Simple Present Tense
The simple present tense in English
is used to describe an action that is regular, true or normal.
We use the present tense:
1. For repeated or regular actions
in the present time period.
- I
take the train to the office.
- The
train to Berlin leaves every hour.
- John
sleeps eight hours every night during the week.
2. For facts.
- The
President of The USA lives in The White House.
- A
dog has four legs.
- We
come from Switzerland.
3. For habits.
- I
get up early every day.
- Carol
brushes her teeth twice a day.
- They
travel to their country house every weekend.
4. For things that are always /
generally true.
- It
rains a lot in winter.
- The
Queen of England lives in Buckingham Palace.
- They
speak English at work.
Verb Conjugation & Spelling
We form the present tense using the
base form of the infinitive (without the TO). In general, in the third person we add 'S'
in the third person.
|
Subject
|
Verb
|
The Rest of the sentence
|
|
I / you / we / they
|
speak / learn
|
English at home
|
|
he / she / it
|
speaks / learns
|
English at home
|
The spelling for the verb in the
third person differs depending on the ending of that verb:
1. For verbs that end in -O, -CH,
-SH, -SS, -X, or -Z we add -ES in the third person.
- go
– goes
- catch
– catches
- wash
– washes
- kiss
– kisses
- fix
– fixes
- buzz
– buzzes
2. For verbs that end in a consonant
+ Y, we remove the Y and add -IES.
- marry
– marries
- study
– studies
- carry
– carries
- worry
– worries
NOTE: For verbs that end in a vowel
+ Y, we just add -S.
- play
– plays
- enjoy
– enjoys
- say
– says
Negative Sentences in the Simple
Present Tense
To make a negative sentence in
English we normally use Don't or Doesn't
with all verbs EXCEPT To Be and Modal verbs (can, might, should
etc.).
- Affirmative:
You speak French.
Negative: You don't speak French.
You will see that we add don't
between the subject and the verb. We use Don't when the subject is I,
you, we or they.
- Affirmative:
He speaks German.
Negative: He doesn't speak German.
When the subject is he, she
or it, we add doesn't between the subject and the verb to make a
negative sentence. Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb in
the affirmative sentence (because it is in third person) disappears in the
negative sentence. We will see the reason why below.
Negative Contractions
Don't
= Do not
Doesn't = Does not
I don't like meat = I do
not like meat. There is no difference in meaning though we normally use
contractions in spoken English.
Word Order of Negative Sentences
The
following is the word order to construct a basic negative sentence in English
in the Present Tense using Don't or Doesn't.
|
Subject
|
don't/doesn't
|
Verb*
|
The Rest of the sentence
|
|
I / you / we / they
|
don't
|
have / buy
eat / like etc.
|
cereal for breakfast
|
|
he / she / it
|
doesn't
|
* Verb: The verb that goes here is
the base form of the infinitive = The infinitive without TO before the verb.
Instead of the infinitive To have it is just the have part.
Remember that the infinitive is the
verb before it is conjugated (changed) and it begins with TO. For
example: to have, to eat, to go, to live, to speak etc.
Examples of Negative Sentences with
Don't and Doesn't:
- You
don't speak Arabic.
- John
doesn't speak Italian.
- We
don't have time for a rest.
- It
doesn't move.
- They
don't want to go to the party.
- She
doesn't like fish.
Questions in the Simple Present
Tense
To make a question in English we
normally use Do or Does.
It has no translation in Spanish though it is essential to show we are making a
question. It is normally put at the beginning of the question.
- Affirmative:
You speak English.
Question: Do you speak English?
You will see that we add DO
at the beginning of the affirmative sentence to make it a question. We use Do
when the subject is I, you, we or they.
- Affirmative:
He speaks French.
Question: Does he speak French?
When the subject is he, she
or it, we add DOES at the beginning to make the affirmative
sentence a question. Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb in
the affirmative sentence (because it is in third person) disappears in the
question. We will see the reason why below.
We DON'T use Do or Does
in questions that have the verb To Be or Modal Verbs (can, must,
might, should etc.)
However, ifa question word such as who,
when, where, why, which or how is used in
the question, you can not use the short answers above to respond to the
question.
Present
Continuous
Basic form
Subject + IS/ARE +
Verb (continuous form)
Form
To form a sentence in the Present
Continuous, you have to:
- know
the proper conjugation of the auxiliary verb
|
Person
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
|
First
|
I am
|
We are
|
|
Second
|
You are
|
You are
|
|
Third
|
He/she/it is
|
They are
|
- add
the "ing" suffix to the verb (to form the present participle of the verb). Examples:
- try + ing = trying
- go + ing = going
Use 1: Present Actions
Most often, we use the Present
Continuous tense to talk about actions happening at the moment of speaking.
- He
is eating a dinner.
- Mary
is talking with her friends.
- They
are swimming in the pool.
Use 2: Temporary Actions
This tense is also used for
activities continuing only for a limited period of time.
- I'm
riding a bike to get to work because my car is broken. Temporary
Action (His car will soon be repaired)
- They
are not talking with each other after the last argument. Temporary
Action (They will soon make up)
- Mary
is working at McDonald's. Temporary Action (She is working there
only during the summer holidays)
Use 3: Longer Actions in Progress
We also use the Present
Continuous when we are in the middle of doing something time-consuming
(i.e. something that takes time to complete). An example of such an activity is
writing a book, saving money or studying for an exam.
- They
are working hard to earn money.
- I
am training to become a professional footballer.
- Mike
is studying hard to become a doctor.
- Elizabeth
is currently writing a children's book titled I am the
World.
Use 4: Future (Personal)
Arrangements and Plans
Sometimes we use the Present
Continuous to show that something is planned and will be done in the near
future.
- I'm
meeting Katie in the evening.
- He's
flying to Rome in September.
- We're
not going anywhere tomorrow.
Use 5: Tendencies and Trends
This tense is also used for
expressing tendencies or trends.
- Our
country is getting richer.
- The
Internet is becoming less of a novelty.
- The
Universe is expanding.
Use 6: Irritation or Anger
And the last use of this tense is to
express irritation or anger over somebody or something in the present with
adverbs such as: always, continually or contantly.
- She
is continually complaining about everything!
- Johny
is always asking stupid questions!
- My
boss is contantly critising me!
Verbs that are not usually used in the
continuous form
The verbs in the list below are normally used
in the simple form because they refer to states, rather than
actions or processes.
Senses / Perception
- to
feel*
- to
hear
- to
see*
- to
smell
- to
taste
Opinion
- to
assume
- to
believe
- to
consider
- to
doubt
- to
feel (= to think)
- to
find (= to consider)
- to
suppose
- to
think*
|
Mental states
- to
forget
- to
imagine
- to
know
- to
mean
- to
notice
- to
recognise
- to
remember
- to
understand
Emotions / desires
- to
envy
- to
fear
- to
dislike
- to
hate
- to
hope
- to
like
- to
love
- to
mind
- to
prefer
- to
regret
- to
want
- to
wish
|
Measurement
- to
contain
- to
cost
- to
hold
- to
measure
- to
weigh
Others
- to
look (=resemble)
- to
seem
- to
be (in most cases)
- to
have(when it means "to possess")*
|
Exceptions
Perception verbs (see, hear, feel, taste,
smell) are often used with can: : I can see... These verbs
may be used in the continuous form but with a different meaning
- This coat feels nice and warm. (your
perception of the coat's qualities)
- John's feeling much better now (his health
is improving)
- She has three dogs and a cat.
(possession)
- She's having supper. (She's eating)
- I can see Anthony in the garden
(perception)
- I'm seeing Anthony later (We are
planning to meet)
