SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
The simple present tense is one of several forms of present tense in English. It is used to describe habits, unchanging situations, general truths, and fixed arrangements. The simple present tense is simple to form. Just use the base form of the verb: (I take, you take, we take, they take) The 3rd person singular takes an -s at the end. (he takes, she takes)
THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE IS USED:
You thinkDo you think?You do not think
He thinksDoes he think?He does not think
She thinksDoes she think?She does not think
It thinksDoes it think?It does not think
We thinkDo we think?We do not think.
They thinkDo they think?They do not think.NOTES ON THE SIMPLE PRESENT, THIRD PERSON SINGULAR
THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE IS USED:
- To express habits, general truths, repeated actions or unchanging situations, emotions and wishes:
I smoke (habit); I work in London (unchanging situation); London is a large city (general truth) - To give instructions or directions:
You walk for two hundred meters, then you turn left. - To express fixed arrangements, present or future:
Your exam starts at 09.00 - To express future time, after some conjunctions: after, when, before, as soon as, until:
He'll give it to you when you come next Saturday.
- For habits
He drinks tea at breakfast.
She only eats fish.
They watch television regularly. - For repeated actions or events
We catch the bus every morning.
It rains every afternoon in the hot season.
They drive to Monaco every summer. - For general truths
Water freezes at zero degrees.
The Earth revolves around the Sun.
Her mother is Peruvian.
- For instructions or directions
Open the packet and pour the contents into hot water.
You take the No.6 bus to Watney and then the No.10 to Bedford. - For fixed arrangements
His mother arrives tomorrow.
Our holiday starts on the 26th March - With future constructions
She'll see you before she leaves.
We'll give it to her when she arrives.
You thinkDo you think?You do not think
He thinksDoes he think?He does not think
She thinksDoes she think?She does not think
It thinksDoes it think?It does not think
We thinkDo we think?We do not think.
They thinkDo they think?They do not think.NOTES ON THE SIMPLE PRESENT, THIRD PERSON SINGULAR
- In the third person singular the verb always ends in -s:
he wants, she needs, he gives, she thinks. - Negative and question forms use DOES (= the third person of the auxiliary 'DO') + the infinitive of the verb.
He wants ice cream. Does he want strawberry? He does not want vanilla. - Verbs ending in -y : the third person changes the -y to -ies:
fly --> flies, cry --> cries
Exception: if there is a vowel before the -y:
play --> plays, pray --> prays - Add -es to verbs ending in:-ss, -x, -sh, -ch:
he passes, she catches, he fixes, it pushes
- He goes to school every morning.
- She understands English.
- It mixes the sand and the water.
- He tries very hard.
- She enjoys
The simple present is a verb tense with two main uses. We use the simple present tense when an action is happening right now, or when it happens regularly (or unceasingly, which is why it’s sometimes called present indefinite). Depending on the person, the simple present tense is formed by using the root form or by adding ‑s or ‑es to the end.
I feel great! Pauline loves pie. I’m sorry to hear that you’re sick.
The other is to talk about habitual actions or occurrences.
Pauline practices the piano every day. Ms. Jackson travels during the summer. Hamsters run all night.
Typically, when we want to describe a temporary action that is currently in progress, we use the present continuous: Pauline can’t come to the phone right now because she is brushing her teeth.
How to Form the Simple PresentIn the simple present, most regular verbs use the root form, except in the third-person singular (which ends in -s).
First-person singular: I write
Second-person singular: You write
Third-person singular: He/she/it writes (note the ‑s)
First-person plural: We write
Second-person plural: You write
Third-person plural: They write
For a few verbs, the third-person singular ends with -es instead of -s. Typically, these are verbs whose root form ends in o, ch, sh, th, ss, gh, or z.
First-person singular: I go
Second-person singular: You go
Third-person singular: He/she/it goes (note the ‑es)
First-person plural: We go
Second-person plural: You go
Third-person plural: They go
For most regular verbs, you put the negation of the verb before the verb, e.g. “She won’t go” or “I don’t smell anything.”
The verb to be is irregular:
First-person singular: I am
Second-person singular: You are
Third-person singular: He/she/it is
First-person plural: We are
Second-person plural: You are
Third-person plural: They are
How to Make the Simple Present NegativeThe formula for making a simple present verb negative is do/does + not + [root form of verb]. You can also use the contraction don’t or doesn’t instead of do not or does not.
Pauline does not want to share the pie. She doesn’t think there is enough to go around. Her friends do not agree. I don’t want pie anyway.
To make the verb to be negative, the formula is [to be] + not.
I am not a pie lover, but Pauline sure is. You aren’t ready for such delicious pie.
How to Ask a QuestionThe formula for asking a question in the simple present is do/does + [subject] + [root form of verb].
Do you know how to bake a pie?
How much does Pauline love pie?
Common Verbs in the Simple Present
InfinitiveI, You, We, TheyHe, She, It
to askask / do not askasks / does not ask
to workwork / do not workworks / does not work
to callcall / do not callcalls / does not call
to useuse / do not useuses / does not use
to havehave / do not havehas / does not haveThe Verb to Be in the Simple PresentInfinitiveIYou, We, TheyHe, She, It
to beam / am notare / are notis / is not
I feel great! Pauline loves pie. I’m sorry to hear that you’re sick.
The other is to talk about habitual actions or occurrences.
Pauline practices the piano every day. Ms. Jackson travels during the summer. Hamsters run all night.
Typically, when we want to describe a temporary action that is currently in progress, we use the present continuous: Pauline can’t come to the phone right now because she is brushing her teeth.
How to Form the Simple PresentIn the simple present, most regular verbs use the root form, except in the third-person singular (which ends in -s).
First-person singular: I write
Second-person singular: You write
Third-person singular: He/she/it writes (note the ‑s)
First-person plural: We write
Second-person plural: You write
Third-person plural: They write
For a few verbs, the third-person singular ends with -es instead of -s. Typically, these are verbs whose root form ends in o, ch, sh, th, ss, gh, or z.
First-person singular: I go
Second-person singular: You go
Third-person singular: He/she/it goes (note the ‑es)
First-person plural: We go
Second-person plural: You go
Third-person plural: They go
For most regular verbs, you put the negation of the verb before the verb, e.g. “She won’t go” or “I don’t smell anything.”
The verb to be is irregular:
First-person singular: I am
Second-person singular: You are
Third-person singular: He/she/it is
First-person plural: We are
Second-person plural: You are
Third-person plural: They are
How to Make the Simple Present NegativeThe formula for making a simple present verb negative is do/does + not + [root form of verb]. You can also use the contraction don’t or doesn’t instead of do not or does not.
Pauline does not want to share the pie. She doesn’t think there is enough to go around. Her friends do not agree. I don’t want pie anyway.
To make the verb to be negative, the formula is [to be] + not.
I am not a pie lover, but Pauline sure is. You aren’t ready for such delicious pie.
How to Ask a QuestionThe formula for asking a question in the simple present is do/does + [subject] + [root form of verb].
Do you know how to bake a pie?
How much does Pauline love pie?
Common Verbs in the Simple Present
InfinitiveI, You, We, TheyHe, She, It
to askask / do not askasks / does not ask
to workwork / do not workworks / does not work
to callcall / do not callcalls / does not call
to useuse / do not useuses / does not use
to havehave / do not havehas / does not haveThe Verb to Be in the Simple PresentInfinitiveIYou, We, TheyHe, She, It
to beam / am notare / are notis / is not