Simple Present Present Progressive(continuous)

infinitive form of 'be' and verb + ing

(3rd person singular: infinitive + 's')

I speak I am speaking
you speak you are speaking
he / she / it speaks he / she / it is speaking
we speak we are speaking
they speak they are speaking

Exceptions

Exceptions when adding 's' : Exceptions when adding 'ing' :

For can, may, might, must, do not add s. Silent e is dropped. (but: does not apply for -ee)

Example: he can, she may, it must Example: come - coming

but: agree - agreeing
After o, ch, sh or s, add es.
After a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is
Example: do - he does, wash - she washes
doubled.
After a consonant, the final
Example: sit - sitting
consonant ybecomes ie. (but: not after a vowel)
After a vowel, the final consonant l is doubled in British
Example: worry - he worries
English (but not in American English).
but: play - he plays
Example: travel - travelling (British English)
but: traveling (American English)

Final ie becomes y.

Example: lie - lying

Simple Present Present Progressive

in general (regularly, often, never) right now

Colin plays football every Tuesday. Look! Colin is playing football now.

present actions happening one after another also for several actions happening at the same time

First Colin plays football, then he watches TV. Colin is playing football and Anne is watching.

Signal words

always at the moment

every ... at this moment

often today

normally now

usually right now

sometimes Listen!

seldom Look!

never

first

then

Note: The following verbs are usually only used in Simple Present:
be, have, hear, know, like, love, see, smell, think, want

Exercise 1
Put the verbs into the correct tense (simple present or present progressive).

1. Look! He (leave) the house.

2. Quiet please! I (write) a test.
3. She usually (walk) to school.
4. But look! Today she (go) by bike.
5. Every Sunday we (go) to see my grandparents.
6. He often (go) to the cinema.
7. We (play) Monopoly at the moment.
8. The child seldom (cry) .
9. I (not / do) anything at the moment.
10.(watch / he) the news regularly?
Exercise 2
Complete the story. Use Simple Present and Present Progressive.

1. It (be) early in the morning.

2. Sally (get) out of bed, (open) the window
and (go) into the bathroom.
 3. Then she (have) breakfast.
4. After breakfast, Sally usually (cycle) to school.
5. After school, she (go) back home.
6. Sally usually (eat) her lunch at home.
7. In the afternoons, she first (do) her homework and then
she (meet) her friends in the park.
8. What (do / she) now?
9. She (play) the guitar.
10.Her friends (listen) and some of
them (sing) along.
11.When Sally (come) home in the evening,
she (have) dinner and then
she (watch) TV.
12.She (go) to bed at about 8 o'clock every day.

Exercise 3
Complete the sentences. Use Simple Present and Present Progressive.

1. Look! Jenny (go) to school.

2. She (wear)
she (carry)
3. Jenny usually (cycle)
she (take)
4. The bus (leave)
Jenny's school at 7.45.
5. The first lesson (begin)
a raincoat and wellies and
an umbrella.
to school, but today
the bus because it (rain) .
at 7.35 and (arrive) at
at 8 o'clock.

Exercise 4
Complete the sentences. Use Simple Present and Present Progressive.
1. James (live) in a little village.
2. He (be) in his last year at school.
3. After school, James (want) to become a banker.
4. So this week, he (do) a practical course in a bank.
5. There (be) a bank in a nearby town, but
James (have) to take the bus to get there.
6. The bus (leave) at 5.30 in the morning
and (return) at 8.15 in the evening.
7. James (not / like) to spend so much time in town before
and after work, waiting for the bus.
8. Therefore, this week he (stay) with his aunt,
who (live) in town.
9. James usually (wear) jeans and t-shirts, but while
he (work) for the bank now, he (wear) a
suit and a tie.