The present tense in English has two main forms: the present simple (I go) and the present continuous (I am going). We use the present simple to talk about actions that happen repeatedly in the present. 'I get my lunch from Cafe Einstein every day.'
The present continuous is used to talk about an action that we are doing at the time we are speaking or something that is happening around the time we are speaking. 'I am getting my lunch now. Can I call you back?'
But there is a small group of verbs that are not normally used in the present continuous and these can cause problems if you don't know them. It would be a terrible mistake if you said 'I am liking my new watch' because the verb 'to like' is not used in the present continuous. You can only say 'I like my new watch'. If you said 'He is hating his sister', you would be wrong because 'to hate' is used only in the present simple. Many second-language speakers of English make dreadful mistakes because they do not understand this bit of grammar. Make sure you are not one of them.
Here are the six main verbs that are not normally used in the present continuous: to hate, to like, to prefer, to want, to believe, to know.
Have a go!
All these sentences are spoken by someone who has forgotten the six verbs not usually used in the present continuous. Correct their mistakes.
