another difference is that there are some verbs in English that we don't use in the progressive tense. These include:

Belong - Cost - Hate - Have (possession) - Hear - Know - Like - Love - Need - Own - Remember - Seem - Smell - Understand - Want
Progressive tense is a category of verb tense used to describe ongoing actions. The progressive tenses are the past progressive tense, the present progressive tense, and the future progressive tense. The progressive tenses are sometimes called the "continuing" or "continuous" tenses.
The first verb tenses an English student learns are the present simple and the present continuous, partly because they are the most simple but also because they are the most commonly used. Here is a guide on how to create and use both tenses.
The Present Simple
We use the present simple tense for the following situations:

to describe permanent or long-term facts. For example: Lions live in Africa.
to describe habits and routines. For example: I usually get up at 7am.
to express general preferences and opinions. For example: She loves music.
to refer to the schedule of transport or events. For example, Our flight leaves at 12:30.
The Structure
To make sentences with the present simple there are only two forms for almost all verbs. For example, for the verb ‘to play’ in the present simple affirmative form is as follows:
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