Present Simple vs Present Continuous

Intermediate · Lesson 1 · Lesson guide

Written for you by your teacher

Welcome to Intermediate, my dear student!

From now on we train seriously. You already know “I work” and “I’m working”. At the Core level the question is not the form, it is the meaning: is it permanent or temporary? A routine or a trend? A timetable or a plan you have arranged? IELTS examiners notice the difference, and so will you.

This lesson has new kinds of practice: IELTS Reading with TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN and sentence completion, IELTS Listening form completion with a word limit, dictation, proofreading where you find and correct mistakes, and sentence rewriting. At the end you will find extra resources for more practice.

Train hard, and enjoy it,Your teacher

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What we’ll master today

9uses of the two tenses
4IELTS skills practised
8parts of exercises
30minutes with this guide

By the end of this lesson, you will

choose the tense from the meaning: permanent or temporary, routine or trend
use the continuous for trends (IELTS Writing Task 1), annoying habits and arrangements
keep state verbs (know, believe, own, belong) in the simple form
answer TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN questions about a text
find and fix tense mistakes, and rewrite sentences with a given word
use both tenses in Academic IELTS: a listening form, note completion, a Task 1 graph and Speaking Part 1

A note from your teacher

At Intermediate, accuracy matters. In the exercises you type most answers yourself, and spelling counts.

The nine uses, one by one

The small label on each card says which tense. Read, listen, and notice the time words.

Simple · habit

Routines and how often

Things you do regularly: I usually walk to work. She goes to the gym twice a week. Frequency words (usually, often, never) go before the main verb.

I usually walk to work.(Men odatda ishga piyoda boraman.)
She goes to the gym twice a week.(U haftada ikki marta sport zaliga boradi.)

Simple · fact and state

Facts, and verbs that are states

General truths: ice melts at 0°C. State verbs describe thoughts, feelings and possession, not actions: know, believe, like, want, own, belong, seem. We normally do not use them with -ing.

Ice melts at 0 degrees.(Muz 0 darajada eriydi.)
I know what you mean.(Nima demoqchi ekaningizni bilaman.)

Simple · timetable

Timetables, even in the future

Official schedules use the simple, even for tomorrow: the film starts at 8, the exam starts on Monday. You cannot change a timetable; that is why it is “permanent”.

The film starts at eight tonight.(Film bugun kechqurun soat sakkizda boshlanadi.)
The exam starts on Monday.(Imtihon dushanba kuni boshlanadi.)

Continuous · now and temporary

Now, around now, for a while

Happening at this moment (Listen! The baby is crying), or around now for a limited time: I’m sharing a flat with my cousin this year. Words: now, at the moment, this week, currently.

Listen! The baby is crying.(Eshit! Chaqaloq yigʻlayapti.)
I’m sharing a flat with my cousin this year.(Bu yil amakivachcham bilan bitta kvartirada yashayapman.)

Continuous · trend

Changing situations

Something that is getting bigger, smaller, better or worse: rents are rising, more people are working from home. This is essential for IELTS Writing Task 1 and Speaking.

Rents are rising.(Ijara narxlari oshmoqda.)
More and more people are learning online.(Tobora koʻproq odamlar onlayn oʻqimoqda.)

Continuous · always and plans

Annoying habits and arranged plans

Always + continuous shows irritation: she’s always borrowing my pens! And a plan you have arranged (with a time, a ticket, a person): I’m meeting Nodira tonight.

She’s always borrowing my pens!(U doim ruchkalarimni olib ketadi!)
I’m meeting Nodira tonight.(Bugun kechqurun Nodira bilan uchrashaman.)

Remember!

Ask: is it permanent (simple) or temporary / changing (continuous)?

Tense Lab

First choose what you want to talk about: the lab shows the tense, the pattern, an example and the trap to avoid. Then build every form for any person and verb, and listen.

1. Which tense?

What are you talking about? Choose one.

present continuous

am / is / are + -ing + (this week / until …)

I’m sharing a flat with my cousin this year.

Compare: I live in Tashkent (permanent).

2. Build the forms

Choose a person and a verb: see and hear every form of both tenses.

Person

Verb

present simplepresent continuous

PositiveShe works from home every day.She’s working from home now.

NegativeShe doesn’t work from home every day.She isn’t working from home now.

QuestionDoes she work from home every day?Is she working from home now?

A note from your teacher

Try “she” + “study English”: watch the spelling change in both tenses (studies / studying).

Signal words

Time words often tell you the tense. They are clues, not rules: always can be simple (habit) or continuous (annoying habit)!

Present simple
Habits and frequency.
- usually(odatda)
- often(tez-tez)
- every day(har kuni)
- on Mondays(dushanba kunlari)
- once a week(haftada bir marta)
- never(hech qachon)
Present continuous
Now, around now, for a while.
- now(hozir)
- at the moment(ayni paytda)
- currently(hozirgi kunda)
- these days(shu kunlarda)
- this week(shu hafta)
- Look!(Qara!)
Trends (continuous)
Words for change, IELTS Writing Task 1.
- rising(oshmoqda)
- falling(kamaymoqda)
- growing(oʻsmoqda)
- increasing(koʻpaymoqda)
- getting better(yaxshilanmoqda)

Same verb, different meaning

In fast speech the difference is one short sound: ’s or ’re, and -ing. The meaning changes completely. Tap to compare, then press Test me.

What do you do? / What are you doing?

Both are common questions, but they ask different things.

How to tell them apart What do you do? = What is your job? What are you doing? = What are you doing right now?

live or ’re living?

“They’re living” has a short ’re at the start and -ing at the end.

How to tell them apart Permanent home: they live. Temporary: they’re living there this year.

think or ’m thinking?

“Think” is a state (opinion) or an action (considering).

How to tell them apart I think it’s right = my opinion. I’m thinking about it = I’m considering it now.

Use it in IELTS

This is how the two presents appear in the real exam. Listen, repeat, and copy the patterns into your own answers.

Speaking Part 1: I work in a hotel. At the moment I’m preparing for IELTS.
(Men mehmonxonada ishlayman. Hozir IELTS ga tayyorlanyapman.)
Permanent fact + temporary situation in two sentences: examiners love it.
Speaking Part 1: I usually read before bed, but these days I’m reading less.
(Odatda uxlashdan oldin kitob oʻqiyman, lekin shu kunlarda kamroq oʻqiyapman.)
Contrast a habit with a recent change.
Writing Task 1: The number of online students is rising steadily.
(Onlayn talabalar soni barqaror oshib bormoqda.)
A trend now: present continuous + adverb.
Writing Task 2: Many people believe that technology makes life easier.
(Koʻp odamlar texnologiya hayotni osonlashtiradi, deb hisoblaydi.)
Opinions and general truths: present simple (believe is a state verb).
Writing Task 2: More and more young people are moving to big cities.
(Tobora koʻproq yoshlar katta shaharlarga koʻchmoqda.)
A changing situation in society: continuous.
Listening: The museum opens at nine, but the café doesn’t open until ten.
(Muzey soat toʻqqizda ochiladi, lekin kafe faqat oʻnda ochiladi.)
Timetables: listen for the simple, and for “not until”.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: work or study

Notice how the candidate mixes permanent facts (simple) and the current situation (continuous). Every answer has two or three sentences.

Examiner
Do you work or are you a student?(Ishlaysizmi yoki talabamisiz?)
Candidate
I’m at university. I study history in Tashkent.(Men universitetdaman. Toshkentda tarix oʻqiyman.)
Examiner
Why did you choose that subject?(Nega bu fanni tanladingiz?)
Candidate
I find it fascinating. It explains how the world works.(U menga juda qiziq. U dunyo qanday ishlashini tushuntiradi.)
Examiner
What are you working on at the moment?(Hozir nima ustida ishlayapsiz?)
Candidate
This term we’re studying international trade, and I’m writing a project about exports.(Bu semestrda xalqaro savdoni oʻrganyapmiz va men eksport haqida loyiha yozyapman.)
Examiner
Do you enjoy studying in the evening?(Kechqurun oʻqishni yoqtirasizmi?)
Candidate
Not really. I usually study in the morning, but these days I’m working late because of my exams.(Unchalik emas. Odatda ertalab oʻqiyman, lekin shu kunlarda imtihonlar sababli kech ishlayapman.)

IELTS tip: “usually … but these days …” is a simple way to show a range of tenses. Use it in Speaking Part 1.

A note from your teacher

Record yourself answering these four questions about your own life. Check every verb: permanent or temporary?

Mistakes I correct every day

At the Core level the mistakes are about meaning, not just form. Read why, and listen to the right sentence.

Not: I am knowing her brother.Say: I know her brother.(Men uning akasini taniyman.)
Know is a state verb: no -ing.
Not: Look! The bus comes.Say: Look! The bus is coming.(Qara! Avtobus kelyapti.)
Happening now: continuous.
Not: He don’t eat meat.Say: He doesn’t eat meat.(U goʻsht yemaydi.)
He / she / it: doesn’t.
Not: I am usually walking to school.Say: I usually walk to school.(Men odatda maktabga piyoda boraman.)
A routine: simple.
Not: This bag is belonging to me.Say: This bag belongs to me.(Bu sumka meniki.)
Belong is a state verb.
Not: I meet Nodira tonight at eight.Say: I’m meeting Nodira tonight at eight.(Bugun kechqurun soat sakkizda Nodira bilan uchrashaman.)
An arranged plan: continuous.
Not: Rents rise these days.Say: Rents are rising these days.(Shu kunlarda ijara narxlari oshmoqda.)
A changing trend now: continuous.
Not: What do you do now? I cook.Say: What are you doing now? I’m cooking.(Hozir nima qilyapsan? Ovqat pishiryapman.)
Right now: continuous, in the question and the answer.

The exercises, part by part

Before your students start, here is exactly what each of the eight parts asks, with a worked example. Parts 1–3 train the grammar; Parts 4–7 use it in Academic IELTS; Part 8 tests everything.

Part 1 of 8 · Grammar
Habit or Right Now?
Habits, facts and states (simple) against now and around now (continuous).
- Signal-word cards
- Sort the signal words
- Choose the form
- Type the verb
How it works Students hear the signal words, sort them by tense, then choose or type the verb in sentences. Typed answers accept short forms (I’m = I am).
Example
Shh! Grandad ___ (watch) the news.
Answer: is watching
Happening now: present continuous.
For the teacher Ask “permanent or temporary?” before every answer.
Open Part 1 →
Part 2 of 8 · Grammar
Beyond the Basics
Temporary situations, trends, annoying habits with always, arrangements and timetables.
- Why this tense?
- Choose the form
- Type the verb
How it works Students name the use behind a tense (a trend, an arrangement…), then choose and type forms in harder sentences.
Example
My cousins ___ (arrive) on Sunday – we’ve booked their hotel.
Answer: are arriving
A future arrangement: present continuous.
Open Part 2 →
Part 3 of 8 · Grammar
Proofreader
Finding and correcting tense mistakes, and rewriting sentences with a given word.
- Find and fix
- Rewrite with the word given
How it works Students tap the one wrong word, then type the correction in its place. In rewriting, they keep the meaning and use the word in brackets.
Example
This car is belonging to my uncle.
Answer: belongs
Belong is a state verb: no -ing.
For the teacher Students find most mistakes by checking three things: tense, form (be + -ing, -s) and state verbs.
Open Part 3 →
Part 4 of 8 · Academic IELTS
IELTS Listening
Writing what you hear, telling the two tenses apart by ear, a form and choose TWO.
- Dictation
- Which sentence do you hear?
- Form completion
- Choose TWO
How it works Two short dictations and two sound-alike pairs, then a sports-centre form (ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER, with distractors: “usually on Mondays, but this term on Wednesdays”) and a choose-TWO question.
Example
You hear: “The club usually meets on Mondays, but this term it’s meeting on Wednesdays.” Day: ___
Answer: Wednesday
Monday is the distractor: the speaker corrects it.
For the teacher Play the form recording once without stopping, as in the exam.
Open Part 4 →
Part 5 of 8 · Academic IELTS
IELTS Reading
TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN, note completion with words from the text, choose TWO.
- TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN
- Note completion
- Choose TWO
How it works One of two texts (“A city that never stands still” or “Working from home – for now”). Four TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN in text order, three notes to complete (ONE OR TWO WORDS), then two true facts from five.
Example
Text: “Kamol usually cycles to work, but this week he is taking the bus.” Statement: “Kamol always takes the bus.”
Answer: FALSE
Only “this week”: the bus is temporary.
For the teacher Both texts and their answer keys are in the next chapter.
Open Part 5 →
Part 6 of 8 · Academic IELTS
IELTS Writing: Academic
Describing a line graph (Task 1) and writing formal sentences (Task 2).
- Task 1: which sentence matches the chart?
- Task 1: type the verb
- Task 2: the academic sentence
How it works A line graph of people working from home in Tashkent and Samarkand. The chart is a state (“The graph shows”); trends take the continuous (“is rising”).
Example
The bar chart ___ (show) how many tourists visited Bukhara.
Answer: shows
Describing the chart itself: a state verb, present simple.
Open Part 6 →
Part 7 of 8 · Academic IELTS
IELTS Speaking
Part 1 answers with a range of tenses.
- Which answer gets the higher band?
- Complete the answer
How it works Students compare three answers to Part 1 questions and complete answers with the right form. The best answers mix a habit or fact with something temporary.
Example
“Do you enjoy sport?”
Answer: Yes, a lot. I usually swim twice a week, and at the moment I’m training for a race.
A habit (simple) and a temporary change (continuous).
For the teacher After the part, pairs ask each other the same questions.
Open Part 7 →
Part 8 of 8 · Test
Final Boss
Everything from Parts 1–7.
- 14 mixed questions
- One try each
- Pass mark: 80%
How it works Fourteen questions with no second tries, ending with two reading questions about one text. Students need 80% to pass and can try again.
For the teacher Use it as the end-of-lesson test.
Open Part 8 →

Texts, recordings and answers

Every text and recording used in the IELTS parts, with the answer key folded away. The Reading part uses one of the two texts, chosen at random.

Recording (transcript) · Part 4

Sports centre: membership form

My surname is Petrova. That’s P, E, T, R, O, V, A. I’m twenty-four, and I work in a bank. I usually train in the morning, but this month I’m training in the evening because of my new job. It normally costs forty pounds a month, but this month it’s only thirty-five. I’m not doing swimming any more. These days I’m really enjoying yoga.

Answer key (5 questions)For the teacher — tap to show the answersTap to hide the answers

Surname: ___Petrova
Age: ___24
Usually trains in the: ___morning
Fee this month (£): ___35
Class at the moment: ___yoga

Recording (transcript) · Part 4

Which TWO extra classes is the sports centre running this month?

At the sports centre this month, the pool is closed for cleaning, so we are running extra yoga and tennis classes. The gym is open as usual, and the café opens at eight every morning.

Answer key (1 questions)For the teacher — tap to show the answersTap to hide the answers

Which TWO extra classes is the sports centre running this month?yoga + tennis

Reading text · Part 5

A city that never stands still

Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and one of the largest cities in Central Asia. Around three million people live there, and most of them travel to work by metro or bus. The metro, which opened in 1977, carries hundreds of thousands of passengers every day.

At the moment, the city is changing fast. New business districts are appearing, and the city is building several new metro stations. Many young people are moving to the capital from other regions, so the population is growing every year.

However, not everything is new. In the old town, people still buy bread from small family bakeries, and many families meet for plov every Thursday.

Answer key (11 questions)For the teacher — tap to show the answersTap to hide the answers

The Tashkent metro opened in 1977.TRUE
Most people in Tashkent drive their own cars to work.FALSE
The city is building new metro stations.TRUE
The new metro stations will open next year.NOT GIVEN
The population of Tashkent is getting smaller.FALSE
Bread from family bakeries is cheaper than bread from supermarkets.NOT GIVEN
Most people travel to work by metro or ___.bus
The metro carries hundreds of thousands of ___ every day.passengers
Many young people are moving to the capital from other ___.regions
In the old town, people buy bread from small ___.family bakeries
Which TWO things are happening in Tashkent at the moment?New business districts are appearing. + The city is building new metro stations.

Reading text · Part 5

Working from home – for now

Dilnoza is a graphic designer. Normally she works in an office in the centre of Samarkand, and she takes the bus there every morning. This month, however, she is working from home because builders are repairing her office.

She says that working from home has some advantages. She saves time because she doesn’t travel, and she is sleeping more than usual. But she misses her colleagues, and her younger brother is always making noise while she is trying to concentrate.

Dilnoza is going back to the office next Monday, and she is really looking forward to it.

Answer key (11 questions)For the teacher — tap to show the answersTap to hide the answers

Dilnoza usually works in an office.TRUE
Dilnoza drives to work.FALSE
Dilnoza always works from home.FALSE
Dilnoza’s office is the biggest in Samarkand.NOT GIVEN
Her brother sometimes annoys her.TRUE
Dilnoza has decided to work from home permanently.FALSE
Dilnoza works as a ___.graphic designer
She is working from home because builders are ___ her office.repairing
At home she is sleeping ___ than usual.more
She is going back to the office next ___.Monday
Which TWO advantages of working from home does Dilnoza mention?She saves time. + She is sleeping more.

Can you answer my questions?

Answer out loud in full sentences, then open the card.

Why “is rising” in “Unemployment is rising”?

It is a changing trend: present continuous.

Simple or continuous: “The flight ___ (leave) at 7 a.m. tomorrow.”

leaves: a timetable.

Correct this: “I’m not believing you.”

I don’t believe you. Believe is a state verb.

What is the difference: “She always helps me” / “She’s always borrowing my pens”?

Simple: a neutral habit. Continuous + always: an annoying habit.

Rewrite with “seeing”: “I have an appointment with the doctor on Monday.”

I’m seeing the doctor on Monday.

TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN: the text says “She normally drives, but this week she’s taking the bus.” Statement: “She usually takes the bus.”

FALSE: usually she drives; the bus is temporary.

Spell the -ing form of travel, run and lie.

travelling, running, lying.

Answer in two sentences: “What do you do?”

For example: I’m an engineer. At the moment I’m working on a new bridge project.

A note from your teacher

Seven or more? Excellent: start the exercises. Fewer? Go back to the nine uses and the Tense Lab.

Extra resources for serious practice

Want more? These are free, trusted sites. Do one activity a day after this lesson.

For teachers using this lesson

If you teach this lesson in a classroom, here is how I run it in about 70 minutes.

Class plan70 min

5 min
Warm up
Students tell a partner: one thing they always do, and one thing they are doing differently this month.
15 min
The nine uses
Go through the cards. After each, students write one sentence about their own life with that use.
10 min
Tense Lab
Project the lab. Students choose the use; the class predicts the tense and the trap before you click.
10 min
IELTS Reading
Do Part 5 together: students justify every answer with a sentence from the text.
10 min
Speaking Part 1
Pairs ask the four questions from the dialogue. Every answer: one permanent fact + one temporary situation.
15 min
Exercises: Parts 1 to 4
Open the Exercises tab. The IELTS Listening part works well with headphones.
5 min
Homework
Parts 6 to 8 (Academic Writing, Speaking, the Final Boss), and one activity from the extra resources.

Now it’s your turn!

Eight parts of serious Core-level training: choose and type forms, name the use, proofread and rewrite, then Academic IELTS — Listening, Reading, Writing (with a chart) and Speaking. Then beat the Final Boss.

— Your teacher

Start the exercises See all eight parts

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Routines and how often

Facts, and verbs that are states

Timetables, even in the future

Now, around now, for a while

Changing situations

Annoying habits and arranged plans

1. Which tense?

2. Build the forms

Present simple

Present continuous

Trends (continuous)

What do you do? / What are you doing?

live or ’re living?

think or ’m thinking?

Habit or Right Now?

Beyond the Basics

Proofreader

IELTS Listening

IELTS Reading

IELTS Writing: Academic

IELTS Speaking

Final Boss

Sports centre: membership form

Which TWO extra classes is the sports centre running this month?

A city that never stands still

Working from home – for now

Now it’s your turn!