Present Simple Tense
Present Simple Tense
In English grammar, tenses are a class, which expresses the time within the moment of speaking. There are three tenses in English grammar; present, past, and future. These three tenses are divided into, four aspects such as:
- Simple/ Indefinite tense.
- Continuous/ progressive tense.
- Perfect tense.
- Perfect progressive / perfect continuous tense.
When it comes to tenses, students get confused with the structure and verbs to use accordingly. In this lesson, you are going to learn present simple tense, its structure, and usage of verbs in present simple tense, which is sometimes known as present indefinite tense.
What is present simple tense?
Present simple/ Indefinite tense is a tense that has several uses. It is used to state the action which takes place on a cyclic basis. Present simple is used when an action is happening at the moment or regularly. It is used to express:
- Habits
- Facts or truth
- Scheduled actions in the near future
Read on for detailed explanations, examples, and structure.
Formation of present simple tense.
The format or structure of the present simple tense is easy to understand. We use the base/ first form of the verb in present simple sentences, which is why it is called present indefinite tense.
Positive/ Affirmative sentences.
SUBJECT | VERB | OBJECT | PUNCTUATION |
Subject | Base form of verb | Object | Period(full stop) |
Important point: If the subject is third person( He, She, It) or any singular name, you need to add -s or -es with the base form of a verb.
Example:
- He goes to the gym.
- Alan plays football at the university.
- I wake up early in the morning.
- They go to school by bus.
- We listen to the news daily.
- Johnnie and Elsa need some help.
Negative sentences.
SUBJECT | AUXILIARY VERB | NOT | VERB | OBJECT | PUNCTUATION |
Subject | Do/does | not | Base form of verb | Object | Period(full stop). |
Important point: If the subject of a sentence is the third person (He, She, It) or any singular name, the auxiliary verb DOES NOT is used. If the subject is, I, We, You, They, or any plural noun, DO NOT as an auxiliary verb is used.
Example:
- He doesn’t go to the gym.
- Alan doesn’t play football at the university.
- I do not wake up early in the morning.
- They do not go to school by bus.
- We do not listen to the news daily.
- Johnnie and Elsa do not need some help.
Interrogative / Question sentences.
AUXILIARY VERB | SUBJECT | VERB | PUNCTUATION |
Do/ Does | Subject | Base form of verb | Question mark (?) |
Important point: If the subject is third person (He, She, It) or any singular name, DOES will be added as an auxiliary verb at the start of the sentence. If the subject is I, we, you, they or any plural noun DO will be used as an auxiliary verb.
Example:
- Does he go to the gym?
- Does Alan play football at the university?
- Do I wake up early in the morning?
- Do they go to school by bus?
- Do we listen to the news daily?
- Do Johnnie and Elsa need any help?
Simple present tense uses.
The simple present tense is used to express repeated actions. The actions can either be habits, hobbies, or daily events. It is used to express the idea of universal truth, emotions, wishes, and events in the near future or to give instructions and directions. Below down you will learn the usage of present simple tense thoroughly.
- Repeated actions
The Simple present tense is used to express repeated actions such as habits and hobbies. For such actions, we use adverbs of frequency, such as, often, never, always, sometimes, or rarely. The repeated actions can be negative too as if someone forgets to do something which he does every day.
Example:
Positive: I play throw-ball.
Negative: I do not play throw-ball.
Interrogative: Do I play football?
Positive: she likes pasta.
Negative: She doesn’t like pasta.
Interrogative: Does she like pasta?
Positive: The School bus leaves every morning at 8 AM.
Negative: The School bus doesn’t leave every morning at 8 AM.
Interrogative: Does school bus leave every morning at 8 AM?
- Universal Truth or Generalization
The Simple present tense is often used to indicate the probability of events that took place in the past, which takes place in the present and which will take place in the future no matter what. Such types of actions are called universal truths or facts. Actions that take place generally or are often expected to happen are also expressed using the present tense.
Example:
Positive: The Earth rotates around the sun.
Negative: The Earth does not rotate around the sun.
Interrogative: Does the earth rotate around the sun?
Positive: Cats like milk.
Negative: Cat doesn’t like milk.
Interrogative: Does cat-like the milk?
Positive: Sun rises in the East.
Negative: Sun does not rise in the East.
Interrogative: Does the sunrise in the East?
- Scheduled events in the near future.
The Simple present tense is also used to talk about the scheduled events shortly. Speakers use it while talking about transportation or gatherings.
Example:
Positive: The taxi leaves at 10:00 PM.
Negative: The taxi does not leave at 10:00 PM.
Interrogative: Does the taxi leave at 10:00 PM?
Positive: The concert starts at midnight.
Negative: The concert doesn’t start at midnight.
Interrogative: Does the concert start at midnight?
Positive: Zainab picks you up at 5:00 PM.
Negative: Zainab does not pick you up at 5:00 PM.
Interrogative: Does Zainab pick you up at 5:00 PM?
- To give directions and instructions.
Simple present tense can be used to give instructions, order, or directions.
Example:
- Open the box now.
- Shut the door.
- Take this pot and wash it.
Bottom line:
In this lesson, you learned present simple tense, its structure, and uses. There can be many uses of present simple tense. Some of the most significant uses are given above. Keep practicing; you will learn more and more uses of present simple tense.
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