Present Simple vs Present Continuous Differences in Usage. The present simple tense is used to express general truths, while the present continuous tense describes actions happening now. The present simple tense is used to indicate present habits, while the present continuous tense is used to express annoying habits (+ always). The simple past tense describes something that started and finished in the past, for example, ‘We talked yesterday”. The past continuous tense is a bit more complicated and can describe multiple things, including conditions in the past. For example, “The sun was shining when we left the house”. seem. smell. suppose. taste. understand. want. Some of the non continuous verbs are used in progressive tense but their meaning changes. I see there is a man in front of the door. (Sense of vision) The first sentence expresses an opinion. It is a mental state, so we use present simple. In the second example the speaker is actively processing thoughts about something. It is an action in progress, so we use present continuous. Some other examples are: have. I have an old car. (state – possession) I'm having a quick break. Present continuous tense uses. 1. To talk about ongoing actions. This is the most common use of the Present Continuous in English. Here, we talk about actions that are going on at the time of speaking. You can also talk about actions that are not happening at the time of speaking or ask about the happening of actions. . 246 389 493 475 142 326 139 217

what is continuous tense with examples