Present Simple vs. Present Continuous
Present Simple → Habits, routines, facts
- I work every day. (rutina)
- She speaks French. (habilidad permanente)
- Water boils at 100°C. (hecho)
Keywords: always, usually, often, sometimes, never, every day/week/month
Present Continuous → NOW, temporary, changing
- I am working right now. (right now)
- She is living in Madrid this month. (temporal)
- Prices are rising. (tendencia)
Keywords: now, right now, at the moment, today, this week, currently
Comparison
| Simple | Continuous |
|---|---|
| I drink coffee every morning. | I 'm drinking tea right now. |
| She works at a bank. | She 's working from home today. |
| They play tennis on Sundays. | They 're playing tennis now. |
⚠️ Stative Verbs — NO Continuous!
Some verbs are NOT used in continuous:
- Mental: know, believe, understand, think (= opinar), remember
- Emotional: love, hate, like, want, need, prefer
- Possession: have (= poseer), own, belong
- Senses: see, hear, smell, taste (involuntarios)
❌
I am knowing→ ✅ I know ❌She is wanting→ ✅ She wants