Stand up, to grabgreifen, schnappengrab a bottle of water and come to the gymFitnessstudiogym for a low-impact, full-body workout of the basic tenses – but no sweating, guaranteed! Read our short rules on when to use each tense, familiarize yourself with key words and phrases to help you choose the correct one and do a short exercise to practise what you’ve learned.
Here, we focus on the present simple and the present continuous.
Are you ready to work out? Then off we go!
Present simple
The present simple is used for general statements – things that are always true:
- The gym has two studios and a weights roomKraftraumweights room.
The present simple is also used when talking about routines – things that we do often or regularly:
- I go to the gym twice a week.
Key words and phrases
often, usually, sometimes, always, every day, twice a week, once a month, every Monday, on Fridays
Remember!
“He / she” forms end in an “-s”.
Use “do / does” to form questions.
Use “doesn’t / don’t” to form negatives.
Present simple
Exercise
Present simple
Present continuous
The present continuous is for “now” – things that you are doing at the moment of speaking:
- This is a hard workout – I’m sweating!
The present continuous is used to talk about projects – things you’re doing this week, month or year:
- I’m learning to swim this summer.
Key words and phrases
(right) now, at the moment, today, this morning, this week, this month
Remember!
Some verbs – such as “own”, “want”, “like”, “understand”, “know” or “need” – are normally used only in the present simple, not in the present continuous. The active form of “have” requires the present continuous: “We’re having dinner.” For the possessive form of “have”, use only the present simple: “We have a cat.”
