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You are here: Home / English lessons / Present simple tense in English

Present simple tense in English

30th June 2016 by Andrew

In English, there are 2 present tenses:

  • The present simple
  • The present continuous

They are very different in both their form and also their use and meaning.

In this grammar lesson, we will look in detail at the present simple.

Form

Affirmative

I work
you work
he works / she works / it works
we work
you work
they work


Only the third person singular changes (he / she / it) by adding a letter “s“

Negative

I do not work
you do not work
he does not work/ she does not work / it does not work
we do not work
you do not work
they do not work

Again, only the third person singular (he / she / it) is different (does not)

 

Question

Do I work?
Do you work?
Does he work? / Does she work? / Does it work?
Do we work?
Do you work?
Do they work?

For the question form, don’t forget the question mark (?) at the end of the sentence.

Rules for the third person singular spelling

Remember, that the affirmative form is the subject + base form except for the third person singular.

Here are the rules for the third person singular form of different types of verb:

For most regular verbs, we add –s to the base form:

work -> works
sit -> sits
stay -> stays

For Verbs ending in -s, -z, -ch, -sh or -x, we add –es to the base:

miss -> misses
watch -> watches
push -> pushes

For Verbs ending in consonant + y, we change y to i and add -es

cry -> cries
hurry -> hurries
reply -> replies

Exceptions and irregular verbs:

have -> has
go -> goes
do -> does

The uses and meaning of the present simple

Facts or permanent situations

We use the present simple to describe facts or things that always happen. We are talking in general.

Example:

Cows

Cows eat grass.

(We are talking in general. We are not describing a specific cow.)

Example:

Ice

Water freezes at 0°C

Example:

Question: Where does Peter work?
(This is a general question, so we use the present simple and NOT the present continuous)

If the question is in the present simple, then our answer must also be in the present simple:

Answer: Peter works in an office.
(We are stating a general fact. We are NOT describing specifically where Peter is now.)

Things that happen regularly, repeatedly or all the time

They play football every week.

I play football every week. correct
I am playing football every week. wrong

Do you go to church every Sunday? correct
Are you going to church every Sunday? wrong

Verbs which do NOT have a continuous form

Some verbs only have a simple form. They do not have a continuous form.

They are often verbs where there is no real action:

-hate, like, love, need, prefer, want, wish.
-believe, imagine, know, mean, realise, recognise, remember, suppose, understand.
-belong, concern, consist, contain, depend, involve, matter, need, owe, own, possess.
-appear, resemble, seem.
-hear, see

Example:

This chocolate cake is nice. I am wanting another piece please. wrong
This chocolate cake is nice. I want another piece please. correct

 

Video lesson

Below is a video lesson about the present simple with more examples and exercises.
All our English lessons on YouTube

Filed Under: English lessons

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. S.Mohanraju says

    30th January 2017 at 4:01 pm

    really very interesting and eagerly waiting to know more about grammar.

    • Farmanullah says

      7th April 2019 at 11:08 am

      Eagerly waited. Not eagerly waiting.

  2. sandra molle says

    13th January 2018 at 8:50 pm

    you explain very clear.Thank you !

  3. sandra molle says

    13th January 2018 at 8:51 pm

    It is always a clear explanation. Thank you very much indeed

  4. Farman ullah says

    7th April 2019 at 11:07 am

    In fact this is the way to explain something explicitly. Wonderful.

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