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Ok, this might be dim, but Google failed me (or I him).

So, we're talking about a phrase "I stand with X". As in being on the same side, together against something, etc.

A certain someone is trying to convince me that "I am standing with X" is just as good of an option. But it sounds wrong. Am I wrong?

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Technically, "I stand with him." is a general idea. "Whenever he complains about the service from this company". You could not use the ing form here.

WHEREAS:

"I'm standing with him on this issue until further notice". is a specific idea. Like all uses of the continuous, it points to the present time.

Ergo, the way we use the present simple versus the present progressive applies here. It's always about context.

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  • That makes sense, thanks. So, say "I am so-and-so and I stand with Japan".
    – Hokhodihokh
    Aug 28, 2022 at 13:54
  • The -ing form would be rare in an idiom like "I stand with," which is usually used to express resolve. To use the -ing form to indicate temporariness, i.e. to say you're "standing with" someone until further notice, kind of defeats the point.
    – cruthers
    Aug 28, 2022 at 14:08
  • @cruthers My explanation is correct. "I stand with expresses resolve" does not include a temporary situation, and it is perfectly reasonable to suppose some situations are temporary.
    – Lambie
    Aug 28, 2022 at 14:30
  • I'm not really saying you're incorrect. I'm saying that the answer would benefit from a little more in the way of expressing how comparatively rare -ing would be, given the typical use of the idiom. Even your given example is hard to imagine in real life.
    – cruthers
    Aug 28, 2022 at 15:02
  • I don't think 'I'm standing with xxx' is all that rare. I stand with the Labour Party on issues such as equality and public services. I am standing with Councillor Mukerjee in her current effort to improve our area's road safety awareness.
    – Michael Harvey
    Aug 28, 2022 at 15:18

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