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What is the difference between

I am always coming back

I always come back

I know that always+present progressive can be used to show annoyance but in this example I don't think it is the case and I know present simple is for regular actions, habit that we do every day.

I looked on the web and found that in the first example always means "constantly" and in the second "each" time. Do you agree with this explanation?

I would have thought that I always come back means constantly and "forever true" and am always coming back means that this is a" repeated " action but it has duration and won't last "forever".

Yves Lefol
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2 Answers2

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Maybe the simplest way to understand this is to just take it as the tenses suggest:

By saying I am always coming back you say that you have a habit to come back again and again, so it's like a continuous action.

By saying I always come back you say that you come back "each time."

Jan
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  • I don't seem to understand clearly the difference: in the first example does it mean that the action can change ,something you have been doing regularly up to now but could change – Yves Lefol Feb 27 '20 at 10:00
  • It's like you said in the question: I looked on the web and found that in the first example always means "constantly" and in the second "each" time. Do you agree with this explanation? Yes, I agree. Neither sentence tells anything about a possible change. – Jan Feb 27 '20 at 10:27
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I think you might be overstating the use of "always" to show 'annoyance'. Psychologists do say that saying things like "you always do this" or "you never do that" cause arguments, but that is because the absolute nature of these words can only cause the other person to defend themselves. However, there are plenty more situations where "always/never" are perfectly benign.

"I always come back" is the correct statement of the two you suggested.

"I will always come back" is another way of saying it in future continuous.

Astralbee
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  • I disagree. I can't imagine "I'm always coming back" without an emotional charge - usually annoyance, but possibly a rueful self-deprecation. – Colin Fine Feb 01 '23 at 19:15
  • @ColinFine I said almost those exact words to my tearful 5 year old literally last week before I headed out on an errand. It was calm and reassuring, certainly not annoyed. – Ben I. Oct 10 '23 at 17:23