Hiya Kasia!
You seem to have got the gist of Sitran’s wee soap opera - good for you!
The present simple is not always very simple. If you want to make sure that you are saying something is happening now you need the progressive. The present simple can be used to suggest that something is habitual or regular, or that something only happens at a certain moment.
Sitran picked up on your line ‘How do you feel?’ The use of the present simple here would suggest a habitual or regular sense. You could answer this question by saying ‘With my hands!’ ‘How are you feeling?’ asks the question about an ongoing situation. However, the first sentence makes more sense if someone’s feelings at a certain moment are meant.
In general, the two forms of the verb mean the same thing, but context often suggests a preference for one above the other:
‘My head always aches when I laugh.’ (regular/habitual)
‘My head is aching after last night.’ (current state)
You can say ‘My head aches after last night’, but you cannot say ‘[s]My head is always aching when I laugh[/s]’.
- Garzo.
Thanks a lot!