2.

9 SIMPvsCONT
Present simple versus present continuous.

[00:00:02] We often use these tenses together, because they work very well when telling a
story, giving some narration or describing any event.

[00:00:10] They each have some more uses that we'll look at a little bit more in future lectures,
but for now, let's focus on some of the more important aspects of when we need to use the
present simple and when we use the present continuous.

[00:00:22] Present simple. We use the present simple to talk about things in general.

[00:00:27] So that means things that happen all the time, sometimes or never. Hobbies that we
like to do but maybe aren't doing right now in this very moment, because we're currently doing
something else. So this can talk about our general work or school schedule, describing facts,
customs and traditions.

[00:00:46] A crocodile eats 50% of its body weight in one day.

[00:00:50] This is a fact. It's describing what a crocodile does or what it does to survive. And this
happens every day, or the crocodile might die.

[00:00:59] I play the saxophone whenever I have free time. This is a habit and hobby that we are
describing. It's something I do often. So I have done this in the past. I do it in the present. And I
will do it in the future.

[00:01:12] However, I am not saying that I am doing it right this very moment, because
obviously I'm talking about the hobby.

[00:01:18] I always eat breakfast at 6 a.m. Again, this is a habit that I'm describing. A personal
custom. I probably did this yesterday. I will do it again today most likely, and in the future, this
will remain the same until I decide to change it.

[00:01:33] Present continuous.

[00:01:34] We use the present continuous to describe an action that is occurring at the time of
speaking. It's happening now by itself, we don't know when it started, when it will end, or if it's a
habit custom or tradition. All we know is that it is happening at this moment.

[00:01:50] A crocodile is eating a sheep. This is happening right now, but we don't know if this
happens everyday or if it's common or uncommon. Do crocodiles normally each sheep? I don't
know but it's happening right now.

[00:02:03] I'm playing the saxophone. This is what I'm doing now, but we don't know if I do this
often or if this is the first time I have ever played and it sounds terrible.
[00:02:11] I'm eating breakfast. This is happening at the time of speaking. We don't know when,
all we know is right now. Maybe I actually don't even eat breakfast normally, but right now I am.

[00:02:22] Present simple and continuous together. So the present simple tells us how often we
do things, if they are habits customs and if some things are facts or truths. The continuous tells
us if it's happening now, so together they can tell us a lot of information. With our previous
examples we can now add a lot more details.

[00:02:41] And we will often use them both in one sentence using and or but to make a complex
sentence. But and and are conjunctions, and we will learn more about them later in this course.

[00:02:54] A crocodile eats 50% of its body weight in one day, and that's why it's eating a sheep
right now. So now we know that to be a healthy crocodile, it eats a lot of food. And apparently a
sheep is part of that diet, and that in this very moment, it's eating a sheep in order to survive. In
order to get fifty percent of that body weight.

[00:03:14] I'm not playing the saxophone right now, but I play whenever I have free time. So I'm
probably busy right now. Actually I'm talking to you! Because I'm not playing the saxophone, but
in general I do play whenever I have free time.

[00:03:27] I always eat breakfast at 6 a.m., and that's why I'm eating now. So this is a habit,
which explains why I'm doing it now. And normally at around 6 a.m.

[00:03:37] Verbs that don't go in the present continuous.

[00:03:40] We don't put some verbs in the present continuous. These are called stative verbs
and they typically describe a state of being. Dynamic verbs describe actions, and so in this
course, I will call them action verbs. So you have to memorize these. I'm sorry and in the future,
we will look at some that you can sometimes use in the continuous depending on its use but
sometimes not depending on its use. But for now, we don't put the following verbs in the
present continuous, use them only in the present simple:

[00:04:12] Remember. Forget. Like. Want. Know. Prefer. Believe. Mean. Need. And understand.
If you want to focus a little bit more right now on stative versus dynamic verbs, I have put some
materials that you can look at in the practice homework document!