Blog Educacional/LANA

Friday Message
21/4/2017
Present Simple and Present Continuous

Hello!

I hope you are well and that you are having a fabulous Friday!

Are you ready to learn something new today?

Let’s get to it then!

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Beginners

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We are going to look at two present tenses today known as the present simple or simple present and the present continuous.

They are similar in that they both refer to the present time. However, there are some major differences, so let’s take a look.

We use the present simple…

- for regular actions or events (para as ações que têm lugar com frequência ou para eventos)

• I go to the gym every Monday and Wednesday. Vou à academia todas as segundas e quartas-feiras.

• I study English with ABA English four times a week. Estudo inglês com o ABA English quatro vezes por semana.

- for facts (para fatos)

• The sun rises in the east. O sol nasce no leste.

• When you heat ice, it melts. Quando o gelo aquece, derrete.

- for schedules (para os horários)

• The boat leaves at 6 a.m. O barco sai às 6 da manhã.

• The theatre opens at eight. O teatro abre às oito.

We use the present continuous…

- to describe actions at (now) or around the time of speaking (para descrever ações que estão acontecendo no momento em que a gente fala)

• She is studying for her exams right now so she can’t go to the cinema with you. Ela está estudando para os seus exames neste momento, por isso não pode ir ao cinema com vocês..

• We are looking for a new house as our current one is too small. Estamos procurando uma casa nova pois a que temos agora é muito pequena.

• Jack is learning Japanese because he is moving to Japan next month. O Jack está aprendendo japonês já que vai se mudar para o Japão no próximo mês.

- future plans (para descrever planos futuros)

• I'm taking my wife out to dinner tonight.Esta noite vou levar a minha mulher pra jantar.

• We are having a party on Saturday night. Damos uma festa no sábado à noite.

Remember that we can use adverbs of frequency with the present simple to express how often we do something. They are normally placed before the verb BUT are placed after the verb “to be”. Here are some adverbs of frequency:

every day/week/month, etc.
once/twice/three times, etc, a week/a month/a year…
always
often
normally
usually
sometimes
rarely
never

Look at some examples:

• I always study hard. Eu sempre estudo muito.

• She never understands me. Ela nunca me entende

• They are very happy people and are rarely sad. Eles são umas pessoas muito felizes e raramente estão tristes.

Before the present continuous we may use:

at the moment
today
now
right now
For example,

• She is learning Italian at the moment. Ela está aprendendo italiano agora.• Today we are eating out with Tom and his girlfriend. Hoje almoçamos fora com o Tom e sua namorada.

I hope this has been helpful. For more on this topic, check out unit 38 of the online ABA course.

Bye for now!

All the best,