2. How is Your Day? General Statements

In this lesson, we are going to learn how to communicate to someone using the present tense. Although speaking in the future tense or the past tense is more common, it is still important to know how to communicate in the present tense.  Here are some example sentences:

"I see Bob over there by the newspaper stand. Links to an external site."
"I'm going to the library. Links to an external site."
"I'm on my way home. Links to an external site."
"I'm going to the bus stop. Links to an external site."

"Jack is going to the store. Links to an external site."
"Jill is stopping by now. Links to an external site."
"The meeting is starting now. Links to an external site."
"The manager is waiting for you in her office. Links to an external site."
"Tell the receptionist that you are here to see Mr. Hwang. Links to an external site."

Questions:

A very common question you will run into is,
"How are you doing? Links to an external site."
"How is your day going? Links to an external site."
"What are you doing now? Links to an external site."

To answer these types of question, you must remember that you are talking about what is currently going on now, so you must use the present tense.

Here are some ways to answer the above question.

"I'm enjoying the beautiful weather without any worries in the world. Links to an external site."
"I'm playing a video game on my computer because I have nothing to do. Links to an external site."
"I'm at the grocery store buying ingredients for tonight's dinner. Links to an external site."
"I'm at the gym working out. Links to an external site."

As you can see, each sentence is starting with, 'I am' instead of 'I will be' or 'I was.'  We will discuss past tense and future tense in the next sessions.

More descriptive answers you can give are the following:

"I'm pretty busy right now.  I'm doing my homework because I have an exam tomorrow. Links to an external site."
"My project deadline is coming up, so I'm currently in the process of finishing my tasks. Links to an external site."
"I'm taking the day off from work today because I have so many errands.  I'm going to the post office to send some packages to my friends. Links to an external site."
"I'm looking for a job.  The job market does not look that great, but I can't give up. Links to an external site."
"I'm applying for a job at a consulting firm in Taiwan. Links to an external site."
"I'm listening to music while thinking about my situation. Links to an external site."