The key question
Side by side
| Meaning | Present Simple | Present Continuous |
|---|---|---|
| Habit / routine | I drink coffee every morning. | I am drinking coffee right now. |
| Permanent vs. temporary | She lives in Madrid. (her home) | She is living in Madrid for a month. |
| Fact vs. happening now | It rains a lot in London. (in general) | It is raining outside. (now) |
| Schedule vs. arrangement | The train leaves at 8:00. | I am meeting Tom tonight. (arranged) |
Signal words
| Present Simple | Present Continuous |
|---|---|
|
always
usually / generally
often
sometimes
rarely / seldom
never
every day / week
on Mondays
|
now / right now
at the moment
currently
as we speak
today / this week
tonight
Look! / Listen!
|
Stative verbs — always Present Simple
Some verbs describe a state (not an action). They don't normally use the continuous form, even when talking about right now.
| Category | Verbs |
|---|---|
| Feelings / emotions | love, hate, like, want, need, prefer, feel* |
| Thoughts / beliefs | think*, know, believe, understand, remember, forget |
| Possession | have*, own, belong, possess |
| Senses | see, hear, smell*, taste*, look* |
*Verbs marked with * can sometimes be used in the continuous with a different meaning: "I'm thinking about it" (= considering) vs. "I think it's right" (= opinion). Ask your teacher or see the B1 stative verbs page for full details.
Exercises
Exercise 1 — Fill in the blank
Use Present Simple or Present Continuous.
Exercise 2 — Simple or Continuous?
Choose the most natural form.
1. "Where is Maria?" — "She _____ in the garden."
2. Water _____ at 100 degrees Celsius.
3. I _____ what you mean.
4. He _____ Spanish this year.
Exercise 3 — Complete the text
Complete the text with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.
The Johnson family (live) in a small town near a lake. Every weekday, Mr. Johnson (drive) to work at 8:00, and Mrs. Johnson (teach) at the local school. Their two children (go) to the same school, and they usually (walk) there together.
Today is Saturday, so their routine is different. Right now, Mr. Johnson (wash) the family car while Mrs. Johnson (make) lunch. The children (play) in the garden with their dog. Their grandparents (visit) them this weekend, so everyone (help) to prepare the house.
At the moment, Grandma (set) the table, Grandpa (clean) the barbecue, and the children (carry) some chairs into the garden. Mr. Johnson usually (cook) on Saturdays, but today Grandma (prepare) everyone's favorite meal instead. The family always (eat) together on weekends, and they (plan) a picnic for tomorrow.