{"id":6769,"date":"2020-09-07T09:47:01","date_gmt":"2020-09-07T09:47:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/eltweekly.com\/?p=6769"},"modified":"2020-09-07T09:47:01","modified_gmt":"2020-09-07T09:47:01","slug":"present-simple-and-present-progressive-by-nick-shepherd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eltweekly.humbeestudio.xyz\/?p=6769","title":{"rendered":"Present Simple and Present Progressive by Nick Shepherd"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cI have lunch\u201d, or \u201cI\u2019m having lunch\u201d? Which is good English? That\u2019s an easy question: they\u2019re both good, but they have different meanings. But then it gets more complicated, and here lies a problem for teachers. Do we offer a simple explanation which is true up to a point, or a full explanation which (like everything in language) is complex, rich, diverse, changeable – and hard to cope with? Or somewhere between the two, depending on the students?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I\u2019m working through a new language point with students, I often use a phrase which makes them laugh because they\u2019ve heard it so often: \u201cIt\u2019s more complicated than that, but that\u2019s enough for now\u201d. I am going to start by offering four basic facts about these two tenses, and after each of them I shall want to say: \u201cIt\u2019s more complicated than that . . . \u201c You know the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So we\u2019re talking about the present simple tense (I eat, she lives<\/em> . . .) and the present progressive tense (I am eating, she is living <\/em>. . .) (the present progressive is also called the present continuous, especially in older books).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notice something: time<\/em> and tense <\/em>are different. Time<\/em> is what a clock tells us; tense<\/em> is a form of the verb. The present tense<\/em> of a verb does not necessarily tell us about the present time<\/em>, nor the past tense<\/em> about past time<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is the first pair of facts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

First fact: Liz reads French<\/em>. I know she does, because she has a copy of \u2018Le Monde\u2019, which is a Parisian newspaper, under her arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the paper is under her arm, so she\u2019s not reading French now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second fact: she\u2019s speaking French now<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

So the present simple tense<\/em> happens at any time<\/em>, past, present or future, whereas the present progressive tense<\/em> is tied to the present time<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To summarise:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She reads French = ANY TIME, PROBABLY NOT NOW<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She is speaking French = NOW<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are a few examples you could try out with students of any age:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                        TRUE or FALSE? (of  student)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pedro eats lunch                                                                     Pedro is eating lunch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hans spends his time in a bank (or wherever)                       Hans is working in a bank<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Juana listens to me                                                                 Juana is listening to me (is she?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Susana studies English                                                           Susana is studying English (in<\/p>\n\n\n\n

class, both true!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s always a good idea to mix in examples where both sentences are true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, \u201cit\u2019s more compl . . .\u201d you know the rest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now for the second pair of facts (which don\u2019t quite fit with the first pair):\u00a0\u00a0 First, the present progressive tense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

She\u2019s asking about \u2018these days\u2019, which is not exactly the same as \u2018now\u2019. Now, they are chatting and drinking a cup of coffee. He\u2019s not studying at this very moment, but studying is a temporary activity, which will go on for a short while, and then he will move on to other things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, the present simple tense:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

He is asking Mr Stevenson what his permanent job is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the present simple tense<\/em> happens at any time<\/em>, past, present or future, whereas the present progressive tense<\/em> is tied to near<\/strong> the present time, <\/em>but not necessarily at<\/em> the present time<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To summarise:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m studying engineering\u201d      =   TEMPORARY, CLOSE TO THE PRESENT<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI work for Marcus and Welby.\u201d = PERMANENT, ANY TIME, CENTRED IN THE PRESENT<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting those two sets of facts together, we can see some similarity, with facts 1 and 3 being temporary<\/strong>, and at or around the present. Facts 2 and 4 feel permanent<\/strong>, and the link to present time is weak, sometimes non-existent.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My last point on this: you can sometimes choose either present simple or present progressive; the choice depends on your attitude. If you say \u201cI\u2019m living in London\u201d, it sounds as if you regard your stay in London as being for a limited time; if you say \u201cI live in London\u201d, it sounds as if you don\u2019t have any idea of moving somewhere else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course, it\u2019s more compl- . . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I made a video on these four facts, which you can find at: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=dToboUPXdxE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notes on the \u201cmore complicated\u201d stuff<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are four of the \u2018more complicated\u2019 areas. There are more than four, and new ones appear from time to time as speakers pursue their anarchic way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 Future reference<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have a rich range of ways of talking about the future. Here are four:<\/p>\n\n\n\n