Lesson 34

Introduction to "Doing"

Level: Pre-Intermediate

Lesson contents:

Introduction to the Present Continuous (II).
Actions happening in a period around the present moment in time.
British & N.American English: boot (UK); trunk (US).
"I've just arrived": use of Present Perfect with "just".

Always watch the video several times without subtitles first. Train your ears! Your pronunciation will be much better if you follow this simple rule.

Exercises for this lesson:

How to do the lessons:

Watch the video without subtitles.
Do all the Exercises.
Come back to this page.
Watch the video with English Subtitles. Use the Pause button. People speak fast!

Problems? See general support or ask your question here.

Introduction to "Doing"

Watch this video, then click on Exercise 1

Same video with Precise Subtitles:

Teachers:

If you've seen lesson 22 already, you might be wondering why I'm "repeating myself". It's not only because I think that the most basic distinction between the 2 present tenses is important for beginners. It's also because the situation is different, providing us with completely different vocabulary in a different context.We're not talking about jobs here, and unlike Johnson (the Continental Airlines Customer Representative), our interviewee in this situation, Fiona, is genuinely surprised that someone would ask her what she is doing while trying to leave the airport.

This shows us the importance of context. In my opinion, it's necessary to teach intermediate / upper intermediate students that the primary use of the present progressive is indeed for things that are happening now, at the moment. And that its second most common use is for actions happening in a period around the present moment in time. In another lesson we point out its 3rd most important use, i.e., for future plans and arrangements

As soon as the interviewer says "right here, right now", Fiona understands perfectly, of course, and provides my friend Siegfried with the reply he was hoping to get in the first place.