Talking about the present

The children come home from school at about four.
We often see your brother at work.

• something that is always true:

Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
The Nile is the longest river in Africa.

We use the present continuous to talk about:

• something happening at the moment of speaking:

I can't hear you. I'm listening to a podcast.
Please be quiet. The children are sleeping.

• something happening regularly in the present before and after a specific time:

I'm usually having breakfast at this time in the morning.
When I see George he's usually reading his Kindle.

• something in the present which we think is temporary:

Michael is at university. He's studying history.
I love Harry Potter. I'm reading the last book.

• something which is new and contrasts with a previous state:

Nowadays people are sending text messages instead of phoning.
I hear you've moved house. Where are you living now?

• something which is changing, growing or developing:

The weather is getting colder.
Our grandchildren are growing up quickly.

• something which happens again and again:

It's always raining in London.
They are always arguing.
George is great. He's always laughing.

Note that we normally use always with this use.

We use modal verbs:

• to talk about the present when we are not sure of something:

I don't know where Henry is. He might be playing tennis.
'Who's knocking at the door?' – 'I don't know. It could be the police.'

• to talk about things like ability (can) and obligation (should):

I can speak English quite well but I can't speak French at all.
You should do your homework before you go out. 

 

Verbs

"Put your question in the box"