Present Simple vs Present Continuous
Elige Present Simple para hábitos, rutinas y verdades; usa Present Continuous para acciones ahora, situaciones temporales y planes cercanos.
1) ¿Cuándo usar cada uno?
Hábitos / Rutinas Verdades generales Acción ahora Temporal / Cambios Arreglos cercanos
| Contexto | Present Simple | Present Continuous |
|---|---|---|
| Hábito | I have coffee every morning. | — |
| Ahora mismo | — | I’m having coffee right now. |
| Verdad general | Water boils at 100°C. | — |
| Situación temporal | He lives in Puebla. (en general) | He’s living in Puebla this month. |
| Plan cercano | — | We’re meeting at 7 tonight. |
Los state verbs (know, like, want, believe…) van normalmente en Simple: I know (no *I’m knowing).
2) Marcadores de tiempo
always · usually · often · sometimes · never every day/week · on Mondays · at weekends now · right now · at the moment today · this week/month · these days · currently tonight · tomorrow (planes)
| Marcador | Ejemplo (Simple) | Ejemplo (Continuous) |
|---|---|---|
| always / usually | She usually gets up at 7. | — |
| every day | They walk to school every day. | — |
| now / right now | — | I’m talking to my boss right now. |
| this week | — | We’re working from home this week. |
| tonight / tomorrow | — | She’s flying to NYC tomorrow morning. |
3) Formas y orden
Simple: S + V(s) / do(es) + V Continuous: S + am/is/are + V-ing
| Tipo | Present Simple | Present Continuous |
|---|---|---|
| Afirmativa | She plays tennis. | She is playing tennis. |
| Negativa | She doesn’t play tennis. | She isn’t playing tennis. |
| Pregunta | Does she play tennis? | Is she playing tennis? |
| Respuestas cortas | Yes, she does. / No, she doesn’t. | Yes, she is. / No, she isn’t. |
Ortografía -ing: make → making, run → running, lie → lying. (ver lección anterior)
4) Errores comunes
| Incorrecto | Correcto | Razón |
|---|---|---|
| *I’m know English* | I know English. | know = state verb → Simple |
| *She play now* | She is playing now. | Acción ahora → Continuous |
| *Do she plays?* | Does she play? | Aux. does + verbo base |
| *I live in CDMX this week* | I’m living in CDMX this week. | Situación temporal → Continuous |
5) Mini-práctica (elige Simple o Continuous)
- They ______ (have) lunch right now.
- She ______ (go) to the gym on Mondays.
- I ______ (study) for my exam this week.
- ______ you ______ (work) at the moment?
- He ______ (not/like) coffee, but he ______ (drink) tea now.
Posibles respuestas: are having · goes · am studying · Are you working? · doesn’t like · is drinking.
6) Próximo paso
Continúa con Past Simple — introducción (regulares e irregulares) para hablar de acciones terminadas en el pasado.