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How can time periods so long be "periods around now". I'm studying English Grammar in Use, and in the first unit, says:

You can use present continuous with today/this week/this year etc.(periods around now)
for example: The company I work for isn't doing so well this year.

First question: can I say => The company I work for isn't doing so well in this year. Difference?

Second question: Consider longer periods. How do you explain this subject that these periods are around now. for example:

Our country isn't doing well this decade!!!

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Time periods so long can be "periods around now" because they are periods around now: they are periods that contain "now". "Now" is in this hour, this day, this week, this year, this century, this millennium ...

It is not idiomatic to use "in" with periods of time.

You can use it with points of time, to set a limit ("in two years = "at the end of two years from now", or in some contexts "within the period of two years starting now").

You can use "in" with the name of a month ("In July"), or a particular year ("in 2018"). With a named day, you use "on" ("on Wednesday").

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  • I'm sorry, I couldn't get my head around it. you mean by using the word "this" we are saying that it isn't future. I will do it this month and I will do it next month, both look like future and having no connection with now
    – Sir Meysam Ferguson
    Commented Oct 23, 2017 at 16:34
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    @SirMeysamFerguson: This month contains "now". So you may say "The company is doing well this month" if in fact it is doing well now, and you wish for some reason to focus on this month (probably to contrast it with another month). You may also say "The company will do well this month" if you are focussing on its prospects for the month as a whole, or "The company has been doing well this month" if you are focussing on its performance from the start of the month up to now. All are grammatical and fully idiomatic; all might be referring to identical events; but they have a different focus.
    – Colin Fine
    Commented Oct 23, 2017 at 16:40
  • Now I get it. thank you. this part did its job The company is doing well this month if in fact it is doing well now
    – Sir Meysam Ferguson
    Commented Oct 23, 2017 at 16:44

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