Present tenses

The present simple and the present continuous tenses are the most common ways of expressing present time in English. The present simple describes things that are generally true, while the present continuous describes things that are true at the time of speaking, but which may change. They can also express future time and past time.

PRESENT SIMPLE

- General truths and facts
. Things which are generally true:
British people drink a lot of tea, while Americans drink more coffee
. Facts: Broken bones in adults don't heal as fast as they do in children

- Repeated events and actions
As temperatures fall with the approach of winter, the soil freezes and contracts..

- Series of events and actions
From here you cross the road, go through an iron gate and follow the path west..

- Newspaper headlines
Addicted Chaplin star gets three years for new drugs lapse

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

The present continuous describes an action in progress at the moment of speaking or around the time of speaking.The action is likely to continue after the time of speaking, but is likely to stop at the some point, i.e it is temporary:

- Common adverbs with this form are now, just, still and at the moment
I will be with you in a minute. I am just finishing something in the kitchen.

- We use live, work, study, and stay in the continuous if the action id temporary
She is staying in the Waldorf Astoria on this visit to New York, isn't she?