Present Simple, Present Continuous & Present Perfect

Ask your language trainer to give you further expalnation.

THE PRESENT SIMPLE TENSE (1ST FORM OF THE VERB) Is used to express:

1. Habitual actions (+often, usually, never, every day, in the morning, on Sundays) ex: My mother usually goes to the market place on Sunday mornings.
2. General truths or characteristics.  ex: The Earth moves round the Sun.
3. Momentary actions, completed almost at the same time they are performed (demonstrations, ceremonies, TV commentaries, announcements, headlines) ex: Bill gets out of bed,comes downstage a bit, and stands attentively.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE (TO BE + VB + ING) Is used to express:

1. An action happening at the moment of speaking (the action has duration and it is not completed) ex: I am not wearing a coat as it isn’t cold.
2. An action that extends over a (slightly) longer period of time, including the time of speaking. ex: I am reading a novel by John Fowels.
3. A temporary limited action (+an adverbial indicating present time). ex: I live in Brașov but I’m living in Bucharest this year.// Why are you being rude?

THE PRESENT PERFECT (HAVE/HAS + V3-past participle) IS USED TO DESCRIBE

• An action or situation that started in the past and continues in the present. I have lived in Bucharest since 1992 (= and I still do.)
• An action performed during a period that has not yet finished. She has been to the cinema twice this week (= and the week isn’t over yet.)
• A repeated action in an unspecified period between the past and now. We have visited Portugal several times.
• An action that was completed in the very recent past, expressed by ‘just’. I have just finished my work.
• An action when the time is not important. He has read ‘War and Peace’. (= the result of his reading is important)

Important note: When we want to give or ask details about when, where, who, we use the simple past.