English B1

Lesson 1. Nice to meet you!

Lesson 1. Nice to meet you!

Grammar focus
PRESENT TENSES: FORM, MEANING AND USE

Present SIMPLE TENSE describes:

➔ things that are permanent/always true
e.g. Rachel lives in Naples; it is cold in winter.

➔ habitual actions
e.g. I work from Monday to Friday every week.

➔ fixed timetables
e.g. The lesson starts at 9 every Monday;
I go to the gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

➔ feelings and opinions

e.g. Rachel loves music.

Present PROGRESSIVE describes:

➔ temporary actions in the moment
e.g. Daniel is making a video for his university assignment;
Daniel is interviewing his mother.

➔ temporary actions or events over a longer period of time that includes the
present
e.g. Daniel is studying Communication Sciences

➔ fixed arrangements for the future

e.g. Ruby is going to America in March.

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Lesson 1. Nice to meet you!

Present perfect is used for:

➔ actions that started in the past but are still true in the present (it indicates
the duration of an action)
e.g. Rachel has lived in Italy for over 20 years;
Ruby has worked at the company for 3 years.

There are many other uses of present perfect but you will meet these in later units.

Note: a few important indications regarding present tenses

Present simple affirmative

Normally uses the infinitive for all persons (I, you, we, they) except 3rd person
singular. Add s for the 3rd person singular.

Exceptions:
➔ For modal verbs like can, might, must, do not add s.
Example: he can, she might, it must

➔ After o, ch, sh or s, add es.

Example: do - he does, wash - she washes

➔ After a consonant, the final consonant y becomes ie. (but: not after a
vowel)
Example: worry - he worries but play - he plays

Present progressive
There is a small group of verbs that NEVER exist in the progressive form. These verbs
are called STATIVE verbs, and refer to states, opinions, feelings etc.
The STATE category includes common verbs like

have (meaning “to possess”)

I don’t have a tablet but I have a smartphone and 2 computers.
prefer, like,
know, think/believe (meaning “to have an opinion”)
I think Paul Weller is fantastic and I have always liked him.
I know that Naples is in the South of Italy.

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Lesson 1. Nice to meet you!

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