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# System prepended metadata

title: Present tenses + Stative verbs

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# Present Simple vs Present Progressive
| Present Simple                                                                                                                      | Present Progressive                                                      |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **repeated** actions and situations                                                                                     | actions or events happening at or **around the time of speaking**        |
| *I ++go++ to the park once a week.*                                                                                                     | *Look! That boy ++is climbing++ up a tree.*                                  |
| current **habits**                                                                                     | with adverbs of frequency for emphasis or to express **annoying habits**     |
|*I ++don't go++ to the lectures that are early in the morning.*|*Steve ++is always leaving++ his clothes on the floor!*|
| general **truths** and **natural phenomena**                                                                                        | situations which are **changing or developing** around the present       |
| *The earth ++goes++ round the sun.*                                                                                                     | *The problem ++is getting++ more and more serious.*                          |
| **permanent** situations and states in the present                                                                                  | **temporary** states in the present                                      |
| *James ++lives++ in Zurich.*                                                                                                            | *David ++is doing++ his military service.*                                   |
| future actions related to **timetables** and **programmes**                                                                         | planned future actions related to **personal arrangements**              |
| *The train ++leaves++ at 6 o’clock.*                                                                                                    | *++I'm travelling++ to London tomorrow.*                                     |
|**headlines**| describing a **picture** to say what people are doing|       
|*Apple ++overtakes++ Samsung in phones sales worldwide.*    |*I can see a woman (and she’s) ++sitting++ on the sofa.*|
|**sports commentaries** |
|*Martin ++takes++ the ball and scores.*       |
|**story-telling**       |
|*So, a man ++goes++ to see his psychiatrist...*       |
|**reviews** and **summaries**       |
|*The film, ++ends++ with us not knowiing ...*|
|**instructions** and **directions**|
|*++Turn++ left at the end of the road.*|
|**proverbs** and **sayings** | |
| *Too many cooks ++spoil++ the broth.*| |
| in exclamatory sentences with «**Here**» «**There**»|
| *Here ++comes++ the bride!*|       |
                                                                                                                                  

When we refer to the future in [subordinate clauses](https://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/subordinate_clause.htm) (starting with **after**, **as**, **before**, **by the time**, **as soon as**, **if**, **immediately**, **once**, **the moment**, **unless**, **until** and **when** + **no matter...** who/what/which/whose/how/where/when and **whoever**, **whatever**, **wherever**, **whenever**), we use a present form, NOT will/won't:

~~Won't the park look good once the new trees will reach maturity?~~
✔️Won't the park look good once the new trees **reach/have reached** maturity? 

~~Effective penal reform will not be achieved unless the government will take it seriously.~~
✔️ Effective penal reform will not be achieved unless the government **takes** it seriously.

*No matter where* we **go**, we’ll have a great time.
*Whatever* you **decide** to do, I’ll support you.
# Stative verbs
Stative verbs describe a **state** rather than an action. They are **NOT** usually used in the present continuous form.

*I don't know the answer. ~~I'm not knowing the answer.~~*

Stative verbs often relate to:

**possession**: belong, have, own, possess, pack, consist, involve, include, contain ... 
**measurement**: measure, weigh ...
**senses**: feel, touch, hear, sound, look, see, smell, taste ...  
**feelings and emotions**: love, like, dislike, hate, adore, admire, respect, prefer, care for, mind, desire, covet, want, wish, appreciate, value, need, hope, fear, enjoy, detest ...
**mental state** (perception, belief, knowledge,thoughts, opinions): know, believe, notice, realize, recognise, doubt, think, suppose, forget, remember, imagine, mean, agree, disagree, deny, promise, satisfy, realise, understand, astonish, please, impress, surprise, concern, guess, suspect, expect ...
**others**: cost, owe, seem, fit, depend, matter, appear, be ...

A number of verbs can refer to states or actions, depending on the context.


| |state| action|
| -------- | -------- | -------- |
| **have**| I have an old car.| I'm having a quick break. (having a break is an activity)|
| **see** | Do you see any problems with that? | We're seeing Tadanari tomorrow afternoon. (we're meeting him) |
| **be**| He's so interesting! (his permanent quality)| He's being very unhelpful. (he is temporarily behaving this way) |
| **taste** | This coffee tastes delicious. | Look! The chef is tasting the soup. (tasting the soup is an activity) |
| **smell** | He always smells of cigarettes and alcohol.| Brenda was smelling the roses.|
| **hear** | I‘ve heard that you got married. Is it true? | Oh, it’s you. I thought I was hearing things. |
| **look** | It looks as if they've finished the job. (appears) | Mike is looking out of the window. (is directing his eyes) |
| **appear** | He appears to be nervous. (seems) | He is appearing in a new play. (is taking part) |
| **think** | I think he's lying. (believe) | I'm thinking about the plan. (am considering) |
| **feel** | The baby's hair feels like silk. (has the texture of) | She is feeling the baby's forehead. (is touching) |
| **weigh** | The chicken weighs 2 kilos. (has a weight of) | The butcher is weighing the meat. (is measuring how heavy it is)|
| **fit** | This dress fits you perfectly. (it is the right size) | We are fitting new locks. (are putting in) |
| **enjoy** / **love** | I enjoy going to parties. (in general) | I'm enjoying this party a lot. (specific preference) |
| **admire**| I admire Sam's talent. (respect and approve)| I'm admiring the nigth sky. (find sth pleasant to look at)|


The verbs **look** (person's appearance), **feel** (particular emotion), **hurt** and **ache** can be used in either the *continuous* or *simple* tenses with NO difference in meaning.
*You **look**/**are looking** great today.*
*Ann **is feeling**/**feels** tired.*

**Listen**, **look** and **watch** can be used in continuous forms as they express deliberate actions.
*They **are looking** at some pictures.*
*James **is watching** the news.*

# Present Perfect Simple vs Present Perfect Progressive vs 	Past Simple
| Present Perfect Simple (have/has + Ved/V3)| Present Perfect Progressive (have/has been + Ving) |
| -------- | -------- |
| for actions/states which started in the past and are **still happening**| to emphasise the **duration** of an action which started in the past **(may or may not be completed)** |
|*I have known him for 3 years*. (I still know him)| *They have been studying French for 3 years.*|
|for past actions whose **results** are connected to the present | for actions that **have been going** on up to the recent past with obvious **results** in the present|
|*The baby has spilt the milk* (the floor is dirty).|*Why is the road so slippery? It has been raining*|
| for **permanent** situations |for **temporary** situations|
|*She has lived in London all her life.*|*He has been working overtime this week as there is a lot of work to do at the office.*|
|for recently **completed** actions|for actions that **may or may not be finished**|
|*I've just finished my homework.*| *She has been washing the car for an hour.*|
|to announce **news, changes or events** that affect the present (details in Past Simple)| to show **anger, annoyance, irritation or to demand** an explanation for a very recent action |
|*Nick had crashed the car. He ran into a tree.*  | *Who has been wearing my coat?*|
|with adjectives in the superlative degree or expressions like: **the only/first...etc**||
|*This is the most expensive suit I've ever bought*||
|   | |
|   | **Past Simple** |
|for past events which **HAVE** a connection to the present, the exact time is **NOT mentioned** | for completed fast events which **HAVE NOT** a connection to the present, the exact time **IS mentioned**|
|*I've found a new job.*| *I found a new job three months ago.*|
|with **today, this morning/week etc.**, if these periods of time are **NOT finished** at the time of speaking |with **today, this morning/week etc.**, if these periods of time are **finished** at the time of speaking |
|*He has written two letters this morning* (It's still morning)|*He wrote two letters this morning* (The morning is over)|
|for events that began in the past and **are still happening** in the present|for events that took place for a certain period of time in the past but **are over** at the time of speaking|
|I have lived in Manchester for 10 years. *(I still live in Manchester)*|I lived in Manchester for 3 years but now I live in Liverpool.|

# been or gone?


| been to| gone to |
| -------- | -------- |
| visit is complete| visit is NOT complete|
|They've been to Italy.| They've gone to Italy.|
|They are back now.| They are still there.|

# yet or already



| yet | already |
| -------- | -------- |
|in interrogative (**?**) and negative (**-**)sentences | in affirmative (**+**) and interrogative (**?**) sentence|
|at the end of the sentence| between the auxiliary and the main verb or at the end of the sentence for emphasis|
|Have you finished **yet**? He hasn't arrived **yet**. |Have you **already** read this book? I have **already** been to the Science Museum. You've finished your homework **already**!|