The present simple and the present continuous

🔊 المعلّمة تقرأ لك

« To most people, counterfeiting means essentially forged currency. But in reality, products of all sorts, medicines, mobile phones, food and drink, and even car parts are being copied every day by counterfeiters. » Two sentences, two presents: the first says what a word means, the second shows something that is going on. You already know the present simple and the present continuous; this lesson makes sure you can choose between them — and avoid the verbs that refuse the -ing form. So how do you know which present to use?

🎓في نهاية هذا الدرس ستكون قادرا على:

التمييز بين الحاضر البسيط لما يحدث بانتظام أو ما هو صحيح دائما، والحاضر المستمرّ لحدث جارٍ الآن
تكوين الحاضر المستمرّ بـ ⁦am, is, are⁩ متبوعة بالفعل المنتهي بـ ⁦-ing⁩
التعرّف على أفعال الحالة ⁦(stative verbs)⁩ في مجموعاتها الخمس، وتجنّب استعمالها في صيغة الاستمرار
إدراك تغيّر معنى بعض أفعال الحالة حين تأتي في صيغة الاستمرار، مثل ⁦see⁩ بمعنى «يقابل»

🔑يفترض هذا الدرس أنّك تتقن:

الحاضر البسيط ونهايته ⁦-s⁩ مع ضمير الغائب المفرد
الفعل ⁦be⁩ في الحاضر: ⁦am, is, are⁩
صيغة الفعل المنتهية بـ ⁦-ing⁩

1. Two presents: I listen, I am listening

للحاضر صيغتان: الحاضر البسيط لما نفعله بانتظام أو ما هو صحيح عموما، والحاضر المستمرّ ⁦am, is, are + -ing⁩ لحدث جارٍ له بداية ونهاية.

Most verbs describe actions: events which happen in a limited period of time and have a definite beginning and end. These action verbs (also called dynamic verbs) have two forms in the present: the present simple — « I always listen to music. » — for what I do regularly; the present continuous, also called the present progressive — am, is, are + verb-ing: « I am listening to a record. » — for an action going on now, which has begun and will end. In a text, the present simple also states what something is, or what a word means: that is how the writer defines a counterfeit below.

Imitating property is theft

A counterfeit is something that is forged, copied with the purpose of deceiving or defrauding. To most people, counterfeiting means essentially forged currency. But in reality, products of all sorts, medicines, mobile phones, food and drink, and even car parts are being copied every day by counterfeiters. These products are imitated to such perfection that it is difficult to distinguish between the genuine and the fake products.

Which present, and why?

Verb in the text	Tense	What it tells
A counterfeit is something that is forged	present simple	a definition, true at any time
counterfeiting means essentially forged currency	present simple	what the word means for most people
are being copied every day by counterfeiters	present continuous (here in the passive voice)	an action going on in our time, again and again
it is difficult to distinguish	present simple	a general fact

Present continuous = am, is, are + verb-ing. Present simple = one verb form, with -s after he, she, it.

Task 1 — Under a photo, the caption reads « A customs officer showing counterfeits of famous European paintings ». Make it a full sentence: which present do you need?

حوّل تعليق الصورة إلى جملة تامّة: أيّ الحاضرين تحتاج؟

« A customs officer is showing counterfeits of famous European paintings. » — the present continuous: we describe what is happening in the picture, at this very moment. Show is an action verb, so the -ing form is possible.

Task 2 — « To most people, counterfeiting means essentially forged currency. » Why the present simple here?

لماذا جاء الفعل في الحاضر البسيط في هذه الجملة؟

The writer says what the word means for most people: a fact that is true at any time, not an action going on at this moment. So the verb stays in the present simple, with -s after counterfeiting (it): counterfeiting means.

2. Verbs that refuse -ing: stative verbs

أفعال الحالة ⁦(stative verbs)⁩ تصف حالة تدوم، لا حدثا له بداية ونهاية، فلا تأتي عادة في صيغة الاستمرار: نقول ⁦I know English⁩ لا ⁦I am knowing English⁩.

Stative verbs (also called state verbs) describe states which continue over a period of time and need not have a well-defined beginning and end. They cannot usually have a continuous form: « I am knowing English » is incorrect, because know describes a continuing state. The correct sentence is « I know English ». Stative verbs fall into five main groups (see the table). Some of them can be in the continuous when they describe an action: « I see what you mean » (see = understand; not I am seeing), but « I am seeing the headmaster tomorrow » (see = meet). And verbs of perception are often preceded by can: « On a clear day, we can see Algiers from here. »

The five groups of stative verbs

Verbs referring to…	Verbs
feelings	like · love · hate · detest
thinking and believing	think · understand · remember · know
perception	see · hear · smell · touch · taste
wants	want · prefer
being and having	seem · own · belong · appear · possess

These verbs usually stay in the simple form: I know, she wants, it belongs.

Right or wrong?

a) I am knowing the difference between a genuine and a fake product. b) Look! The customs officer is showing counterfeits of famous paintings. c) This mobile phone is belonging to my brother. d) I am seeing the headmaster tomorrow. e) Most people are wanting genuine products.

Task 3 — Which sentences are wrong, and why?

أيّ الجمل خاطئة؟ ولماذا؟

a) Wrong — know refers to thinking: I know the difference between a genuine and a fake product.
b) Right — show is an action verb, and the action is happening now.
c) Wrong — belong refers to having: this mobile phone belongs to my brother.
d) Right — here see means meet: it describes an action, so the continuous is possible.
e) Wrong — want refers to wants: most people want genuine products.

Before you add -ing, ask: does the verb describe an action with a beginning and an end, or a state that continues?

3. Choosing the right present

في كلّ جملة اسأل: هل هي عادة أو حقيقة عامّة، أم حدث جارٍ الآن؟ وهل الفعل فعل حالة؟

Put the verbs in brackets in the present simple or the present continuous.

1. A counterfeit (be) something that is forged or copied. 2. Look! The police (search) the lorry for fake car parts. 3. Many people (think) that counterfeiting only means forged currency. 4. Be quiet, please: I (listen) to a radio programme about corruption. 5. This company (lose) money every year because of counterfeiters. 6. I (see) what you mean: fake medicines are dangerous.

Task 4 — the answers, and the question to ask each time

في كلّ جملة اسأل: عادة أو حقيقة، أم حدث جارٍ؟

1. is — a definition, true at any time.
2. are searching — « Look! »: the action is happening now.
3. think — think (= believe) is a stative verb: it stays in the simple form.
4. am listening — « Be quiet »: the action is going on at this moment.
5. loses — « every year »: something that happens regularly; -s after this company (it).
6. see — here see means understand: a stative verb, simple form.

Do this alone, in writing. Look around you. Write three sentences about what is happening now (present continuous) and three about what usually happens on a school day (present simple). Use at least one stative verb — like, know, want… Then check: is each stative verb in the simple form?

اكتب وحدك ثلاث جمل عمّا يجري حولك الآن، وثلاثا عمّا يحدث عادة في يوم دراسيّ، واستعمل فعل حالة واحدا على الأقلّ.

A model answer

It is raining outside. My little sister is watching television, and my mother is cooking dinner. On a school day, I get up at six and take the bus at seven. I like mathematics, and I usually do my homework after dinner. Notice like: a stative verb, so never « I am liking ».

In the exam, the verb is given in brackets and you must choose the right present, inside a sentence or a short text. Ask one question — is it a habit or a fact, or an action going on now? Have three things ready: ① the present simple for what happens regularly or is true in general, with -s after he, she, it; ② the present continuous — am, is, are + verb-ing — for an action in progress; ③ the stative verbs (know, like, want, seem, belong…), which stay in the simple form. The frequent mistake is a stative verb in the continuous: « I am knowing » — write I know.

What I keep — The present simple tells what happens regularly or what is true (I always listen to music; a counterfeit is something that is forged). The present continuous — am, is, are + verb-ing — tells an action going on now, with a beginning and an end (I am listening to a record). Stative verbs — feelings, thinking, perception, wants, being and having — usually stay in the simple form: I know English, not I am knowing.

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