How to Use the Simple Present Tense for English
Updated: Jan 10, 2022
Simple Present Tense (English Language)
Explanation
The simple present tense in English language is used to describe an action that is true, regular or normal. Some of the examples of the Simple Present Tense are as below-
Simple present tense used for repeated or regular actions in the present time period
E.g.:
I take the bus home.
The train to Mumbai leaves every hour.
Joe sleeps six hours every night during the week.
Simple Present Tense used for facts
E.g.:
The President of The USA lives in The White House.
A Lion has four legs.
Simple present tense for habits
E.g.:
Cassie brushes her teeth twice a day.
My parents travel to their country house every weekend
Simple present tense for things which are always / generally true
E.g.:
It rains a lot in winter.
The Queen of England lives in Buckingham Palace.
Various grammar rules for forming Simple Present Tense
The basic rule to form the simple present tense is by using the base form of the infinitive. In general, we add 'S' in the third person while making Simple Present Tense.
E.g.:
Subject Verb remaining sentence
I/ You/We/They talk/learn French at school
He /She/ it talks/ learns French at school
For verbs that end in -O, -CH, -SH, -SS, -X, or -Z we add -ES in the third person while making Simple Present Tense
E.g.: go – goes, catch – catches, wash – washes, fix – fixes
c) For verbs that end in a consonant + Y, we remove the Y and add –ies, while making Simple Present Tense
E.g.: marry – marries, study – studies, carry – carries, worry – worries
d) For verbs that end in a vowel + Y, we add –S, while making Simple Present Tense
E.g.: play – plays, enjoy – enjoys, say – says
Sentence patterns for Simple Present Tense
Affirmative Sentence
Subject Verb Rest of the sentence
e.g.: He speaks German
Negative Sentence
Subject Auxiliary Verb Rest of the sentence
I, We, You, They do + not Verb (Present) Rest of the sentence
He, She, It does + not Verb (Present) Rest of the sentence.
e.g.: He doesn't speak German
Interrogative Sentence
Auxiliary Does He, She, It Verb Rest of the sentence
e.g.: Does he speak German
Various situations simple present tense is used in
It is used when something is generally or always true
e.g.:
People need water to survive
Two and two make four.
It is used for a situation that we think is more or less permanent
e.g.:
Where do you live?
She works in defense
It is used for habits or things that we do regularly.
e.g.:
Do you smoke?
I play Cricket every Sunday.
