Simple Present Tense:
The simple present tense is used to describe facts, habits, schedules, opinions, and regular or repeated actions in the present time.
We use Simple Present Tense to describe:
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Facts (general truth): Horse has four leg. Her new friend is a Doctor.
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Opinions: I like chocolate.
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Schedule: My school opens at eight.
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Habits: James eats pasta everyday.
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Regular or Repeated Actions: She travels to school by bus.
Types of sentences using Simple Present Tense:
There are three types of sentences:
1.1 Affirmative Sentences:
Forming Affirmative Sentences: The third person singular (He, She, It) is used by adding "s" to the end of the verb.
| Subject + | Main verb + | Object |
|---|---|---|
| He | likes | chocolate. |
| They | eat | pasta. |
Please note: there are a few special cases. The following are the spelling rules:
1. For verbs that end in "-o", "-ch", "-sh", "-ss" , "-x" or "-z", we add "-es". See examples below:
| Verbs ending in "-o", "-ch", "-sh", "-ss", "-x", "-z" | add "-es" |
|---|---|
| go | goes |
| wash | washes |
| catch | catches |
| fix | fixes |
| miss | misses |
| buzz | buzzes |
2. For verbs that end in a consonant + "y", we replace "-y" with "-ies". See examples below:
| For Verbs that end in a consonant + y | replace "-ies" with "-y" |
|---|---|
| study | studies |
| carry | carries |
| worry | worries |
| marry | marries |
3. For verbs that end in a vowel + "y", we just add -s. See examples below:
| Verbes ending in a vowel + "-y" | Add "-s" to the verb |
|---|---|
| play | plays |
| say | says |
Following are a few examples of positive sentences in Present Simple Tense:
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The sun rises in the east.
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Cats like milk.
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I get up early in the morning.
1.2 Negative sentences:
Forming negative sentenses: To make a negative sentence we use "do not" or "does not" with the verb.
| Subject + | Auxiliary verb "do" or "does" + "not" | Main verb | |
|---|---|---|---|
| He | does not | like | chocolate. |
| Theye | do not | drink | tea. |
For the third person singular, when the subject is he, she or it, we use "does not" to make a negative sentence. However, when the subject is first or second person, we use "do not".
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She does not speak English.
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You do not like chocolate.
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I do not like her dress.
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He does not go to school.
1.3 Questions or Interrogative Sentences:
Forming interrogative sentenses: We use auxiliary verbs "do" or "does" before the subject to make an interrogative sentence. As shown in the table below.
| Auxiliary verb "do" or "does" + | Subject | Main verb | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Does | he | like | chocolate? |
| Do | they | like | reading? |
Following are a few examples of Interrogative Sentences:
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Do you play tennis?
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Does she like music?
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Do they go to the park?
The Simple Present of the verb "to be":
Forming the simple present of the verb "to be": This done by adding the correct "to be" verb (is, am, are) to the subject. It takes the following form:
Subject + to be verb (is, am, are)
| Affirmative | Negative | Interrogative |
|---|---|---|
| He is hungry | He is not hungry. | Is he hungry? |
| They are late. | They are not late. | Are they late? |
| I am cold. | I am not cold. | Am I cold? |