Present vs Current
Present and Current are two words that are often confused due to the wrong understanding of their meanings and usage. It is indeed true that the words present and current are used differently in different senses.
The word ‘present’ is normally used in the sense of ‘at the moment’. On the other hand, the word ‘current’ is used in the sense of ‘recent’. This is the main and the subtle difference between the two words.
Take a look at the two sentences given below
1. There are no books available at present.
2. In the current trend the styles have changed.
In the first sentence, the word ‘present’ is used in the sense of ‘at the moment’ and hence, the meaning of the sentence would be ‘there are no books available at the moment’. In the second sentence, the word ‘current’ is used in the sense of ‘recent’ and hence, the meaning of the sentence would be ‘in the recent trend the styles have changed’.
It is interesting to note that the word ‘present’ is also used sometimes in the sense of ‘at hand’ as in the sentence ‘Angela was present in the classroom then’. In this sentence, the word ‘present’ is used in the sense of ‘at hand’, and the sentence gives the meaning ‘Angela was at hand in the classroom then’.
The word ‘current’ is primarily used as an adjective. It has its adverbial form in the word ‘currently’. The word ‘present’ also is used as an adjective primarily; it has its adverbial form in the word ‘presently’ as in the sentence ‘presently there is no necessity for the post of a clerk’. These are the main differences between the two words that are often confused, namely, present and current.