Learn English – say: “He always goes to cinema this year.”

grammarpresent-simpletime

Can simple present tense used with a specific time?

Generally, simple present is used to express habits, repeated action, but can it used to express habits in a period time including now?

For example:

He always goes to cinema this year.

Best Answer

"He always goes to cinema this year" doesn't make sense. "Always" doesn't just mean that something has been repeated a few times, it implies that something is continuous, perpetual. "This year" will eventually end - will his habit perpetuate then?

You can say:

He always goes to the cinema on Sunday.

Although this includes a condition, it isn't a limited one. This is because there is a Sunday every week!

What you probably want to say is:

He has gone to the cinema a lot this year.

or

He has gone to the cinema often this year.

or

He has been regularly going to the cinema this year.

(These are examples, not an exhaustive list)