Present Tenses

What do you like doing in your free time? Do you like playing games/riding a bike/reading a book/watching films/going shopping/hanging out with friends/playing volleyball? What about your friend? Are you doing any of these?

 

e.g. I like watching films.

I'm not watching a film now.

My friend likes riding a bike. 

She isn't riding a bike now.

In English, there are two present tenses:

• present simple - for actions that that happen always, often, usually, sometimes, every day/month/year:

Tony lives in Sydney. (permanent state)

The sun rises in the east. (fact)

Emma tidies her desk after work. (habit)

• present continuous - for actions happening now, at the moment, today, tonight

Jane is helping her brother now. (present situation)

I am sitting and writing.

We are having a party tonight. (future arrangement)

Choose and fill in, present simple or continuous: 

1 At the moment Joanne ..... (stand) on the platform. She ..... (go) to work by train every morning.

2 Frank ..... (not work) in the shop now. He never ..... (work) on Sunday.

3 They often ..... (play) cards after dinner, but this evening they ..... (listen) to music.

4 Karen always ..... (get) home at 6.30. She ..... (have) dinner now.

5 Our cousins often ..... (spend) the weekend with us. They ..... (stay) with us this weekend.