Present tense(s) in English can cause problems to non-native speakers all around the world and therefore they often make similar mistakes. In most cases, including Croats, only one tense is used to talk about the present. However, in English we express the present in three different ways. Let’s remind ourselves of the following examples:
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I’m living in Split at the moment.
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I live in Split.
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I’ve been living in Split for 5 years now.
If we decide to translate the sentences above into Croatian they will all sound the same: Živim u Splitu. At first sight, one might conclude that it is not important which tense is used because people will understand. However, the choice of a tense does make a big difference. By using different present tenses, you change the meaning of the message and make a much better impression while speaking English.
Let’s recall the most important rules for present:
| Present Simple | habits and routines | Mrs. Peters always has meetings early in the morning. I play football and tennis. |
|—————-|———————|———————————————————————————-|
| | permanent facts | The Adriatic coast is one of the most attractive holiday destinations. |
| Present Continuous | situation in progress at the moment of speaking | My boss cannot see you right now. She is interviewing a job candidate. |
| | or around now | I am working on an important project related to sales. |
| | temporary situation | Steven is on a sick leave and they are taking care of his clients this week. |
| Present Perfect Continuous | activity that started in the past and is still going on | We have been discussing the new rules and regulations for more than 3 hours. I hope we’ll finish soon. |
