Present simple tense: uses

A permanent 
situation 	A repeated 
action 	Something that happens in the 
future according to a timetable 	Something that 
is true at the 
time of speaking only 	
A joke 	She lives in Mong Kok. 	What time does the film start? 	I usually have lunch at around one. 	
The next train 
leaves in fifteen 
minutes. 	It takes nearly 12 
hours to fly to 
London. 	I don’t understand what you mean. 	I hate you! (wife to husband)	
Where does she live?  	I think that’s a good suggestion. 	The bank is next to the supermarket. 	How often do you 
take exercise? 	
This man walks 
into a bar and asks 
for a beer. 	 We hardly ever eat out. 	I usually see him on Saturdays. 	She works for a 
software company. 	

A permanent 
situation 	A repeated 
action 	Something that happens in the 
future according to a timetable 	Something that 
is true at the 
time of speaking only 	
A joke 	She lives in Mong Kok. 	What time does the film start? 	I usually have lunch at around one. 	
The next train 
leaves in fifteen 
minutes. 	It takes nearly 12 
hours to fly to 
London. 	I don’t understand what you mean. 	I hate you! (wife to husband)	
Where does she live?  	I think that’s a good suggestion. 	The bank is next to the supermarket. 	How often do you 
take exercise? 	
This man walks 
into a bar and asks 
for a beer. 	 We hardly ever eat out. 	I usually see him on Saturdays. 	She works for a 
software company. 	
Answers

A permanent situation 	
She lives in Mong Kok.
Where does she live? 
She works for a software company. 	
The bank is next to the supermarket.
It takes nearly 12 hours to fly to London.  

A repeated action 	
I usually have lunch at around one. 	
We hardly ever eat out. 
I usually see him on Saturdays.
How often do you take exercise? 

Something that happens in the future according to a timetable 	
What time does the film start? 	
The next train leaves in fifteen minutes.

Something that is true at the time of speaking only 	
I don’t understand what you mean.
I hate you! (wife to husband)	
I think that’s a good suggestion. 
(NB : these are all stative verbs)

A joke 	
This man walks into a bar and asks for a beer.