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PRESENT SIMPLE TENSE
PRESENT SIMPLE TENSE
(a) Water consists of hydrogen and oxygen.
(b) The average person breathes 21,600 times a day.
(c) The world is round.
(d) I study for two hours every day.
(e) I get up at seven every morning.
(f) He always eats a sandwich for lunch.
The simple present says that something was true in the past, is true in the present, and will be true in the future. It expresses general statements of fact and timeless truths.
The simple present is used to express habitual or everyday activities.
The present progressive expresses an activity that is in progress at the moment of speaking. It is a temporary activity that began in the past, is continuing at present, and will probably end at some point in the future.
Often the activity is of general nature: something generally in progress this week, this month, this year. Note: The sentence means that writing a book is a general activity Susan is engaged in at present, but it does not mean that at the moment of speaking she is sitting at her desk with pen in hand.
PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE
PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE
(a) John is sleeping right now.
(b) I need an umbrella because it is raining.
(c) The students are sitting at their desks right now.
(d) I am taking five courses this semester.
(e) John is trying to improve his work habits.
(f) Susan is writing another book this year.
PRESENT PERFECT TENSE
(a) They have moved into a new apartment.
(b) Have you ever visited Mexico?
(c) I have never seen snow.
(d) I have already seen this movie.
(e) Jack hasn’t seen it yet.
(f) Ann started a letter to her parents last week, but she still hasn’t finished it.
(g) Alex feels bad. He has just heard some bad news.
(h) We have had four tests so far this semester.
(i) I have written my wife a letter every other day for the last two weeks.
(j) I have met many people since I came here in June.
(k) I have flown on an airplane many times.
(l) I have been here since seven o’clock.
(m) We have been here for two weeks.
(n) I have had this same pair of shoes for three years.
(o) I have liked cowboy movies ever since I was a child.
(p) I have known him for many years.
The present perfect expresses the idea that something happened (or never happened) before now, at an unspecified time in the past. The exact time it happened is not important. If there is a specific mention of time, the simple past is used: They moved into a new apartment last month.
The present perfect also expresses the repetition of an activity before now. The exact time of each repetition is not important.
The present perfect, when used with for or since also expresses a situation that began in the past and continues to the present.
since + a particular time
for + a duration of time
This tense is used to indicate the duration of an activity that began in the past and continues to the present. When the tense has this meaning, it is used with time words, such as for, since, all morning, all day, etc.
Reminder: verbs with stative meanings are not used in the progressive. The present perfect, NOT the present perfect continuous, is used with stative verbs to describe the duration of a state (rather than an activity) that began in the past and continues to the present.
When the tense is used without any specific mention of time, it expresses a general activity in progress recently, lately.
With certain verbs (most notably live, work, teach), there is little or no difference in meaning between the two tenses when since or for is used.
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
Right now I am sitting at my desk.
(a) I have been sitting here since seven o’clock.
(b) I have been sitting here for two hours.
(c) You have been studying for five straight hours. Why don’t you take a break?
(d) It has been raining all day. It is still raining right now.
(e) I have known Alex since he was a child.
(f) INCORRECT: I have been knowing Alex since he was a child.
(g) I have been thinking about changing my major.
(h) All of the students have been studying hard. Final exams start next week.
(i) My back hurts, so I have been sleeping on the floor lately. The bed is too soft.
(ii) I have lived here since 1995.
I have been living here since 1995.
Stative Verbs
Some verbs are only (or mostly) used in simple tenses and are not used in continuous tenses. These verbs are called stative or state verbs. A verb which isn’t stative is called a dynamic verb and is usually an action. Often stative verbs are about liking or disliking something, or about a mental state, not about an action.
Verbs of senses: feel, hear, see, smell, taste, etc.
Verbs of feelings and emotions: adore, detest, dislike, enjoy, forgive, hate, like, etc.
Verbs of opinion: agree, believe, suppose, understand, etc.
Other verbs: appear (=seem), belong, concern, contain, depend, fit (be the right size), have (=possess), know, mean, owe, own, need, prefer, require, want, weigh, wish, keep (=continue), etc.
Some verbs can be both stative and dynamic with a change in meaning.
Simple Continuous
see виждам, разбирам see срещам се
think вярвам, считам think мисля, обмислям
have притежавам have преживявам
feel усещам, чувствам feel докосвам
taste имам вкус taste опитвам (на вкус)
smell има миризма на smell мириша
love/enjoy харесвам по принцип love/enjoy харесвам
be съм be държа се
look изглеждам look гледам
appear изглеждам appear появявам се
weigh тежа weigh претеглям
fit ставам (за размер) fit инсталирам
Exercise 1.
Present Simple vs. Present Continuous
_____________(he, understand) what you _____________(mean)?
Dora ____________(love) climbing hills but Tom ______________(feel) he is too old.
Look, the dog ________________(run) after the cat. It _________(want) to catch it.
He_______________(understand) the book he_________________(read) now.
I _____________(notice) you ______________(wear) a new tie.
What_____________(you, think) about? I _________(think) you __________(seem) sad.
What __________________(you, wait) for?
Why you ______________(walk) so fast today? You usually ____________(walk) slowly.
Diane can’t come to the phone because she _____(wash) her hair. Diane _____(wash) her hair every other day or so.
Please be quiet. I ___________(try) to concentrate.
A: Look! It ______________(snow).
B: It’s beautiful! This is the first time I’ve ever seen snow. It ____________(not snow) in my country.
Shhh. Grandpa _____(take) a nap in the living room. We ______(not want) to wake him up. He _____(need) his rest.
Right now I_____(look) at Janet. She_____(look) angry. I wonder what’s the matter. She ____(have) a frown on her face. She certainly ______(not have) any fun right now.
Take Jane’s dictionary, She __________(not use) it today.
The university year __________(start) in October.
Why _________(she, do) the washing-up? Is it her turn?
Exercise 2.
Present Simple vs. Present Continuous
1. look
She ____________ as though she’s going to cry.
We ____________ at the reflection of the sun in the lake.
2. smell
Why ___________ (she) the flowers so often?
The glass ____________ of beer.
3. fit
The dress _________ you perfectly.
He ___________ the new cupboards.
4. enjoy
I __________ spending my free time with my children.
__________ (you) the party?
1. see
He ____________ my sister tomorrow evening.
I _________ that you don’t want to help me.
7. have
They _____________ one of their awful rows.
I __________ something for you.
8. weigh
We are the same size but I _________ more than you do.
The greengrocer _____________ the cucumbers.
2. think
I’m hungry and I __________ of pizza and crisps.
I __________ you shouldn’t smoke so much.
10. feel
Silk ________ very smooth.
I’m feeling her forehead to see if she has a temperature.
3. be
He ________ my brother.
We __________ quite nice to you all the time.
4. appear
She _____________ in the new James Bond film.
He ____________ to have found something.
5. taste
The cake ___________ of cinnamon.
Why ___________ (he) the soup?
Exercise 3.
Present Perfect vs. Present Perfect Continuous
1. It ______________(snow) all day. I wonder when it will stop.
2. We __________(have) three major snowstorms so far this winter. I wonder how many more we will have.
3. It’s 10 p.m. I ____________(study) for two hours and probably won’t finish until midnight.
4. I ___________(write) them three times, but I still haven’t received a reply.
5. The telephone ______________(ring) four times in the last hour, and each time it has been for my office mate.
6. The telephone _____________(ring) for almost a minute. Why doesn’t someone answer it?
7. A: ________________(you, be) able to reach Bob on the phone yet?
B: Not yet. I ____________(try) for the last twenty minutes, but all I get is a busy signal.
8. A: Hi, Jenny. I ________(not see) you for weeks. What __________(you, do) lately?
B: Studying.
9. A: What’s the matter? Your eyes are red and puffy. ____________(you, cry)?
B: No. I just finished peeling some onions.
10. The little girl is dirty from head to foot because she ___________(play) in the mud.
11. I ___________(have) an accident with your car, Helen. I’m really sorry.
12. I don’t believe it! Someone ___________(eat) my chocolates! They’ve nearly all gone!
13. I ___________(wait) for you for ages! Where have you been?
14. I ____________(break) a glass. I’m terribly sorry.
15. How many biscuits __________(you, eat) today?
16. How long ____________(you, know) them?
17. He __________(write) a book for nearly a year. It’ll be finished soon.
18. The children are very quiet. They ________(watch) videos all morning.
19. I’m exhausted. I _________(work) all day, and I _________(not finish) yet.
20. He _________(have) a lot of jobs over the past few years.
21. I ________(shop) all morning, but I _________(not buy) anything.
22. That’s one of the best jokes I __________(ever, hear).
23. You’re really dirty. What __________(you, do)?
24. I __________(listen) to you for the past hour, but I’m afraid I ___________(not understand) a single word.
25. I ____________(try) to lose weight for ages. I ___________(lose) five kilos so far.
Exercise 4.
Choose between: Present Perfect, Present Perfect Continuous or Present Continuous:
I ____________(write) this novel for eight years and I________(not finish) it yet. I____________(still, write) it.
2. They ___________(wait) for him for two hours now, but he __________(not appear) yet. __________(they, still, wait)?
3. My daughter ________(study) English since she was 12 and she ______(still, learn) it. She ______(not master) it yet.
4. I _______(try) to find this book for 3 months now but I___________(fail). You___________(still, look) for it?
5. I _____(think) of going to the Far East for many years but I ____(have) no chance yet. But I ____(still, dream) about it.
6. She _________(have) lunch for 2 hours now and she____________(not finish) yet. She________(still, eat).
Exercise 5.
Put the verbs in the correct present tense.
Well, I 1) (never win) anything like this before! I 2) (only enter) a few competitions in my life so this is a big surprise. Of course, I 3) (watch) TV quiz shows for years, but now I 4) (think) of taking part in more. The prize is wonderful. We 5) (have) a great time. We 6) (already see) all the sights and my wife 7) (buy) lots of souvenirs. We 8) (send) postcards to all our friends to show them how we 9) (spend) our time. We really 10) (enjoy) ourselves. In fact, we 11)(want) to stay forever.
Exercise 6.
Put the verbs in the correct present tense.
Jane,
Thanks for agreeing to look after my flat while I am away. I 1) (clean) the flat thoroughly but as I 2) (work) late all week, I 3) (not have) time to cook any food for you. My dog, Rover, 4) (eat) a tin of dog food every night and the plants 5) (need) watering once a week. Tonight I 6) (stay) at the Hilton Hotel so you can contact me there if you need me.
Tara
Exercise 7.
Put the verbs in the correct present tense.
Dear John,
First of all, sorry I 1) (not write) for so long, but I was on holiday. 2) (you, get) your exams yet? I am sure you 3) (pass) them all since you always 4) (study) so hard. I 5) (wait) for mine at the moment and I 6) (try) not to worry! Well, I 7) (write) from my new flat. Yes, I 8) (move) house! Now we 9) (paint) and 10) (clean) the place to make it look nice. When it’s finished, I am going to have a party and because I 11) (not see) you for weeks I 12) (want) you to come. Write soon and let me know if I’ll see you there.
Love,
Mary
Exercise 8.
Put the verbs in the correct present tense.
Alan (fly) _________________ to Barcelona tonight. He (already pack) _____________________ his suitcases but he (not call) _________________ a taxi yet. His plane (leave) _________________ at 8 p.m.
Ann and Sally (be) _________________ flatmates. They sometimes (argue) ________________ because Sally (always make) ________________ a mess in the kitchen.
‘Look over there! It’s John.’ ‘Oh yes! But he (look) ________________ so different! He (put on) __________________ at least 10 kilos and I (think) _______________ he ( not have) ________________ a beard before.
Ever since the accident Susan (be) _________________ afraid to drive. Next week she (see) ________________ a psychologist who (specialize) ____________________ in that sort of problem.
‘What on earth (you, do)_____________________? Your clothes are so dirty!’ ‘Well, I (work) ____________________ in the garden all day. Look! I (already plant) __________________ a lot of flowers. I (plan) ______________ to cut the grass now.
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