“You always do it.”

“You are always doing it.” 

What’s the difference? 

For the last two weeks, we have discussed the difference between the PAST SIMPLE and the PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE verb tenses. Check those out if you haven’t already, or go to our YouTube channel to watch the free lessons on those verb tenses.

This week, we are comparing the PRESENT SIMPLE and the PRESENT CONTINUOUS tenses with the use of the adverb “ALWAYS”.

Typically, if we see the use of the adverb “always”, it is a good indication that we should use the present simple verb tense. 

The PRESENT SIMPLE verb tense is used when we are discussing

a habitual action

This means something that is a habit – something that is done regularly. Typical indicating words would be things like ‘every day’, ‘every week’, ‘every month’, ‘every year’, ‘always’, ‘usually’, ‘typically’, ‘regularly’, etc.

Some examples include:

I work out every day.

She goes grocery shopping every week.

He usually makes the bed.

They always watch sports.

The PRESENT CONTINUOUS tense should not be used with these indicating words as it is used when discussing

something that is only done at the current moment, or generally, at the current time period

Indicating words for the use of this verb tense would be ‘right now’ ‘today’, ‘this week’, ‘this month’, ‘this year’ etc.

Some examples include:

I am working out right now.

She is going grocery shopping today.

He is making the bed this week while his wife is recovering from surgery.

They are watching a lot of sports this month during the playoffs.

That being said, there is one time when we do use the adverb “always” along with the PRESENT CONTINUOUS tense, and that is used for:

when we are complaining

When we are discussing an action that is a habit and is something that is always done or regularly done, but we are not happy that it is such a regular habit, then we complain about it by saying 

“You are always doing that!”

By using the adverb “always” along with the present continuous tense, it gives the feeling that the person speaking it is not happy about that behavior and is making a complaint. 

Let’s look at some examples:

My husband watches sports every night, and I am upset that he doesn’t help with the house chores, so I complain to him, “You are always watching sports! I wish you would help out more!”

My kids often fight and argue with each other and it gets on my nerves*! Exhausted, I complain, “You guys are always fighting! Why can’t you just get along*?”

My coworker is always talking about personal stuff at work. I never get any work done when she’s around!

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For more help with verb tenses, be sure to check out our comprehensive online course on verb tenses coming soon. Check back for more details as they become available.

Also, be sure to check out our YouTube channel for a free video lesson on today’s blog article, and remember to hit “Subscribe” if you like the video!

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Vocabulary in context:

* get on one’s nerves: to annoy or bother someone

“My classmate is always bouncing her leg in class. It shakes the table and really gets on my nerves!”

* get along: to have a good relationship

“We are very lucky that we get along well with our neighbors. They often come over for dinner and the kids enjoy playing together.”

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