Use the Use the

simple present
present continuous
for:
for:

1) action that 1) something

happens that is
happening now
repeatedly or close to
(habitual the time of
action)
Present Simple: speaking
1) Routines:

2) general or
Tom goes fishing every week.

Ipermanent
usually work until 2:00 p.m.
2) a
temporary
situations
My family comes to visit me every year.
situation

3) facts
*Frequency adverbs/ expressions:
3) future
plans
Always, never, usually, rarely, sometimes, often, frequently,
seldom, hardly ever, every day, once a month, twice a year, on
Mondays, every other week, daily, at the weekend…

2) General or Permanent Situations:

My family lives far away.

Jack doesn’t work on Saturday.

Beth and Toan work at ECC.

3) Facts:

The Earth is round.

Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.

The Eiffel Tower is in Paris.

Present Continuous

*Key words: now, at the moment, currently, today, this week,

Look! …

1) Action happening now or close to time of speaking:

Where’s Tom? He’s playing soccer.

Don’t bother the kids. They are doing their homework.

2) Temporary situations:

Martha and her husband are traveling around Europe for two
weeks.
Lisa is living with friends until she finds an apartment.

3) Future plans:

I am taking the 6 o’clock train tomorrow morning.

Tina is coming home next Christmas.

PRACTICE:

Exercise I. Put the verbs in brackets into the Present simple or the Present continuous:

1. They (want) to see you for a minute. 2. He (walk) to hospital every day. 3. She
(move) her books into her new bookcase. 4. He usually (speak) his mother tongue, but
today he (speak) English. 5. You (drink) coffee or tea? 6. You can’t speak to Mary now;
she (sleep). 7. I (not hear) what you (say). 8. It’s autumn. The leaves (turn) yellow and
(fall) down. 9. The wind (blow) hard outside. It often (blow) hard in autumn. 10. Mr.
Smith (write) historical novels. Now he (write) a novel about Vlad the Impaler. I (look
forward) to reading it. 11. I (wear) a raincoat because it (rain). 12. Something (burn) in
the oven; I (see) that smoke (come) out of it. 13. We (spend) next week with our parents;
we (go) on a trip with them. 14. You (go) to town this afternoon?

Exercise II. Decide whether the verb underlined refers to present or future time:

1.Where are you staying on Saturday night?

2. John retires at the end of next year.
3. I’m trying really hard to understand this book.
4. I’m waiting for the bus.
5. I’m going for a walk this evening.
6. They are showing a Woody Allen film on Channel 4 tonight.
7. I’m off now, and I’m taking the car.

Exercise III. Choose the most suitable tense:

1. What sort of work do you do/are you doing?

2. What shall we have? Do you like/are you liking fish?
3. Can I borrow this dictionary? Or do you use/are you using it?
4. What do the people here do/are the people here doing in the evenings?
5. Andy builds/is building his own house in the country.
6. Do you wait/are you waiting for the bus to Newcastle?
7. Every year I visit/am visiting Britain to improve my English.
8. I haven’t decided yet about whether to buy a new car or a second-hand
one. But I think about it/I’m thinking about it.

Exercise IV. Translate into English:

1.Vacanţa de vară ţine două luni. În fiecare an mergem două săptămâni la mare. 2.
Directorul este foarte ocupat acum. Studiază proiectul pentru o nouă aripă a fabricii. 3.
Copiii se joacă în parc în fiecare zi. 4. Luăm micul dejun. Mama bea cafeaua, iar tata
mănâncă omletă. 5. Uneori Dunărea îngheaţă în luna ianuarie. 6. Prietenii tăi te
aşteaptă în faţa cinematografului. 7.Totdeauna seara ne uităm la televizor. 8. Mary
poartă astăzi o rochie verde. 9. Eu îmi fac temele după-amiaza. Fratele tău când îşi face
temele? 10. Nu plecăm sâmbătă la mare. Plecăm săptămâna viitoare. 11. Băiatul care
joacă fotbal pe stradă este colegul meu de bancă. El locuieşte vizavi. Tu unde locuieşti?