English verbs 1: the present tenses

Examples:
   a1) I like apples, but I don't like oranges.
   a2) I live in London, and I work for a big bank.
   a3) Flowers grow well in a warm sunny climate.
   a4) Tomorrow never comes
   b1) My brother often goes to London.
   b2) It snows in winter in New York.
   b3) I get up at 6 every morning.
   c1) Oh, I understand what you mean.
   c2) And now Beckham gets the ball, he shoots, and he scores!

The present progressive

In short, the Present Progressive is used to express:
   a) developing situations.
   b) actions that are actually taking place.
   c) future actions.

Examples:
a1) John is getting better.
   a2) The weather is improving.
   b1) This week I am working in New York.
   b2) Look! That man's stealing my car!
   b3) Slow down, you're going too fast!
   c1) He's going on holiday tomorrow.
   c2) He said he's retiring next year.

Note: some verbs are almost never used in the present progressive - notably certain verbs of permanent state, such as know, be, like, exist.
We can say: I know the train is arriving late.
We cannot say: I am knowing the train is arriving late.

A contrastive example :
This sentence is a clear example of the difference in usage between the two forms:
I eat hamburgers, but I'm not eating a hamburger right now.

Cette page en français:
►Le temps présent en anglais

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The Present Tense in English

The different types of present tense in English:

The present simple

The present progressive