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Unit 1.1 - Present Simple Present Continuous
Unit 1.1 - Present Simple Present Continuous
PRESENT SIMPLE
● Regular actions, routines or habits (things that you do every day, week,
year).
● Descriptions of states, and not actions, through state verbs (think, believe,
know, like, hate, want, need, prefer, smell, taste, hear, see…).
It smells of roses.
I
You speak
He / She / It speaks
English and French.
We
You speak
They
I
don’t have
You
We
You don’t have
They
1
I
Do
you
Does he / she / it
like going to the cinema?
we
Do you
they
Don’t forget to add the -s for 3rd person singular. Do you remember the
spelling rules to do that?
We often use the present simple with adverbs of frequency (usually, always, often,
sometimes, never, …).
Adverbs of frequency always go before the main verb, but after the verb to be.
but
2
Expressions of frequency (every day, every week, once a week, twice a week…)
usually go at the end of a sentence.
3
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
● Things that are happening now, at or around the time of speaking (the
action is not complete).
● Temporary situations.
I’m studying four new subjects this semester, so I’m very busy.
● Describing pictures.
We form the present continuous with the present simple of the verb to be and the
-ing form of the main verb. Revise how to form it by looking at these examples:
I am
You are
4
I ’m not
You aren’t
Am I
Are you
The most common expressions to indicate that the action is happening now
are: at the moment, now and right now.
verbs ending in
consonant-vowel-consonant (not open → opening no change, add -ing
stressed on the final syllable)