Simple present

The present simple

1. Form

Affirmative: I work, you work, he/she/it works, we work, they work.

• NOT : he work in a bank

Negative: I/you/we/they do not (don’t) work, he/she/it does not (doesn’t) work.

• NOT: she doesn’t to work in a bank  or she doesn’t works in a bank

Question: Do I/you/we/they work, does he/she/it work?

• NOT: does it works?

1. Uses

• Permanent situations

Ex: Nike manufactures sportswear

• Regular routines

Ex: it often takes an hour to answer all my emails

• Habits

Ex: I go to Austria every winter to do some skiing

• Scientific or and other facts

Stainless steel contains chromium

• Situations that are always or generally true

Ex: ........................................................................

1. Time adverbs

• To talk about routines and habits we can use frequency adverbs: always, often, usually, sometimes, occasionally, rarely, never.

Note the position:

Before the main verb: the Swiss franc usually rises at times of international crisis.

After the verb be: Czech beer is usually very good.

• Other frequency adverbs include: every day/........./........../......., daily/............/............., once a day/...........a month/.............. a year, from time.....time, most of the time etc.
• We use the present simple to refer to the future after these words: after, as soon as, before, if, in case, unless, until, when

Ex:         be ready in case he calls you

        When he arrives, let me know

The present continuous

1. Form

• We form the Present continuous with the auxiliary verb be and the - ing form of the verb

• We use contractions  (in brackets) in speech and informal writing
• The negative has an alternative form: you’re not, he/she/it’s not, we’re not, they’re not.
• If a verb ends with the letter –e we leave it out when we add ing. So we write: we are having (NOT haveing) I am leaving (NOT leaveing) she is writing (NOT writeing)

Exceptions

• Some verbs are not normally used in the continuous form. These verbs are called state verbs. They describe a state in a condition, not an action.                                    Ex: he knows what you mean (NOT he is knowing you are meaning)
• State verbs include:

THINKING: agree, believe, imagine, know, realise, remember, think, understand.

THE SENSE: hear, smell, see, taste

FEELINGS/NEEDS: appreciate, hate, like, love, need, prefer, want, wish.

POSSESSION: belong to, contain, have, own, possess  [pozes].

BEING: be, exist

OTHERS: cost, depend, involve, matter, mean, measure, owe, weigh

1. Uses of the Present Continuous

• We use the PC to describe activities in progress right now, at the moment of speaking.

Ex:

• To describe activities in progress now, but not at this exact moment.                          Ex: I’m reading a book about the story of Bill Gates.
• To describe a trends and developments in progress over a longer time period.

Ex:         The problem of global warming is getting worse.

Turkey is developing its links with the E.U and the standard of living is improving.

• In general, the present continuous describes an activity that is temporary rather than permanent. It has the idea of something limited for a limited time.

1. Time adverbs

We use the following time adverbs with the present continuous: at present, at the moment, currently, now, nowadays, right now, these days, this week.

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