German Continuous and Indefinite is same

In German there is NO separate grammatical tense equivalent to the English “continuous / progressive” form (am doing, is going, are eating).

So in most situations:

> English present simple = English present continuous = German Präsens

German uses one tense (Präsens) and context decides whether the action is habitual, happening now, temporary, or scheduled.

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 1. The Core Idea

German speakers simply do not mark the difference grammatically.

They rely on:

* time words

* context

* tone

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2. How German Shows “Continuous” Meaning Instead

Instead of changing verb form, German adds time indicators

👉 gerade is the closest natural equivalent to “-ing”

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Important Insight (Very Useful)

So German collapses:

> I read books

> I am reading books

> I do read books

into:

> **Ich lese Bücher**

Only context changes interpretation.

Same verb form every time.

Conclusion

German does not grammatically separate:

* simple present

* present continuous

* near future

They are all expressed using Präsens + context words.

So yes — functionally:

German continuous and indefinite (simple present) are the same tense.

The meaning changes through adverbs, not verb structure.