Live in the present tense, facing the duty at hand without regret for the past or worry over the future.
There seems to be a consensus 1._ non-native speakers of English all over the world: they all 2._ the same mistakes. We are not an 3.__. In most languages only one tense is used to talk about the present. On the other hand, English offers more options: I’m working for an American company. I work for an American company. I’ve been working for an American company for 3 years now.
When translated into Croatian these three sentences 4._ the same: Radim za jednu američku kompaniju! So why three different tenses? You might say it is not important since people will understand you anyway. However, the choice of a tense does 5._ a difference.
Let us consider the following situation: While driving with a colleague in an unfamiliar part of the town and 6._ a quick decision about which road to take, I asked him: ‘Vozi li tu tramvaj?’ His 7._ was: ‘Vozi.’ As a driver I made 8._ there was no tram coming in our direction so I said: ‘I meant Present Continuous drive.’ Trams drive here means they 9._, often or (for impatient people) rarely pass here. But in our case A tram isn’t driving here at this 9.__ moment so it is safe for me to turn into that direction.
The example I’m working for an American company 10._ that this is a 11._ position for you, and that you are, for example, currently or around now looking for a better job. The strange consensus we mentioned earlier is that non-native speakers use: I’m working for an American company, We are providing financial services… when talking about 12.__ situations such as their job description or simply giving facts. It is important to understand that I’m working might be said by a person doing his/her colleague’s job for a limited period of time: I’m dealing with my colleague’s clients while he is absent.
Since there are more situations in our lives which we see as permanent and which are a part of our 13._ we could say that, when talking about present, we use Present Simple for an 14._ of 50% of the time. Activities that are happening over a limited period of time or at the moment are less 15._ and that is why Present Continuous 16._ for 30% per cent of the use. It seems that non-native speakers do just the opposite!
