English Grammar - Present Simple & Present Progressive

Hi, I'm Rebecca, and in today's lesson we'll be talking about some grammar issues, grammar

tenses specifically, ok, in English.

And we'll be talking about the difference between the present simple and the present

continuous.

Alright?

This is the first point of entry for most people when they start learning English, and

unfortunately it sometimes remains an issue throughout their English learning, but I hope

I can clarify today any mistakes or any misunderstandings you have regarding these two tenses, alright?

So let's start by looking at the two of them.

We have the present tense, and we have present simple and present continuous.

So what are they, when do we use them, and what do they sound like?

That's what we'll be discussing.

After this, we'll look at the structure of the present simple, and last we'll end with

a few examples, just so that you understand a little bit better, ok?

So when do we use the present simple?

Let's look at an example and try to understand why we use it and when.

I live.

If I say I live somewhere, what does that mean?

I'm discussing something which is more or less permanent.

Of course nothing in life is completely permanent, but usually the place where you live is more

or less permanent.

So we use the present simple to discuss things which are more or less permanent, to discuss

things which are true in general, for example if I say the sun rises in the east.

This is a general fact, ok?

And also to describe routines, for example every day I wake up at this time, I take a

shower, all of these I used the present simple, alright?

In a few minutes I'll be discussing that in greater detail and I'll also show you the

structure of that in the different forms.

Let's take a minute now to contrast the present simple with the present continuous or the

present progressive.

Contrast that, an example of that one is I am staying, or I am working, or right now

I am speaking, you are listening, maybe you are writing.

These are all examples of the present continuous.

So what are we using this tense for?

We're using this to describe something that's happening now.

We also can use this to describe something temporary.

For example, if an author is writing a book, you can say he is writing a book.

Now maybe he is not writing it at this very moment, but he is writing it in a temporary

period of time and therefore we can use the present continuous or present progressive.

That temporary period is not specified, it could be one week, it could be five minutes,

it could be one year, it could be ten years, but it is a temporary project.

So similarly people use this tense when they say I'm working on this project, alright?

Let's see how we can contrast these two so you understand even better, okay?

If you go on a holiday or if you come on a holiday to Toronto, for example, where I am,

and I meet you and we start to talk and I ask you where do you live?

Where do you live is the general fact, it's the permanent situation.

So let's say that you're from Tokyo, Japan and you say to me I live in Tokyo, alright?

This is the permanent situation.

Then I ask you while you're in Toronto, where are you staying?

This is the temporary situation.

So you might say I'm staying with a friend or I'm staying at such and such hotel.

This is a temporary situation, right?

So you're using I am staying.

This tense we will be discussing in another video.

For now, let's go back to the present simple, okay?

So now let's come to the second part of our lesson.

This is where we're going to talk about the structure of the present simple tense, alright?

So the present simple tense, we say I work, you work, we work, they work, alright?

This is the base form of the verb.

The verb is to work.

So we're using the base form of the verb.

However, with he, she and it, we add an S. So we say he works in Toronto.

She works in this company.

It works.

For example, the heater works, the air conditioner works, alright?

This is really important and this is usually where most students make a mistake because

they forget to put an S here or they put an S here, but usually they forget to say he

works and they just say he work in Toronto.

No, that would be wrong, okay?

Alright.

Now how do we make this negative?

This was in the positive sentence, alright?

To make it negative, here we say I don't work.

I don't work, don't is a contraction.

What is that a contraction of?

Do not.

He when we want to make it negative, he doesn't work.

She doesn't work.

Doesn't is a contraction of does not, alright?

Now we come to the last part which is how we use the present simple in questions.

So we would say do I work, do you work, do we work, do they work, alright?

But with he, she, and it, which is always different, we would say does he work, does

she work, does it work, okay?

You can also make these negative questions and say don't you work in that company, doesn't

he work in that office, alright?

So this is another way in which you can use the present simple.

You can also add question words here like where do you work, why do you work, who do

you work with, how much do you work, how often do you work, okay?

Alright?

So that's a review of the present simple.

Let's take an example now for review.

He works in the office, negative, he doesn't work in the office, very good.

Question, does he work in the office, very nice.

They live in Toronto, negative, they don't live in Toronto.

Question, do they live in Toronto, okay?

So when you want to practice the present simple, do this.

Make a sentence in the present simple in the positive affirmative sentence like I like

ice cream, negative, I don't like ice cream, question, do you like ice cream, alright?

I hope I've been able to clarify that for you.

If you have any questions or comments, please go to www.engvid.com.

See you there.

Thanks very much.

Bye for now.