excuse me is anybody sitting here

goldenace

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Joined
Nov 22, 2013
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Bulgarian
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Bulgaria
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Ireland

Are the phrases "is anybody" and "does anybody" used differently in terms of context? Can they be used interchangeably?

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Such as:

Excuse u. Does anybody sit there? / Is anybody sitting there?

I know that one is used with present simple and the other with present continuous but which is more suitable?

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Grumpy

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Aug 12, 2009
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Interested in Language
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English
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"Is anybody sitting here?" refers vĩ đại the present moment only. You are asking if someone has temporarily vacated that place, or if that place is being reserved for someone at the present time.
"Does anybody sit here?" refers vĩ đại a continuous process, including the past. You are asking whether or not a specific place is normally occupied by someone.