Present Tense

The Present Simple Tense is used to describe things that we regularly, generally or never do as well as facts. It is also used to describe feelings. It is no tense to describe any temporal context.

Signal Words: always, never, often, sometimes, every … etc.; love, like, hate, etc.

Construction: 1^st form of the verb

Beware: In the 3^rd person singular there is an –s at the end of the word.

I go to school every day.
Susan never eats toast for breakfast.
I live in New York. (fact)
We sometimes have chocolate after dinner.
I like sausages.
He loves his boyfriend.
 

The Present Progressive Tense are used to describe events that are taking place at the very moment of narration.

Signal words: now, at the moment, right now, Listen!, Look!

Construction: form of ‘to be’ + ing-form of the verb

I am having dinner with my family right now.
Look! He is playing with the dog in the garden.
Listen! Sarah is listening to music upstairs.

I am going to school.  => The narrator is going to school at the very moment.

I go to school.  => The narrator is telling the fact that he/she is a student in general.

You are being stupid.  =>  The present behaviour might be stupid. The person is not stupid in general.

You are stupid.  =>  The person is stupid in general.