Grammar Level One: Lesson 8 – Simple Present vs. Present Continuous

Hey there—this one’s a big one. It's also the one that confuses most students when they’re starting out.

In English, we have two ways of talking about the present:

• The simple present

• The present continuous (also called present progressive)

Spanish has both too—but here’s the tricky part:
We don’t always use them the same way.

Let’s clear it up by comparing how both languages use these two forms.

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🔄 Spanish vs. English: Two Present Tenses

In Spanish, you can say:

• Yo como → I eat
  (Simple present – regular action or general fact)

Or:

• Estoy comiendo → I am eating
  (Present continuous – right now)

Sounds familiar, right? English works the same way!

✅ The good news: You already know this concept in Spanish.
⚠️ The tricky part: In English, we use the present continuous a lot more often to talk about what’s happening right now.

In Spanish, sometimes you just say “¿Qué haces?”
In English, we say “What are you doing?” with the full “am/are + -ing” form.

So let’s break it down with examples.

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🧭 Use Simple Present for:

• Habits and routines

• General facts

• Things that happen regularly

🧠 Key words: always, usually, every day, often, sometimes

Examples:

• I eat breakfast at 7. → Yo como desayuno a las 7.

• She goes to school. → Ella va a la escuela.

• They play soccer. → Ellos juegan fútbol.

Structure:
[Subject] + [base verb]
(Add -s for he/she/it)

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🕒 Use Present Continuous for:

• Actions happening right now

• Things happening around now or temporarily

🧠 Key words: now, right now, at the moment, today

Examples:

• I am eating lunch. → Estoy comiendo almuerzo.

• She is working today. → Ella está trabajando hoy.

• They are studying for a test. → Están estudiando para un examen.

Structure:
[Subject] + am / is / are + [verb + ing]

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🧪 Compare These:

• I work at a restaurant.
  (General job – Simple present)

• I am working at a restaurant today.
  (Just for today – Present continuous)

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📝 Try It:

Choose the correct form: simple present or present continuous.

1. She ______ (go / is going) to the gym on Fridays.

2. I ______ (study / am studying) English right now.

3. They ______ (eat / are eating) lunch at the moment.

4. We usually ______ (walk / are walking) to school.

5. He ______ (watches / is watching) a movie right now.

(Hint: Look at time words like “now,” “usually,” “every day.” They’re your clues.)

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🧾 Bonus Bilingual Sentences

• I drink coffee every day. → Yo bebo café todos los días.

• I am drinking coffee now. → Estoy bebiendo café ahora.

• She reads a lot. → Ella lee mucho.

• She is reading right now. → Ella está leyendo ahora mismo.

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Prof. Rock’s Tip:

Here’s the shortcut:

🗓️ Use simple present for your routines.
⏱️ Use present continuous for what’s happening now.

Think of it like this:

• “I play basketball.” = It’s something I do regularly.

• “I’m playing basketball.” = I’m doing it right now.

Don’t worry if you mix them up sometimes—just keep listening, reading, and trying. You’ve already seen these forms in Spanish, so you’re more ready than you think.

See you in Lesson 9, where we start asking questions with who, what, where, and why.

– Prof. Rock