Simple Present vs. Present Progressive: Final Review

1. She ______ very strange today.
(Both are possible because “be” can describe personality or temporary behaviour.) is / is being
a) is / is being
b) are being [Sie ist heute sehr seltsam.]

2. I ______ your problem now.
(Only the simple form is correct because “understand” is a state verb.) understand
a) am understanding
b) understand [Ich verstehe jetzt dein Problem.]

3. They ______ about moving abroad this year.
(“Are thinking” is correct because this is a temporary process.) are thinking
a) are thinking
b) think [Sie denken dieses Jahr darüber nach, ins Ausland zu ziehen.]

4. He ______ very polite today.
(Both are possible because “be” can describe character or temporary behaviour.) is / is being
a) are being
b) is / is being [Er ist heute sehr höflich.]

5. We ______ lunch at the moment.
(“Are having” is correct because the action is happening now.) are having
a) are having
b) have [Wir essen gerade zu Mittag.]

6. I ______ this music very much.
(Only the simple form is correct because “love” is a state verb.) love
a) love
b) am loving [Ich liebe diese Musik sehr.]

7. The children ______ TV right now.
(“Are watching” is correct because the action is happening now.) are watching
a) watch
b) are watching [Die Kinder schauen gerade fern.]

8. You ______ very impatient today.
(Both are possible because “be” can describe personality or temporary behaviour.) are / are being
a) are / are being
b) is being [Du bist heute sehr ungeduldig.]

9. She ______ the answer already.
(Only the simple form is correct because “know” is a state verb.) knows
a) is knowing
b) knows [Sie kennt die Antwort bereits.]

10. I ______ about your idea right now.
(“Am thinking” is correct because this is a temporary thought process.) am thinking
a) am thinking
b) think [Ich denke gerade über deine Idee nach.]

11. My boss ______ unusually calm today.
(Both are possible because “be” can describe a normal state or temporary behaviour.) is / is being
a) is / is being
b) are being [Mein Chef ist heute ungewöhnlich ruhig.]

12. We ______ for the train now.
(“Are waiting” is correct because the action is happening now.) are waiting
a) wait
b) are waiting [Wir warten gerade auf den Zug.]

13. He ______ football very much.
(Only the simple form is correct because “like” is a state verb.) likes
a) likes
b) is liking [Er mag Fußball sehr.]

14. They ______ very noisy today.
(Both are possible because “be” can describe normal behaviour or temporary behaviour.) are / are being
a) is being
b) are / are being [Sie sind heute sehr laut.]

15. I ______ your point now.
(Only the simple form is correct because “see” here means “understand.”) see
a) see
b) am seeing [Ich verstehe jetzt deinen Standpunkt.]

16. She ______ very careful this week.
(Both are possible because “be” can describe character or temporary behaviour.) is / is being
a) is / is being
b) are being [Sie ist diese Woche sehr vorsichtig.]

17. The dog ______ in the garden now.
(“Is running” is correct because the action is happening now.) is running
a) is running
b) runs [Der Hund läuft gerade im Garten.]

18. We ______ this hotel very much.
(Only the simple form is correct because “prefer” is a state verb.) prefer
a) are preferring
b) prefer [Wir bevorzugen dieses Hotel sehr.]

19. You ______ very helpful today.
(Both are possible because “be” can describe personality or temporary behaviour.) are / are being
a) are / are being
b) is being [Du bist heute sehr hilfsbereit.]

20. He ______ a shower at the moment.
(“Is having” is correct because the action is happening now.) is having
a) has
b) is having [Er duscht gerade.]

21. They ______ very difficult today.
(Both are possible because “be” can describe personality or temporary behaviour.) are / are being
a) are / are being
b) is being [Sie sind heute sehr schwierig.]

22. I ______ your problem completely.
(Only the simple form is correct because “understand” is a state verb.) understand
a) am understanding
b) understand [Ich verstehe dein Problem vollständig.]

23. She ______ very generous today.
(Both are possible because “be” can describe normal character or temporary behaviour.) is / is being
a) are being
b) is / is being [Sie ist heute sehr großzügig.]

24. We ______ to the teacher now.
(“Are talking” is correct because the action is happening now.) are talking
a) are talking
b) talk [Wir sprechen gerade mit dem Lehrer.]

25. My brother ______ very lazy today.
(Both are possible because “be” can describe personality or temporary behaviour.) is / is being
a) is / is being
b) are being [Mein Bruder ist heute sehr faul.]