English grammar
Present simple or present continuous? 📕
English has two present tenses. They are used in different situations.
| Present simple | Present continuous |
| Habits and routines | Now, at this moment |
| Permanent situations | Temporary situations |
| I work in a bank. | I am working from home this week. |
| She speaks three languages. | She is speaking to her boss now. |
| It rains a lot in Bergen. | Look! It is raining. |
Verbs we rarely use in the continuous
Some verbs describe states, not actions. We normally use them in the present simple:
know, understand, believe, like, love, hate, want, need, belong, own, seem, mean
✗ I am knowing the answer.
✓ I know the answer.
✗ She is wanting a coffee.
✓ She wants a coffee.
✗ What do you do now? (if you mean "at this moment")
✓ What are you doing now?
💡 What do you do? is a question about your job. What are you doing? is a question about this moment.