From the very beginning when you started learning English, you’ve been told that the Present Simple is used to express frequency and repeat actions as well as for talking about your routines, habits, and hobbies. However, that is only the base rule when it comes to expressing frequency. In this lesson post, I will teach you the present simple vs present continuous for frequency and repeat actions. The present continuous is one of two advanced tenses used to express frequency. I cover the second tense in this post here: Present Simple vs Future Simple. You can watch the video lesson below for both explanations or just scroll past the video to read part 1.
As you can see from the graphic below, the Present Simple is really the foundation tense when it comes to habits, routines, and frequency. Yet, there are 2 more structures you need to know and learn to use if you want to speak naturally like a native.
Present Simple vs Present Continuous (+) Always
This second layer is the Present Continuous + Always.
We use this tense structure when we have an emotional connection to the Repeated Action.
This manifests itself in two ways.
- We use it when we feel this repeated action is important or of significance.
- It is used when we have some negative feelings toward this repeated situation.
Present Simple vs Present Continuous to express an emotional connection
A Simple Tense in English is just that, Simple, because we don’t offer much extra context. So, the frequency is stated simply. Meaning, we don’t say why we do the repeated action or show any connection to this action other than the fact that we do it.
When we add extra context, show a connection or purpose, it becomes Continuous. You can think of the repeated action as individual links of a chain. When they are connected, you express frequency in the continuous tense.
In the case of the Present Continuous + Always, that connection is emotional. We add the feeling of importance or negative feelings of Anger, Frustration, or Guilt that the repeated action or situation makes us feel. [Graphic: side-by-side]
Let me bring in the first example sentence from the MY DAY presentation which you can find in full as part of the study guide.
The first thing you notice is that I didn’t use [Always], but another expression of frequency. We can use other Adverbs or Adverb Expressions to express the time or frequency of the repeated incident.
So now the main question is, which connection does this example express?
And it’s obvious that I feel this work is important. It’s so important that I do it every day, and that I’ve blocked off a whole segment of my day planner to reserve time just for this.
In the next example below, you will find an example with the same verb tense – Present Continuous. However, there is another reason for its use. The feelings expressed have changed from importance to feelings of annoyance or guilt.
But what makes this example fall into the my negative habits?
Because for every minute I spend watching some YouTube video or listening to a podcast, it’s a minute I’m not spending working on my project. So perhaps I feel a little guilty about those moments because I’m doing what I know I really shouldn’t be doing.
Now, in this case my negative feelings are about my own negative habits and I’m okay admitting that.
Use the Present Continuous to talk about your Pet Peeves
However, often times we will also use this to talk about other people’s negative habits. These are our Pet Peeves – the things people do that drive us crazy. In order to give you some practice with this, the following is a list of different Pet Peeves people, might have. The first one has been converted into the appropriate tense. Now it’s your turn to put the rest of the list into the Present Continuous to express these typically recurring actions as Pet Peeves.
While you’re making your list of Pet Peeves for this exercise, why don’t you leave a comment to this article with any of these actions that are your pet peeves. Better still, share this post to your Facebook timeline and tag me @Graphic English on your post.
I’ll close this topic with a few more personal examples of both repeated important actions and repeated negative ones.
Right, so now you understand how to use the Present Continuous to express Frequency. Let’s move on to the Conditional.
GET YOUR FREQUENCY ASPECT STUDY GUIDE
Here, I've created a free study guide that you can use to help you understand how to convey frequent actions and situations more expressively. Part of being fluent in English is knowing how to convey hidden but suggestive information in what you say. The study guide includes the transcript of the Presentation of My Day. The tenses have all been color-coded so you can see the expressiveness of the tense visually. Additionally, you will find a Vocabulary Guide from the Presentation, and a Graphic and Text explanation of the tenses in connection to the Present Simple.
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