The simple present tense is used to discuss permanant situations and the frequency of events. We sometimes use the simple present form to discuss future events. Especially when talking about official events that happen at a set time such as timetables, meetings, itineraries, programmes etc.
1.The simple present tense is used to discuss permanant situations and the frequency of events To have I have he has she has it has you have we have they have Short form I've he's she's it's you've we've they've Statements Statements + I work I don't work He works He doesn't work She works She doesn't work It works It doesn't work You work You don't work We work We don't work They work They don't work Other Verbs (to work) I work He works She works It works you work we work they work Short answer + Do I work? Yes, I Does he work? Yes, he does Does she work? Yes, she does Does it work? Yes, it does Do you work? Yes you Do we work? Yes we Do they work? Yes they Questions Short answer No, I don't No, he doesn't No, she doesn't No, it doesn't No, you don't No, we don't No, they don't We sometimes use the simple present form to discuss future events Especially when talking about official events that happen at a set time such as timetables, meetings, itineraries, programmes etc For example: Q) "What time does the train leave?" A) "It leaves at 17.30." Q) "What time does the meeting begin tomorrow?" A) "It begins at 8.00am." Q) "What time you arrive at the airport tomorrow?" A) "I arrive at 6.30pm." When we talk about events that are actually happening now, we use the present continuous tense This is formed by using the stem of the verb and adding -ing to the end, for example the verb "work" becomes "working" In some cases you need to alter the spelling a bit for example the verb "die" becomes "dying" Statements Statements Questions Short Short answer + - I'm working He's working She's working It's working I'm not working He isn't working She isn't working It isn't working You aren'tt You're working working We're working We aren't working They're They aren't working working answer + Yes, I am Yes, he is Yes, she is Yes, it is - Am I working? No, I'm not Is he working? No, he isn't Is she working? No, she isn't Is it working? No, it isn't Are you Yes you are No, you aren't working? Are we working? Yes we are No, we aren't Are they No, they Yes they are working? aren't 2.Present Continuous Timeline For example: Q) "What are you doing?" A) "I'm building a website." We also use the present continuous tense to talk about things that are happening around now but are temporary For example: Q) "What are you doing these days?" A) "Unfortunately I'm working a lot." It is also used to describe trends or situations that are happening but may be temporary For example: "Nowadays more and more people are shopping on the Internet." and habitual actions (usually negative) For example: "He's always cleaning his car." The present continuous tense can also be used to discuss future events: Note:The present continuous is usually used with doing verbs (verbs of action) not with verbs of state The following verbs are not used in the continuous form:Conditions: belong, cost, need, own, seem Feelings: like, love, hate, want, wish Beliefs: believe, feel, know, mean, remember, think, understand Using the present continuous for the future The future continuous tense is the present continuous tense recycled It is often used to ask about and discuss future arrangements or plans with just the addition of a future time, but you only use it when these arrangements are certain For example: Q) What are you doing next week?" A) "I'm working." Q) What's he doing tomorrow?" A) "He's playing tennis." The present continuous tense is also used to talk about and make future appointments and arrangements using the words go or come For example: Q) When are you coming to see me?" A) "Next week." Q) What are you doing tomorrow?" A) "I'm going to the dentist." and using verbs of arrival and departure "We're arriving in London at 2.30." "The train leaving from platform one is the 2.45 to Edinburgh." The Future Continuous (will be doing) The use of 'will be doing' in a sentence is often referred to as the future continuous It is used to talk about activities that will be happening at a particular time or over a particular time in the future For example: Next week we will be having a party Can you come? You can also use it (or the present continuous form) to talk about future plans For example: We will be leaving here at 7.30pm We use the past continuous tense to describe a past action over a period of time Past Continuous Timeline For example: Q) "What were they doing yesterday?" A) "They were working all day." It can be used to describe what someone was doing at a particular point in time For example: Q) "What were you doing at 7.30 last night?" A) "I was watching television." The past continuous can also be used to show that an activity frequently took place over a period of time Q) "What did you on holiday?" A) "I went skiing a lot." Often the past continuous is mixed with the past simple to show what was happening when something happened The past continuous refers to the longer event and the simple past to the event that interrupted it For example: "I was driving to work when I crashed my car." or As I was driving to work, I crashed my car." Discussing the future using going to We say something is going to happen when it has already been planned For example:Q) Are you going to fly to Germansy? A) No, we're going to drive We also use it to show something has already been decided For example:"We're going to buy a new car next year." We also use going to when we can see something is about to happen For example:- "Look at that cloud I think it's going to rain." "Watch out! He's going to crash into that tree!" You can also use going to to predict the future based upon the evidence now For example:"It looks as though Manchester United are going to win the European cup "I think my friend Louise is going to have a baby." !Note Thanks to Ken Anderson for pointing out the following:"I'm going to Germany." isn't really the future tense You would have to say "I'm going to go to Germany." Discussing the future using shall/will When we give information about the future or predict future events that are not certain we usually use shall/will For example:- Q) Who you think will win the election?" A) "I'm not sure but I think the current party will win." We can also use shall/will to make promises for the future When leaving work I would say - "Goodnight, I'll (I will) see you tomorrow." Shall/Will is often used when we just decide to something For example:The phone is ringing - If I decide to answer the phone I would say - "I'll (I will) get it." It can also be used in formal situations to express planned events and is preferred in formal written English For example:The party will start at 10.00pm