Everyday Grammar – Confusing tenses – Present Simple (Simple Present) and Present Perfect Progressive (Continuous)

Welcome to the fourth episode of our tense-busting blog series! Today, we’re diving into two tenses that often confuse English learners: Present Simple and Present Perfect Progressive (Continuous). These tenses are especially tricky for speakers of other languages, like French, which often use the present tense to talk about ongoing actions that started in the past.

By the end of this post, you’ll understand when to use each tense, avoid common mistakes, and confidently talk about habits, routines, and long-running actions. Let’s get started!

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Present Simple: The Champion of Habits

The Present Simple is the tense we use to describe habits, routines, and things that are always true. Think of it as the “daily planner” of English—it tells us what regularly happens in our lives or in the world.

How to Form the Present Simple

• Use the base verb for most subjects:
  • “I walk,” “You eat,” “They read.”
• Add -s for he/she/it:
  • “He walks,” “She eats,” “It rains.”

When to Use It

1. Habits and Routines
   • “I go to the gym every morning.”
   • “She always drinks coffee with breakfast.”
2. General Truths
   • “The Earth orbits the sun.”
   • “Cats love napping.”

Common Mistakes

• Forgetting the -s for third-person singular:
  • Wrong: “He like pizza.”
  • Right: “He likes pizza.”
• Overusing it for actions in progress:
  • Wrong: “I watch TV right now.”
  • Right: “I am watching TV right now.”

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Present Perfect Progressive: The Marathon Runner

The Present Perfect Progressive is all about actions that started in the past and are still happening now. It’s perfect for emphasizing duration—how long something has been happening—and is often paired with since and for.

How to Form the Present Perfect Progressive

• Use have/has been + the -ing form of the verb:
  • “I have been studying.”
  • “She has been working.”

When to Use It

1. Actions That Started in the Past and Continue Now
   • “I have been learning English for two years.” (I’m still learning!)
   • “She has been working here since 2015.”
2. Emphasizing Duration
   • “They have been waiting for an hour.” (And they’re still waiting!)
   • “We have been walking all morning.”

Stative Verbs: The Exception

We don’t usually use the Present Perfect Progressive with stative verbs (verbs that describe a state, not an action), such as “know,” “believe,” “like,” or “want.” Instead, we use the Present Perfect Simple:

• Wrong: “I have been knowing her for years.”
• Right: “I have known her for years.”

Using “Since” and “For”

• Use since to show the starting point of the action:
  • “I have been working here since 2020.”
• Use for to show the duration of the action:
  • “I have been working here for three years.”

Common Mistakes

1. Using the wrong tense for ongoing actions:
   • Wrong: “I work here for two years.”
   • Right: “I have been working here for two years.”
2. Mixing stative and action verbs:
   • Wrong: “I have been liking pizza since I was a child.”
   • Right: “I have liked pizza since I was a child.”

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How They Compare

Situation	Present Simple	Present Perfect Progressive
Habits or routines	“I drink coffee every morning.”	—
Actions continuing from the past	—	“I have been drinking coffee since 8 AM.”
Duration emphasis	—	“They have been waiting for two hours.”
Stative verbs	“I like tea.”	“I have liked tea for years.”

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Exercise: Test Your Knowledge

Choose the correct tense (Present Simple or Present Perfect Progressive) to complete each sentence:

1. She _______ (walk) to school every day.
2. I _______ (study) English since 2021.
3. They _______ (wait) for the bus for half an hour.
4. He always _______ (take) the train to work.
5. We _______ (live) in this house for ten years.
6. My brother _______ (play) football every Saturday.
7. She _______ (work) on her project all morning.
8. He _______ (know) her for a long time.
9. I _______ (drink) tea, but I haven’t finished yet.
10. The kids _______ (watch) cartoons every evening.

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Answers

1. walks
2. have been studying
3. have been waiting
4. takes
5. have been living
6. plays
7. has been working
8. has known
9. have been drinking
10. watch

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Mastering these two tenses takes practice, but you’re well on your way! Use Present Simple for routines and habits, and Present Perfect Progressive to talk about actions that started in the past and continue now. Remember, English tenses may be challenging, but with effort, they’ll soon feel like second nature. Keep practicing, and happy learning! 🌟

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