Pre-Intermediate Grammar

Pre-Intermediate · Grammar Reference

Unit 2 — Present Tenses

present simple · present continuous · have/have got

2.1 Present Simple

Form

	+	–	?
I / you / we / they	work	don't work	Do you work?
he / she / it	works	doesn't work	Does she work?

Use

2.2 Present Continuous

Form

am / is / are + verb-ing

Use

2.3 Present Simple vs Present Continuous

Present Simple

I work in London. (permanent)

Present Continuous

I'm working from home today. (temporary)

📌 Note

State verbs are not usually used in the continuous: know, like, love, believe, understand, want, need, prefer, belong, seem, appear.

2.4 have / have got

📌 Note

Both forms mean the same. Have got is more common in British English. Use only have for actions: I have breakfast at 7.