Mgr. Ema Jarošová

Present simple we useTo talk about permanent situations I live in London but I come from Canada.

For habitual actions or routines We see each other every day.

For a general truth Cats don´t like water.

Water boils at 100 degrees Centigrade.

In instructions and directions To get to my house, you take the first turning on

the left.

In film reviews and plot summaries Bullock gives a plausible performance in the

lead role.

In sports commentaries Beckham passes the ball to Cole

– and he scores

These adverbs of frequency and time expressions are often used with the present simple:

Never, hardly ever, rarely, seldom, occasionaly, sometimes, frequently, often, usually, always

Every day/ week, in the morning/evenings, on mondays, once a week/year....

State verbsDescribe a state, not an activity. They cannot

normally be used in the continuous form:Mental/thinking verbs: agree, believe, disagree, doubt,

expect*, forget*,know, realise, remember*, suppose, think*,

understand

Attitude verbs: dislike, hate, like, love, need, prefer, want

Sense/ perception verbs: hear, see*, smell*, taste*

Appearance: appear*, look*, resemble, seem, sound

Being, possession: be*, belong to, consist of, contain, have*,

include, own, possess

Other verbs: cost, fit, matter, mean, owe

Present continuous we useFor activities and situations that are

temporary I´m only staying here for a short time.For actions in progress at the moment of

speaking I´m taking a break.Situations that are changing Traffic is getting worse every year.Annoying habits with always You´re always forgetting your keys!

These time expressions are often used with the present continuous:

Always, still, currently

At present, at the moment, (right) now