fbpx
Menu Close

Lesson 1. Simple Present Tense: The Most Common Tense in English

Simple Present Tense, Grammar
Simple Present Tense in English

Simple present tense is one of the commonly used verb tense in English.

 

What is simple present tense?

Simple present tense is a verb tense that indicates an action that is happening regularly, truths, or habits. The main characteristic of simple present tense is using the root form of the verb. For the 3rd singular person – he, she, it – add the ‘-s’ or ‘-es’.

 

When should we use simple present tense?

We use simple present tense for the following conditions:

  • To express habitual actions or repeated actions.
  • To show general truths or scientific facts.
  • To give directions or instructions.
  • To state thoughts or opinions or feelings.

 

Note: We do not use simple present tense to indicate an action that is happening right now. We use the present continuous tense instead.

 

How to form a simple present tense sentence?

Positive Sentences

All, except for he, she, it: Subject + Verb 1

He, she, it: Subject + Verb 1 (-s/-es)

 

Negative Sentences

All, except for he, she, it: Subject + Do + Not + Verb 1

He, she, it: Subject + Does + Not + Verb 1

 

Questions

All, except for he, she, it: Do + Subject + Verb 1 + ?

He, she, it: Does + Subject + Verb 1 + ?

 

Note: Verb 1 or infinitive form is a verb that uses the root form of the verb.

 

What is the general rule for the verbs?

Almost Every Verb

Add ‘s’ at the end of the base form.

I come
You come
We come
They come
He comes
She comes
It comes

 

Ending in ‘Consonant + Y’

Substitute ‘y’ to ‘-ies’.

I try
You try
We try
They try
He tries
She tries
It tries

 

Ending in s, z, ch, sh, x

Add ‘-es’ at the end of the base form.

I miss I fizz I catch I brush I fix
You miss You fizz You catch You brush You fix
We miss We fizz We catch We brush We fix
They miss They fizz They catch They brush They fix
He misses He fizzes He catches He brushes He fixes
She misses She fizzes She catches She brushes She fixes
It misses It fizzes It catches It brushes It fixes

 

Exceptions

For the verb ‘do’ and ‘go’, add ‘-es’ at the end.

I do I go
You do You go
We do We go
They do They go
He does He goes
She does She goes
It does It goes

 

Examples

Positive Sentences Negative Sentences Questions
I come to Bali every month. I do not come to Bali every month. Do you come to Bali every month?*
They come to Bali every month. They do not come to Bali every month. Do they come to Bali every month?
He comes to Bali every month. He does not come to Bali every month. Does he come to Bali every month?

 

Positive Sentences Negative Sentences Questions
I catch fishes every morning. I do not catch fishes every morning. Do you catch fishes every morning?*
They catch fishes every morning. They do not catch fishes every morning. Do they catch fishes every morning?
He catches fishes every morning. He does not catch fishes every morning. Does he catch fishes every morning?

 

Positive Sentences Negative Sentences Questions
I brush teeth twice a day. I do not brush teeth twice a day. Do you brush teeth twice a day?*
They brush teeth twice a day. They do not brush teeth twice a day. Do they brush teeth twice a day?
He brushes teeth twice a day. He does not brush teeth twice a day. Does he brush teeth twice a day?

 

Are there any special rules for a certain verb?

Yes, there are. For the verb ‘to be’, use the following rules:

Positive Sentences

I: Subject + Am + …

You, we, they: Subject + Are + …

He, she, it: Subject + Is + …

 

Negative Sentences

I: Subject + Am + Not + …

You, we, they: Subject + Are + Not + …

He, she, it: Subject + Is + Not + …

 

Questions

I: Am + Subject + … + ?

You, we, they: Are + Subject + … + ?

He, she, it: Is + Subject + … + ?

 

Note: ‘…’ can be substituted with nouns, adjectives, or other part of speech.

 

Examples

Positive Sentences Negative Sentences Questions
I am happy. I am not happy. Are you happy?*
They are happy. They are not happy. Are they happy?
He is happy. He is not happy. Is he happy?

 

Positive Sentences Negative Sentences Questions
I am a teacher. I am not a teacher. Are you a teacher?*
They are teachers. They are not teachers. Are they teachers?
He is a teacher. He is not a teacher. Is he a teacher?

 

Let’s learn English today! Join us at LingoCards!

13 Comments

  1. Modesto Kremation

    It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button!
    I’d most certainly donate to this brilliant blog!
    I suppose for now i’ll settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account.
    I look forward to fresh updates and will share
    this website with my Facebook group. Chat soon!

    • Vinvin Zhang

      That was really a brilliant idea! Thank you so much for pointing this out for us 🙂
      We are happy to hear that! We really appreciate your support and will keep on writing. Once again, thanks a lot! 🙂

    • Vinvin Zhang

      No problem. We will keep on writing 🙂

      Check our latest post in: http://lingo-apps.com/english-adjectives-grammar/

      Thank you for your kind support.

  2. furtdso linopv

    I¦ll right away grab your rss feed as I can’t to find your email subscription link or e-newsletter service. Do you have any? Please allow me know in order that I may just subscribe. Thanks.

  3. furtdsolinopv

    It is actually a nice and helpful piece of info. I¦m satisfied that you simply shared this useful info with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.

  4. furtdsolinopv

    I would like to thnkx for the efforts you have put in writing this blog. I am hoping the same high-grade blog post from you in the upcoming as well. In fact your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my own blog now. Really the blogging is spreading its wings quickly. Your write up is a good example of it.

  5. administratie

    Wow, marvelous weblog format! How lengthy have you been running a blog
    for? you make blogging glance easy. The whole glance of your website is fantastic, as well as the content!

  6. Lonnie Nichlos

    Aw, this is an extremely nice post. In idea I’d like to jot down such as this additionally – taking time and genuine effort to produce a very good article… but what may i say… I procrastinate alot and in no way seem to be to get something done.

  7. zovre lioptor

    Awsome article and right to the point. I am not sure if this is in fact the best place to ask but do you folks have any thoughts on where to employ some professional writers? Thank you 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *