UNIT 3. Present continuous and present simple (1) (I am doing and I do)

A. Study the explanations and compare the examples:
Present continuous (I am doing)
Use the continuous for something that is happening at or around the time of speaking.
The action is not finished.

I am doing (now)

& The water is boiling. Can you turn it off?
& Listen to those people. What language are they speaking?
& Let's go out. It isn't raining now.
& 'Don't disturb me. I'm busy.' 'Why? What are you doing?'
& I'm going to bed now. Goodnight!
& Maria is in Britain at the moment. She's learning English.

Use the continuous for a temporary situation:
& I'm living with some friends until I find a flat.
& 'You're working hard today.' 'Yes, I've got a lot to do.'

See Unit I for more information.

Present simple (I do)
Use the simple for things in general or things that happen repeatedly.
& Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
& Excuse me, do you speak English?
& It doesn't rain very much in summer.
& What do you usually do at weekends?
& What do you do? (= What's your job?)
& I always go to bed before midnight.
& Most people learn to swim when they are children.

Use the simple for a permanent situation:
& My parents live in London. They have lived there all their lives.
& John isn't lazy. He works very hard most of the time.

See Unit 2 for more information.

B. I always do and I'm always doing

Usually we say 'I always do something' (= I do it every time):
& I always go to work by car. (not 'I'm always going')

You can also say 'I'm always doing something', but this has a different meaning. For example:

I've lost my key again. I'm always losing things.

'I'm always losing things' does not mean that I lose things every time. It means that I lose things too often, more often than normal.

'You're always ~ing' means that you do something very often, more often than the speaker thinks is normal or reasonable.
& You're always watching television. You should do something more active.
& John is never satisfied. He's always complaining.