Presente simple vs presente continuo: cuándo usar cada uno

Vocabulary
Simple present
Simple present vs present continuous
Mini story

El objetivo de esta lección es aprender vocabulario relacionado con comidas, bebidas y acciones cotidianas, así como practicar el uso del presente simple y la diferencia entre el presente simple y el presente continuo.

Vocabulary

Este vocabulario debe estudiarse a través de Anki. Todo el material relacionado lo puedes encontrar en My learning journal - Repositorio de GitHub.

Inglés	Español	Explicación	Ejemplo
Drink	Beber	To consume a liquid.	They like to drink water after exercising.
Wave	Ola	A moving ridge on the surface of a liquid, especially the sea.	The surfer rode a big wave at the beach.
Want	Querer	To have a desire for something.	I want to learn how to play the guitar.
Tear	Lagrima	A drop of clear, salty liquid produced by glands in the eyes.	She wiped away a tear from her cheek.
Take	Tomar	To get hold of something with your hands.	Please take a seat and make yourself comfortable.
Shake	Sacudir	To move something back and forth or up and down with quick movements.	He had to shake the bottle before opening it.
Order	Ordenar	To arrange or request something to be made, supplied, or served.	I would like to order a pizza for delivery.
Need	Necesitar	To require something because it is essential or very important.	You need to study hard to pass the exam.
Lose	Perder	To be unable to find something or someone.	I always lose my keys when I'm in a hurry.
Like	Gustar	To find something enjoyable or agreeable.	I like reading books in my free time.
Kiss	Beso	A touch or caress with the lips as a sign of love, affection, or greeting.	They shared a kiss under the mistletoe.
Hug	Abrazo	To hold someone tightly in your arms to show affection.	She gave her friend a warm hug.
Ask	Preguntar	To request information or an answer to a question.	Can I ask you a question about your project?
Money	Dinero	A medium of exchange in the form of coins and banknotes.	He saved enough money to buy a new car.
Medicine	Medicina	A substance used to treat illness or injury.	The doctor prescribed medicine for my cold.
Lunch	Almuerzo	A meal eaten in the middle of the day.	We usually have lunch at noon.
Dinner	Cena	The main meal of the day, usually eaten in the evening.	We had a delicious dinner at the new restaurant.
Diet	Dieta	The kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.	She follows a vegetarian diet for health reasons.
Breakfast	Desayuno	The first meal of the day, usually eaten in the morning.	I like to have eggs and toast for breakfast.
Bookshelf	Estantería	A piece of furniture with horizontal shelves for storing books.	He organized his books on the new bookshelf.
Clothes dryer	Secadora de ropa	A machine used to dry clothes after washing.	I put my wet clothes in the clothes dryer.
Dishwasher	Lavavajillas	A machine used for washing dishes automatically.	The dishwasher saved us a lot of time after dinner.
Refrigerator	Refrigerador	An appliance used to keep food and drinks cold.	I store my groceries in the refrigerator.
Stove	Estufa	A device used for cooking or heating food.	She cooked dinner on the stove.
Washing machine	Lavadora	A machine used for washing clothes automatically.	I put my dirty clothes in the washing machine.
Glass of	Vaso de	A container made of glass used for drinking liquids.	She poured a glass of water for herself.
Diet soda	Refresco dietético	A carbonated soft drink that is low in calories and sugar.	He prefers to drink diet soda instead of regular soda.
Orange juice	Jugo de naranja	A beverage made by extracting the liquid from oranges.	I like to have a glass of orange juice with my breakfast.
Apple pie	Tarta de manzana	A dessert made with a pastry crust and a filling of apples.	She baked a delicious apple pie for dessert.
Baked potatoes	Papas al horno	Potatoes that have been cooked in an oven until soft.	He served baked potatoes with sour cream and chives.
Beef	Carne de res	The meat from cattle, commonly used in cooking.	They grilled some beef steaks for dinner.
Boiled potatoes	Papas hervidas	Potatoes that have been cooked in boiling water until tender.	She served boiled potatoes as a side dish.
Fish and chips	Pescado con papas fritas	A dish consisting of fried fish and deep-fried potato slices.	They enjoyed fish and chips at the seaside restaurant.
Lamb chops	Chuletas de cordero	Cuts of meat from the rib or loin of a lamb.	He grilled lamb chops with rosemary and garlic.
Mashed potatoes	Puré de papas	Potatoes that have been boiled and then mashed to a smooth consistency.	She served mashed potatoes with gravy.
Mushrooms	Champiñones	Edible fungi that are often used in cooking.	They sautéed mushrooms with garlic and butter.
Spaghetti	Espaguetis	A type of long, thin pasta made from wheat flour and water.	She cooked spaghetti with tomato sauce for dinner.
Steak	Bistec	A slice of meat, typically beef, that is cooked by grilling or frying.	He ordered a medium-rare steak at the restaurant.
String beans	Ejotes (vainitas, judías verdes)	A type of green vegetable that is long and thin, often used in cooking.	She steamed string beans as a healthy side dish.
Trout with almonds	Trucha con almendras	A dish made with trout fish cooked and served with almonds.	They enjoyed trout with almonds at the seafood restaurant.
Cheesecake	Pastel de queso	A dessert made with a crust and a creamy cheese filling.	She baked a delicious cheesecake for the party.
Chocolate cake	Pastel de chocolate	A dessert made with chocolate-flavored cake layers and frosting.	He ordered a chocolate cake for his birthday.
Raspberry ice cream	Helado de frambuesa	A frozen dessert made with raspberries and cream.	She enjoyed a scoop of raspberry ice cream on a hot day.
To be in love with	Estar enamorado de	To have strong romantic feelings for someone.	They are in love with each other.
To give a tip	Dar una propina	To provide extra money to someone for their service.	We always give a tip to the waiter at restaurants.
To go on a diet	Estar a dieta	To follow a specific eating plan to lose weight or improve health.	She decided to go on a diet to improve her health.
To pay the bill	Pagar la cuenta	To settle the amount owed for goods or services received.	He offered to pay the bill after dinner.

Simple present

The simple present tense is used to describe habits, general truths, and repeated actions.

To love:

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I love	I don't love	Do I love?
You love	You don't love	Do you love?
He/She/It loves	He/She/It doesn't love	Does he/she/it love?
We love	We don't love	Do we love?
They love	They don't love	Do they love?

To eat:

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I eat	I don't eat	Do I eat?
You eat	You don't eat	Do you eat?
He/She/It eats	He/She/It doesn't eat	Does he/she/it eat?
We eat	We don't eat	Do we eat?
They eat	They don't eat	Do they eat?

To go:

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I go	I don't go	Do I go?
You go	You don't go	Do you go?
He/She/It goes	He/She/It doesn't go	Does he/she/it go?
We go	We don't go	Do we go?
They go	They don't go	Do they go?

To have:

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I have	I don't have	Do I have?
You have	You don't have	Do you have?
He/She/It has	He/She/It doesn't have	Does he/she/it have?
We have	We don't have	Do we have?
They have	They don't have	Do they have?

Remember to add "s" or "es" to the verb in the third person singular (he, she, it) in affirmative sentences.

Simple present vs present continuous

What's the difference between the simple present and the present continuous?

Simple Present: Used for habits, routines, and general truths.
Present Continuous: Used for actions happening right now or temporary situations.

Simple Present	Present Continuous
I eat breakfast every day.	I am eating breakfast right now.
She goes to school by bus.	She is going to school by bus today.
They play soccer on weekends.	They are playing soccer in the park now.
He works at a bank.	He is working at the bank this week.
We study English every evening.	We are studying English at the moment.

Example:

Do you eat breakfast every day? (Simple Present).
Are you eating breakfast right now? (Present Continuous).

Mini story

I love going to the beach. Every weekend, I go there with my friends. We like to swim in the ocean and ride the big waves. Sometimes, we bring a picnic lunch and eat sandwiches and fruit.

One day, while we were at the beach, I saw a cute dog playing in the sand. I wanted to pet it, so I asked my friends if we could go closer. As I approached the dog, it wagged its tail and licked my hand. I felt so happy that I gave the dog a big hug.

After spending a few hours at the beach, we decided to go to a nearby restaurant for dinner. I ordered a delicious steak with mashed potatoes and a glass of orange juice. My friends ordered fish and chips and a bottle of wine to share. We all enjoyed our meal and talked about our fun day at the beach. I can't wait to go back next weekend!

Última actualización: 18-12-2025

Inglés para Developers: desde cero (A1–C2)

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