Simple Present Tense

Simple Present tense is used when, the action is simply mentioned and there is nothing being said about its completeness. It is used to talk about an action which happens on a regular basis. • Structure for Simple Present • subject auxiliary verb main verb subject (do) base form I (do) go to college. • Structure for Negative sentence • subject auxiliary verb main verb subject do + not base form I do not go to college. • Structure for interrogative sentence • auxiliary verb subject main verb Do subject base form Do you go to college? We normally use the simple present tense when: the action is general, the statement is always true, the action is not only happening now, the action happens all the time, or habitually, in the past, present and future. There are three important exceptions: For positive sentences, we do not normally use the auxiliary. For the verb to be, we do not use an auxiliary, even for questions and negatives. For the 3rd person singular (he/she/it), we add 's' to the main verb or 'es' to the auxiliary.
USES OF SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
To express a habitual action: Examples He drinks coffee/tea every morning. I get up every day at, six O’clock. My watch keeps right time.
To express general/universal truth: Examples The sun rises in the east. Fortune favors the brave.
In exclamatory sentences beginning with here and there, to express what is actually taking place in the present: Examples Here comes the bus! There she goes!
In vivid narratives, as a substitute for the Simple Past: Examples Sohrab now rushes forward and deals a heavy blow to Rustom. Immediately the Sultan hurries to his capital.
To indicate a future event that is part of a plan or arrangement: Examples We go to Bombay in the next week. They leave for Bombay by the next train / express /mail.
OTHER USES OF SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
It is used to introduce quotations: Examples Keats says, 'A thing of beauty is a joy for ever'.
It is used, instead of the Simple Future Tense, in clauses of time and of condition: Examples I shall/will wait till you finish (your) lunch. If it rains we shall / will get wet.
The Simple Present is used, instead of the present Continuous, with the type of verbs referred to Present Continuous Tense: Examples I see an aeroplane. Note: not ‘I am seeing an aeroplane’.
As in broadcast commentaries on sporting events, the Simple Present is used, instead of the Present Continuous, to describe activities in progress where there is stress on the --succession of happenings rather than on the duration: Examples
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE TABLE AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE INTERROGATIVE I (do)go. I do not go. Do I go? You (do)go. You do not go. Do you go? We (do)go. We do not go. Do we go? He/She (does) goes/go. He/She dose not go. Does he/she go? They (do)go. They do not go . Do they go?

The simple present tense

This page will present the simple present tense:

• its form


• and its use.

Before you continue the lesson read the following passage and try to see how the verbs are formed and used.

James is a taxi driver. He drives a taxi. But on Sundays he doesn't drive his taxi. He stays at home. The verb be, drive, stay are in the simple present. (more on the simple present of the verb to be)

The forms of the simple present

The affirmative form of the simple present:

I, you, we, they	play.
He, she, it	plays.

Remember the verbs in the third person singular (he,she and it) always take an "s". For example, "he plays, she sings,it works..."

Examples:

• Nancy and James speak good German.


• Nancy works in a restaurant downtown.


• The children play in the garden every weekend.

The interrogative form of the simple present:

Do	I, you, we, they	play?
Does	he, she, it

Examples:

• Do you speak good German?


• Does Nancy work in a restaurant downtown?

The negative form of the simple present:

I, you, we,they	do not	play.
	don't
He, she, it	does not
	doesn't

Examples:

• No, I don't speak German.


• No, she doesn't work in a restaurant downtown

The use of the simple present:

The simple present is used:

• to give your opinion - I like ice cream. I don't like spicy food.


• to talk about schedules - The library opens at eight. It doesn't open at 7.


• to talk about daily habits (routine actions)- Sara eats a cheese for breakfast every day. She doesn't eat cereal.


• to give facts - The earth circles the sun. The moon doesn't circle the sun.

The spelling of the third person singular form of the simple present:

All the verbs take an "s" in the simple present when conjugated in the third person singular (he, she, it) form:

Examples:

• I visit my parents every summer holiday. But my wife visits her parents every weekend.


• My brother meets his girlfriend everyday.

So the rule is:

He / she / it + Verb + S

There are however some special cases. Here are the spelling rules:

Silent e	Vowel + y	Consonant + y	Verbs ending in o	Verbs ending in s, z, sh, tch, ch
close = closes note = notes	play = plays say = says	study = studies marry = marries	go = goes do = does	miss = misses buzz = buzzes hatch = hatches finish = finishes teach = teaches

Examples:

• She drives to work every morning.


• He says he plays football on the weekends

Exception:

• The verb to have changes its forms as follows:
  I have two sisters and two brothers. But she has one sister and two brothers.
  I have = he / she / it has

Things to remember about the simple present:

1.In the interrogative forms, we use "do" or "does".

• "Do you like the house?"


• "Does she go to school?"

2; Verbs never take an "s" in the the negative and interrogative forms.

• "Does he speak German?"


• "Do they play soccer?"


• She doesn't like ice cream.

3. don't is the short form of "do not". You can say either:

• I do not speak Italian, or


• I don't speak Italian.

4.doesn't is the short form of "does not". you can say either:

• He does not listen to jazz music, or


• He doesn't listen to jazz music.

Tense
What is Tense? Type of tense Table of English Tenses	Tense at a glance Structure of All Tense
Present Tense
What Is the Present Tense? Simple Present Tense Present Continuous Tense	Present Perfect Tense Present perfect continuous tense Present Conditional Tense
Past Tense
What Is the Past Tense? Simple Past Tense Past Continuous Tense	Past Perfect Tense Past Perfect Continuous Tense
Future Tense
Future Tense Simple Future Tense Future Continuous Tense	Future Perfect Tense Future Perfect Continuous Tense Conditional Sentences