eli5 the difference between the present simple and the present participle? Isn’t the present participle basically the present perfect?
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The present participle isn’t a tense, but basically an adjective that derives from a verb (it’s still considered a form of a verb though). You take a verb and add an -ing suffix.
verb: to sleep
present participle: sleep + -ing = sleeping
I’m not sure why you think it could be the same as present perfect, as there is no present participle to be found in present perfect tense (eg “I have slept”). However, by combining “to be” and the present participle you can create tense aspect, which is also more commonly known known as “progressive/continuous tenses” (eg “I am sleeping” or “I have been sleeping”).
So simply put, the present participle is a building block that can be used to form something like the present progressive. But it can’t do so on its own.
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