Hello guys, I need to clear up some grammar point.
What’s the difference between ：
"メアリーさんは毎日日本語を勉強しています。” and “メアリーさんは毎日日本語を勉強します。”
Do they mean the same thing ? I’m having a hard time to understand the difference between the “present tense” and the "ています” form which one should I use for habitual action ?
I hope that make sense.
They can both be used for a habitual action. In that sense, I don’t believe they are dramatically different from each other.
Since I noticed you’re talking about our good friend メアリーさん from アリゾナ大学, might I point you in the direction of our Genki study buddies thread? The people in that thread are very familiar with the examples used in the book!
The 毎日 is really what makes it habitual, and the tense is a nuance.
Basically ています is more present and the action is “closer” to the speaker or as maggiesensei says, “it describes the action more vividly.”
ます is more looking at the action from a distance, more objectively.
Maggiesensei: http://maggiesensei.com/2015/05/12/japanese-verb-tense-part-1-present-future/
Also a more detailed response that explains better: grammar - Habitual aspect - Japanese Language Stack Exchange
The way I learned it is that ています is like I am currently doing _ or I have been doing _. I could very well be wrong about this, but my interpretations of the 2 sentences would be as so:
メアリーさんは毎日日本語を勉強しています - Mary has been studying Japanese every day.
メアリーさんは毎日日本語を勉強します - Mary will study Japanese every day.
勉強します is more like you’re saying that you will do it in the future, rather than doing it now.
Thank you 
!!
That cannot be right. The “毎日” here mean it’s an habitual action not the futur, look it up in lesson 3.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I’m still getting a grasp on many grammar points myself, looking at it again, I think I would agree with @Leebo in that they both share a similar meaning in this instance.
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