B2 Grammar: Basic verbal tenses

Present simple and present continuous

The present simple is used to describe:

•         a permanent state or situation: I live in the town where I was born.
•         a fact or something which is always true: The Earth revolves around the sun.
•         an activity which happens regularly or occasionally: He gets up at six o’clock every day.

The present continuous is used to describe:

•          a temporary situation: I’m living with my uncle while the builders finish decorating my house.
•       an activity happening at the present moment: I’m sorry you can’t talk to her at the moment. She’s having a shower.
•     an activity in progress but not exactly at the present moment: I’m studying three foreign languages, so I’m quite busy nowadays.
•         a situation which is changing or developing: Lots of people are coming to live here, so the town is growing quickly.
•         things the speaker finds strange or irritating, with always. This is a way of complaining: You’re always  using the telephone. Our phone bill will be enormous!
•         something which happens frequently, with always: My girlfriend is always cooking me special meals!

State verbs

Verbs which describe states, not actions, are not usually used in the continuous. These verbs describe:

thoughts: believe, know, remember, think (meaning believe), feel (meaning believe), suppose, etc.

feelings: love, like, hate, want, prefer, etc.

senses: smell, hear, taste, see

possession: have, belong, own, etc.

the verb to be.

Present perfect simple and present perfect continuous

Both the present perfect simple and present perfect continuous talk about something which started in the past and:

•        either has a result in the present: He’s lost his job (i.e. he’s unemployed now). I’ve been partying all weekend, so I’m feeling pretty tired now.
•      or is still happening now: We’ve been building an extension to our house (and we haven’t finished yet).

Often they are interchangeable. However:

The present perfect simple	The present perfect continuous
·    emphasises the result: I’ve phoned all my friends and they’re coming to the party.	·    emphasises the activity: I’ve been phoning my friends (that’s why I haven’t done my homework).
·    says how much you have done: I’ve cooked three pizzas.	·    says how long you’ve been doing something: I’ve been cooking all afternoon.
·    may give the idea that something is more permanent (and may be accompanied by a time expression which shows this): He’s worked in this shop all his life. I’ve always lived here.	·    may give the idea that something is temporary (and may be accompanied by a time expression which shows this): I’ve been working here for the last two months until I go to university. We’ve been eating dinner in the garden while the weather has been so warm.
·    is used when we want to say how many times somethings has been repeated: I’ve invited her two or three times but she always says she’s busy.	·    when we want to emphasise the process of change over a period of time and that these changes are not finished: Your English has been improving tremendously since you started doing your homework!

Remember: state verbs are not normally used in the continuous (see left).