I am doing grammar tests and came across the following:
My brother (do) a degree at university so I (see) him very often, unfortunately.
The aim of the test is to fill each gap with the verb either in
present simple or in present continuous tense.
I fill it up like this:
My brother is doing a degree at university so I am not seeing him very often. unfortunately.
Unfortunately, I filled it up like this, because I thought that it is a temporary situation. But the answer is this:
My brother is doing a degree at university so I don't see him very often, unfortunately.
So the question is: Why do we use the present simple, rather then a present continuous in the second part of the sentence?
Best Answer
The simple present is generally for actions or events that you do, or often do, or for discrete events that you repeat over time. The present progressive is generally for actions or events that are going on right now.
For clarity, let's replace "to see" with "to visit" because that's the implied meaning in this context. Right now, as you write, you aren't in the process of visiting your brother. You simply visit him from time to time. So the simple present tense is sufficient. However, your brother is in the process of doing his degree. When talking about your brother's situation, the present progressive is appropriate.
This is why the correct answer has "mixed" tenses, because you essentially have two different but connected sentences, each with its own subject and verb.
Other examples of mixed tenses: