student asking question

Why is it "I'm focused on", not "I focused on"? Or can I say "I'm focusing on" instead?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

You're right in that the two phrases are similar. However, there is a subtle difference to them. "I am focused" has more emphasis, it implies that all of your attention is on this one thing. It also implies that it is an ongoing action. "I focused on" is used more loosely for things that don't have all your attention but you still think is important. It can also mean a past thing that had all your attention, depending on the tense used. "I am focusing on" would be used for something that you are currently focused on. So in the case of this video, you absolutely could replace "I'm focused on" with, "I'm focusing on". Ex: I focused on my homework. Ex: I'm focused on my homework. Ex: I'm focusing on my homework.

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