English tenses | Present Simple (I do) & Present Continuous (I'm doing) | Narrative Present

Is it clear to you when to  use 'I do' and when to use  

'I'm doing' when you talk about present events?

Are you aware that these two  tenses, 'I do' and 'I'm' doing,

can also be used to speak about  future events and even past events.

Hello and welcome everyone,  this is Minoo at Anglo-Link. 

In today's lesson, we're  going to look at all the uses  

of the Present Simple and  Present Continuous tenses.

A pdf of this lesson is available for  you to download in the description box.

Now, let's start by looking at  how we use 'I do' and 'I'm doing' 

when we're talking about present events.

We use Present Simple. That is: I do,  he does, etc. for facts and habits.

For example:

I work in a software firm. That's a fact.

Or:

We don't live in a big town. That's also a fact.

A habit can be: He plays golf every Saturday.

Or: She doesn't often take the train.

So, what about Present Continuous. That is: I am doing, he is doing, etc.

We use the Present Continuous  tense for actions in progress.

For example: I'm currently working from home.

Or: He is playing golf now.

Now, make sure that you don't use the  Present Continuous tense with state verbs.

You can only use Continuous  tenses with action verbs.

For example think about the verb 'think'.

'Think' has two meanings. One is to reflect:

What are you thinking about?

You can say that in the Present Continuous tense: What are you thinking about at the moment?

But, 'think' also means to have an opinion.

So, you cannot use that in the Continuous form.

You can't say: What are you thinking of this idea?

You have to use it only in the Simple form:

What do you think of this idea?

Right! Let's look at how we use  these two tenses for future events  

starting with the Present Continuous tense.

We use the Present Continuous tense to  talk about arrangements in the future.

For example: He is playing in a  golf tournament next Saturday.

Or: She is taking the train to London tomorrow.

So, when do we use the Present Simple?

We use the Present Simple to  speak about scheduled events.

For example: The tournament  starts at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday.

Or: The train leaves at 2 p.m. tomorrow.

Okay! Let's put these two  usages together in a dialogue.

So, for the present and the future.

So, the dialogue can go like this:

Do you have a second now?

No, sorry! I'm packing my bags.

Can I see you this evening then?

No, I'm catching the train  to St Andrews this evening.

Oh! Are you taking part in the golf tournament?

Of course! I take part every year.

Good luck! What time does the train leave?

It leaves at 6.

Right! That's it for using these two  tenses for present and future events.

Now, strangely, sometimes you will  hear them used for past events.

This is usually when we want to  tell a story, a compelling story.

And the Present tense here  is called the 'Narrative  

Present' sometimes also  called the 'Historic Present'.

We use the Present tense for a past event  to bring the story, this past story, to life.

You may have noticed this in jokes.

For example sometimes you hear: A man  goes into a bar and asks for a cold beer.

Instead of: A man went into a  bar and asked for a cold beer.

Now, make sure you don't use the  Narrative Present for ordinary everyday events.

This is only appropriate when you want to 

speak about an extraordinary  event or a very interesting event.

You can set the scene in the past. 

You can start your first  sentence in the Past tense,

and then switch to the Present  tense and then stay in the present.

Right, let's look at an example.

For example here is a story in the past,  

and usually we use Past Simple and  Past Continuous to tell such stories.

Let me read it out for you:

The other day, I went for a walk in the park.

I was walking along the lake when  I heard a loud splash behind me.

I turned around and saw this man in the lake.

He had all his clothes on and he was  swimming towards the middle of the lake.

So, I shouted, 'are you o.k.?'

He didn't answer, but then I noticed something else in the lake.

A dog, and it seemed to be in trouble...

Now we can make this story a lot more interesting. 

We can bring it to life by changing all  the Past tenses into Present tenses.

As you can imagine, Past Simple  changes to Present Simple, 

and Past Continuous changes to Present Continuous.

So, now let me read it to you  again. This time in the Present.

So, we start again in the Past. 

The first sentence and then we  switch to the Present tenses.

The other day, I went for a walk in the park.

So, I'm walking along the lake when  I hear a loud splash behind me.

I turn around and see this man in the lake.

He has all his clothes on and he's  swimming towards the middle of the lake.

So, I shout, 'are you o.k.?'

He doesn't answer, but then I  notice something else in the lake.

A dog, and it seems to be in trouble.

So, in summary:

The Present Simple and Present  Continuous tenses are used 

90% of the time to speak about present events.

But make sure that you distinguish  between facts and habits (Present Simple), 

and actions in progress (Present Continuous).

You can check the lesson above for more examples 

and common mistakes to do  with this very common usage.

9% of the time we use these  two tenses for future events.

Present Continuous for arrangements in the future.

And Present Simple for scheduled events.

And only 1% of the time do we use the Present  tenses to speak about a past event,

in order to bring a past story to life.

Of course, you need to be aware of this usage, but you don't need to necessarily use it yourself.

If you're telling a story in  the past, it's perfectly fine  

to use Past Simple and Past Continuous tenses.

Well, that's the end of this lesson.

You will find all my lessons on  English tenses in this playlist.

Please remember to check out my  complete online course at:

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Thanks a lot for watching, and  I'll see you soon in my next lesson.

Goodbye for now.