According to my grammar book, the 普通形 of a verb in Japanese usually has two
functions: it shows a regular common action and the action that the subject is
going to do in the future.

For instance:

  1. （毎日）テレビを見る 
  2. （明日）テレビを見る 

And it is also said that the '......ている' form is also used to show a regular
common action, like:

  3. （毎日）テレビを見ている. 

So are sentences 1 and 3, （毎日）テレビを見る and （毎日）テレビを見ている, interchangeable?

And if I simply say わたしは本を読む, how will the listener understand it? Will they
see it like 'I read books everyday' or 'I will read a book'?
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-16T13:46:51.077
24362
2015-05-16T15:06:07.203
2015-05-16T15:06:07.203
9883
question
grammar tense aspect
The 普通形 of a verb in Japanese - future and habitual interpretations
毎日テレビを見ている is conscious that you are keeping the habit so far but could quit
it soon or some time. On the other hand, 毎日テレビを見る is not conscious of that.
And, 私は本を読む depends on contexts.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-16T14:39:54.393
24364
2015-05-16T14:39:54.393
4092
24362
answer