Present simple tense in English
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The present simple tense in English is used for routines, habits, general actions and feelings.
Lesson outline
Hide- 1.How to form the present simple tense?
- 1.1.Affirmatives
- 1.2.Negatives
- 1.3.Interrogatives
- 2.Usage of the English present simple tense
- 3.Conjugation of the English present simple tense
- 3.1.Verbs that end in '-s', '-ss', '-sh', '-ch', '-x' or '-o'
- 3.2.Verbs that end in '-y' after a consonant
- 3.3.Other verbs
- 3.4.Irregular verbs in present simple
- 4.Exercises
- 4.1.Practice the English present simple
- 4.2.Exercise English present simple
- 4.3.Practice the negative form of the English present simple
- 4.4.Complete the sentences with the English present simple
- 4.5.Practice the interrogative form of the English present simple
How to form the present simple tense?
How the present simple tense is formed, depends on whether the sentence is:
- Affirmative: expresses the truth of a certain assertion.
- Negative: expresses the falsity of a certain assertion.
- Interrogative: expresses a question.
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1. Affirmatives
Structure: subject / pronoun + conjugated verb + rest of the sentence
Examples:
- He is a doctor.
- We play tennis once a week.
- The table is round.
2. Negatives
Structure: subject / pronoun + auxiliary (form of to do + not) + verb + rest of the sentence.
The table below shows how the auxiliary is formed for every subject.
| Subject | Negative auxiliary |
|---|---|
| I | do not |
| You (singular) | do not |
| He / she / it | does not |
| We | do not |
| You (plural) | do not |
| They | do not |
The auxiliary forms are often contracted:
- do not - don't
- does not - doesn't
Examples:
- I do not eat fish.
- They do not play football.
- He does not speak English.
3. Interrogatives
Structure: auxiliary (form of to do) + subject / pronoun + infinitive verb + rest of the sentence + question mark
Examples:
- Does she like meat?
- Do you know what to do?
- Do they come to the party?
Usage of the English present simple tense
The table below shows you all the situations in which the English present simple tense is used.
| Situation | Example |
|---|---|
| You want to describe habits and routines. |
|
| You want to describe a general or scientific fact. |
|
| You want to describe an action that takes place, never takes place or is repeated constantly. |
|
| You want to describe an event that is probably happening in the future. |
|
| You want to refer to a past event. (In newspaper headlines and captions to photographs.) |
|
| You want to give instructions or indications |
|
You can recognize the use of the present simple tense when the sentence contains words as:
- Today
- Usually
- Always
- Habitually
- Now
- Never
- On Mondays, Tuesdays etc.
- Every Monday, Tuesday etc.
- Twice a week
- Once a month
- In general
- Every other day
Conjugation of the English present simple tense
In the present simple the root is used to form the present simple. The third person singular (he, she, it) forms an exception: '-s', '-es' or '-ies' is added to the stem to form the present simple. Keep the following rules in mind when forming the third person singular of the present simple tense:
Verbs that end in '-s', '-ss', '-sh', '-ch', '-x' or '-o'
Add '-es' to the root of the verb to form the third person singular.
| Subject | To watch | To rush |
|---|---|---|
| I | watch | rush |
| You (singular) | watch | rush |
| He / she / it | watches | rushes |
| We | watch | rush |
| You (plural) | watch | rush |
| They | watch | rush |
Verbs that end in '-y' after a consonant
For the third person singular the '-y' changes in '-i' and '-es' has to be added to the root.
| Subject | To study | To cry |
|---|---|---|
| I | study | cry |
| You (singular) | study | cry |
| He / she / it | studies | cries |
| We | study | cry |
| You (plural) | study | cry |
| They | study | cry |
Other verbs
To form the third person singular of the other verbs, '-s' has to be added to the root. The table below shows the conjugation of the regular verbs 'to work', 'to sleep', 'to rush' and 'to study' in the present simple.
| Subject | To work | To sleep |
|---|---|---|
| I | work | sleep |
| You (singular) | work | sleep |
| He / she / it | works | sleeps |
| We | work | sleep |
| You (plural) | work | sleep |
| They | work | sleep |
Irregular verbs in present simple
The table below shows the conjugation of the irregular verbs 'to swim', 'to feel', 'to have' and 'to be'.
| Subject | To swim | To feel | To have | To be |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | swim | feel | have | am |
| You | swim | feel | have | are |
| He / she / it | swims | feels | has | is |
| We | swim | feel | have | are |
| You (plural) | swim | feel | have | are |
| They | swim | feel | have | are |
Practice your knowledge with the present simple exercises below!
Exercises
- Practice the English present simple
- Exercise English present simple
- Practice the negative form of the English present simple
- Complete the sentences with the English present simple
- Practice the interrogative form of the English present simple
Practice the English present simple
Exercise English present simple
Practice the negative form of the English present simple
Complete the sentences with the English present simple
Practice the interrogative form of the English present simple
Exercises
- Practice the English present simple
- Exercise English present simple
- Practice the negative form of the English present simple
- Complete the sentences with the English present simple
- Practice the interrogative form of the English present simple
Practice the English present simple
Exercise English present simple
Practice the negative form of the English present simple
Complete the sentences with the English present simple
Practice the interrogative form of the English present simple
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