Facts about Present Simple vs Present Continuous
Most french students have difficulties to understand « how » and « when » to use the « Present Simple » tense :
- Present simple is used for habits, routines, rules, general truths, and repeated actions.
- Present Continuous is used for actions happening now or around the present time.
| Present Simple | Present Continuous |
| Daily routines, General facts | Actions happening right now |
| « I wake up at 7 am every day. » | « I am taking an english lesson » |
| « The sun rises in the east. » | « I am shopping at the moment » |
| « I work as a teacher » | « I am drinking a cup of tea » |
Tips & Tricks
- Practice both tenses together with relevant sentences about « General Life actions and facts » and « Actions happening right now ».
- Pay attention to signal words that indicate which tense to use.
Example : « always, » « now, » « at the moment ». - Remember to teach the affirmative, negative, and interrogative forms.
- Focus on subject-verb agreement, especially the third-person singular « -s ».
- Simple present discussions : use topic starters for various themes like generations or animals.
- Role-play scenarios : set up situations where both tenses are naturally used, like describing a typical day at work (Present Simple) and what’s happening in the office right now (Pre-sent Continuous)
