Present simple or Present Continuous?

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Present Simple vs Present Continuous Exercises with Answers (A1).

Present Simple or Present Continuous: What's the Difference?

Both tenses talk about the present. Each one answers a different question.

	Present simple	Present continuous
What it shows	Things we usually do. Things that are normally true.	Things happening now. Things happening around now.
Question it answers	What do you usually do?	What is happening now?
Time words	every day, usually, never, on Mondays	now, right now, today, this week
Form	verb (he, she, it + s)	am / is / are + verb + -ing
Example	Carl plays the guitar on Sundays.	Carl is playing the guitar now.

Same verb, two meanings

One verb can use both tenses. The time word shows the meaning.

Present simple	Present continuous
Gina makes soup every Sunday.	Gina is making soup now.
Finn plays basketball on Fridays.	Finn is playing basketball today.
Dina sings in the shower.	Dina is singing in the shower right now.

Which tense? Ask two questions

Is it something the person usually does, or a fact? Use the present simple.

Is it happening now, or around now? Use the present continuous.

Want to study each tense on its own? See the present simple lesson and the present continuous lesson.

Time Words: Which Tense Do They Signal?

Look for a time word in the sentence. It often tells you the tense.

Time words	Tense	Example
every day, every morning, on Mondays	present simple	Kim swims every morning.
always, usually, sometimes, never	present simple	Pablo sometimes visits his cousin.
now, right now	present continuous	Iris is talking to her teacher now.
today, this week, this month	present continuous	Nora is wearing a blue scarf today.
Look! Listen!	present continuous	Look! The bus is coming.

Always: present simple or present continuous?

Always, usually, sometimes and never show how often. Use the present simple.

Bella always eats breakfast at seven.
Luca never drinks soda.

Where does the word always go in the sentence? See our adverbs of frequency lesson.

At the moment: present simple or present continuous?

At the moment means now. Use the present continuous.

Finn is fixing his bike at the moment.
Ali is cooking lunch at the moment.

Today: present simple or present continuous?

Today shows something different from usual. Use the present continuous.

Pablo usually drives to work, but today he is walking.
Gina usually wears jeans, but today she is wearing a skirt.

Words like tomorrow and next week show a plan for later. You will study this at the next level.

Permanent and Temporary Situations

Use the present simple for things that stay the same. Use the present continuous for things that change soon.

Present simple: stays the same	Present continuous: changes soon
Kim lives in Seoul.	Kim is staying in Cairo this week.
Luca works at a school.	Luca is working in a shop this month.
Jon sleeps in his own bed.	Jon is sleeping on a friend's sofa this week.

Permanent situations

These last for a long time. They are about where you live, your job and your family.

Ali drives a taxi in Istanbul.
Dina lives with her parents.

Temporary situations

These last for a short time. They will change soon. Look for today, this week or this month.

Bella is using her brother's phone this week.
Finn is eating lunch at his desk today.

One person, two situations

One person can have a long-term situation and a short-term situation.

Iris lives in Istanbul, but this week she is visiting Seoul.
Carl works in a restaurant, but this month he is working at a hotel.

Present Simple vs Present Continuous Form: Positive and Negative Sentences

The two tenses use different patterns. Look at the helper words.

Positive sentences side by side

Subject	Present simple	Present continuous
I	I play	I am playing
you	you play	you are playing
he / she / it	he plays	he is playing
we	we play	we are playing
they	they play	they are playing

In the present simple, only he, she and it change: add -s.

In the present continuous, am / is / are changes. The verb + -ing always stays the same.

Negative sentences side by side

Subject	Present simple	Present continuous
I	I don't play	I'm not playing
you	you don't play	you aren't playing
he / she / it	he doesn't play	he isn't playing
we	we don't play	we aren't playing
they	they don't play	they aren't playing

After don't and doesn't, the verb has no -s.

In the present continuous, put not after am, is or are.

Full sentences side by side

Present simple	Present continuous
Bella plays the piano.	Bella is playing the piano.
Bella doesn't play cards.	Bella isn't playing cards.
Ali and Jon don't use the computer.	Ali and Jon aren't using the computer.

For the -s, -es and -ies rules, see the present simple lesson. For the -ing spelling rules, see the present continuous lesson.

Present Simple vs Present Continuous Questions and Short Answers

Present simple questions use do or does. Present continuous questions use am, is or are.

Yes/no questions side by side

Present simple	Present continuous
Do you study at night? Yes, I do. / No, I don't.	Are you studying now? Yes, I am. / No, I'm not.
Does Kim swim on Fridays? Yes, she does. / No, she doesn't.	Is Kim swimming now? Yes, she is. / No, she isn't.
Do Ali and Nora take the bus? Yes, they do. / No, they don't.	Are Ali and Nora taking the bus? Yes, they are. / No, they aren't.

A short answer uses do, does, am, is or are. Do not repeat the main verb.

✓ Yes, I do. ✗ Yes, I study.

✓ Yes, I am. ✗ Yes, I'm.

What do you do? and What are you doing?

These two questions look almost the same. They ask about different things.

Question	It asks about	Answer
What do you do?	your job	I'm a nurse.
What are you doing?	now	I'm writing a message.
What does Pablo do?	his job	He is a waiter.
What is Pablo doing?	now	He is answering the phone.

Where questions side by side

Present simple	Present continuous
Where does Jon live? He lives in Istanbul.	Where is Jon staying? He is staying in Cairo.
Where do you work? I work at a school.	Where are you working today? I am working at home.

The order is: question word, do / does or am / is / are, subject, verb.

✓ Where does Nora work? ✗ Where Nora works?

✓ Where is Nora working? ✗ Where Nora is working?