present simple and present continuous tenses

1. ESO- 3 English Department
Present simple & present continuous CPI Tino Grandío
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PRESENT SIMPLE
FORM USE EXAMPLES
 affirmative: subject + infinitive (+3rd
p –(e)s)
 negative: subject + don’t/doesn’t +
infinitive
 question: do/does + subject +
infinitive
 Remember that we only add the –
(e)s in the 3rd
person affirmative
form
 Remember that be is an exception:
am / is / are
 facts and permanent
states.
 habits and routines
 1st
type conditional
sentences
 stative verbs that are
not used in the pres.
cont. (see, hear, believe,
want, know, understand,
think, like, love...)
 Key words: how often /
always / sometimes /
often / never / usually /
every day / once a week
/ twice a month... / if (in
conditional sentences)
 Snow melts at 0ºC.
 Harry lives in Liverpool.
 My dog plays football with us.
 Daniel washes his jacket every
week.
 We don’t like football.
 She doesn’t understand
baseball.
 Do you enjoy dining out?
 Does Rafael Nadal train in the
morning?
 If you drink too much you’ll have
to go to the toilet.
SPELLING OF THE –(E)S ADVERBS OF
FREQUENCY
SPELLING OF -ING
 General rule: +-s: works, dances
 Verbs ending in –o + -es: does, goes
 Verbs ending in cons+y+ies: studies
 Verbs ending in –s, -z, -sh, -ch, -x + -es:
misses, buzzes, washes, watches,
mixes
Always 100%
Usually 90%
Often 70%
Sometimes 40%
Seldom 10%
Never 0%
 General rule +-ing: working,
studying
 Verbs ending in –e: eing: dancing,
living
 Monosyllabic verbs vowel+cons.:
running, stopping
 Two-syllables final stress
vowel+cons: referring, beginning
 Final –l: lling: travelling
 Final –ie: ying: dying, lying
Adverbs of frequency are usually placed before the verb (but after verb be: am, is are):
 She is always late.
 They never come with us but they don’t often stay at home.
In questions that start with How often…? The present simple is the usual option:
 How often does she go fishing? Every weekend.
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
FORM USE EXAMPLES
 subject + am / is / are + (not) + -ing
 Remember the rules for -ing
 actions happening at the
moment of speaking
 Key words: now / at the
moment
 Actions happening in an
immediate future
 My sister is watching TV now.
 They aren’t listening to me.
 I’m not sleeping now.
 He’s setting the washing
machine.
 I’m finishing the exercise this
afternoon.
 She’s not working tomorrow.