Simple Present Tense
Introduction
3. Simple Present Tense
2. 1. 1. Form
The simple present tense is one of two present tenses of English language, and it is used in various ways. In the affirmative form the simple present has the same form as the infinitive but adds “s” for the third person singular. See the following table for more details example verb “to work”.
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Affirmative |
Negative |
Interrogative |
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I work You work He/she/it works We work You work They work |
I do not work You do not work He/she/it does not work We do not work You do not work They do not work |
Do I work? Do you work? Does he/she/it work? Do we work? Do you work? Do they work? |
2. 1. 1. 2. Spelling Notes
§ Verbs ending in “ss, sh, ch, x, and o” take “es” instead of “s” alone, to form the third person singular. See the example words below:
· I kiss he/she/it kisses
· I rush he/she/it rushes
· I watch he/she/it watches
· I box he/she/it boxes
· I do he/she/it does
§ When “y” follows a consonant we change the “y” into “I” and add “es” to the verb: See the example words below:
· I carry he/she/it carries
· I copy he/she/it copies
· I try he/she/it tries
§ But verbs ending in “y” following a vowel obey the usual rule. See the example words below:
· I obey he/she/it obeys
· I say he/she/it says
· They play he/she/it plays
2. 1. 2. Main Uses of the Simple Present Tense
§ The simple present tense is used for stating general truths, eternal universal truths, scientific laws and things that are true in general. Here, we are talking about facts and unchanging situations. The Simple Present can also indicate the speaker believes that a fact was true before, is true now, and will be true in the future. It is not important if the speaker is correct about the fact. It is also used to make generalizations about people or things. This kind of actions can be represented diagrammatically as follows:
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See the examples below:
· The earth moves round the sun.
· The earth planet takes the egg like shape.
· I am an Algerian citizen.
· The sun rises in the East.
· The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean in the world.
· Smoking damages your lungs.
· Water becomes ice at 0 degree.
· Light travels faster than sound many times.
· A square has four sides.
· Gravity on the earth makes objects falls down.
§ The simple present tense is used to express the idea that an action is regular, usual, repeated, normal activities and routine duties or events which we do every day and occur at regular intervals. The action can be a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens. It can also be something a person often forgets or usually does not do. It is used with adverb or adverb phrases of frequency to indicate an idea of repetition and regularity. Adverbs of frequency are like “always, usually, never, occasionally, often, sometimes, every week, every day, twice a year, etc.” This kind of actions can be represented diagrammatically as follows:
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See the examples below:
· They drive to the office every day.
· She does not come here very often.
· The news usually starts at 6:00 every morning.
· Do you usually have bacon and eggs for breakfast?
§ The simple present tense is also used when we talk about scheduled events in the near future. This is most commonly done when talking about public transportation such as plans, arrivals, departures, time-tables, program of events, charts, and classes. You can’t do this for most future actions; you can only do it for actions that are scheduled. It’s not necessary to use simple present for scheduled events; the future tense or present continuous tense are also okay. This kind of actions can be represented diagrammatically as follows:
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See the examples below:
· Christmas Day falls on a Monday this year.
· The plane leaves at 5:00 tomorrow morning.
· The bus does not arrive at 8 AM, it arrives at 8 PM.
· When do we board the bus?
· The movie starts at 9 o'clock.
· The first semester exams take place the next week.
§ We use the present simple tense to talk about actions we see as long term or permanent or regarded as permanent. Here, it is about actions which happen all the time, in the past, present and future. In the sense that it is not limited to a particular time. This kind of actions can be represented diagrammatically as follows:
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See the examples below:
· John drives a taxi. (It is John’s job to drive a taxi. He does it every day. Past, present future.)
· We have two children.
· Most people like trendy clothes.
§ In addition, the present tense is used when referring to printed materials, and when describing events portrayed in a book, film, opera, play, sport events, public functions, proverbs, sayings or other works of arts. See the examples below:
· The report presents the information clearly.
· At the end of the film, the hero finds the hidden treasure.
· Actions speak louder than words.
§ It is used also to describe a series of actions, when giving information, orders, or instructions. See the examples below:
· How do I get to the station?
· First, you go along Victoria Street, then you turn left, etc.
§ Simple present when discussing literature. In academic situations, especially when writing papers, it’s traditional to use simple present as the main tense to tell the story of a work of fiction like a novel, a play, or a short story, even if the work itself is written in the past tense. Example:
· Romeo and Juliet tell the tragic story of two young lovers. Two families in the town of Verona, the Capulets and the Montagues, hate one another. Romeo is the son of the Montague family and Juliet is the daughter of the Capulets. Romeo and Juliet meet at a party, fall in love, and secretly make plans to get married. Soon after the young couple marry, Juliet’s cousin, Tybalt, kills Romeo’s closest friend. Romeo, in a blind rage, kills Tybalt. This starts a series of events that ends in the two lovers’ deaths.
§ It is often used instead of “will+ infinitive” in subordinate clauses “conditional sentences” that refer to the future. . See the examples below:
· I will phone you when I get home.
· I will kill anybody that touches my possessions.
§ A description, professional activities and definition, for example:
· A baker bakes bread.
· A doctor works in a hospital. He examines the sick people. He gives medicine too.
· Teachers teach in schools. They explain and give homework and correct students' worksheet.
· An architect is a person who plans a new building.
§ The simple present tense must be used instead of the present continuous with verbs which cannot be used in the continuous “progressive” form. Some verbs are never or hardly used in progressive forms. Even if the meaning is about an idea of continuation “just around now”. Many of these non-progressive verbs refer to state rather than actions. Some of them refer to mental states and emotional reactions like “know, think, believe, doubt, feel, hate, imagine, like, love, prefer, realize, recognize, remember, understand, see, suppose, want, wish”, some others refer to the use of senses such as “feel, hear, see, smell, sound, taste”, some others are about communicating and causing reactions like “agree, appear, astonish, deny, look, impress, promise, mean, seem, satisfy, surprise, …”. . This kind of actions can be represented diagrammatically as follows:
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See the following examples;
· I am here now.
· She needs assistance right now.
· I like this music.
· I see what you mean.
· They envy to participate in the race.
Summary
The simple present tense is used primarily for actions occurring at the moment, regularly, or at a set time in the future. It is formed by using the base verb or the base verb with “-s” or “-es” and can be singular (I listen, you listen, s/he/it listens) or plural (we listen, you listen, they listen). When the verb is irregular, be sure to use the proper form of the verb; for example, with the irregular verb “be,” use the following: singular (I am, you are, s/he/it is); plural (we, you, they are). The common way of using the simple present tense is when:
· To refer to a situation or affairs as permanent (Water boils at 100 C.)
· To refer to a situation or state of affairs regarded as permanent. (He works in a bank.)
· To refer to repeated/habitual actions. (I take sugar in coffee. Do you smoke?)
· To discuss what happens in a book, play, movie, story, or an event. (He turns, shoots, and suddenly realizes he got the wrong target.)
· To express thoughts, feelings, immediate reactions to something at the present moment (God, he looks awful).
· In news headlines (Serial killer kills his 5th!)
· In explanations and instructions (You take the first turn left and then go straight ahead).
· With future reference as a part of a fixed schedule (The new semester starts on January fifth)
Exercise 1
Complete the following sentences by supplying the correct form of the verb given at the end of each. Use the present tense.
1.........you.............playing football? (like)
2. A teetotaler…………..not ..............wine. (drink)
3. .............the doctor…………...to see your brother every day? (call)
4. ………...you………....tea or coffee? (prefer)
5...........your uncle……….....that house? (own)
6. ...........you…………...to read mystery stories? (like)
7............anyone……......where Susan has gone? (know)
8. How often…….....you…….....to the cinema? (go)
9. ............the cinemas………...on Sunday in your town? (open)
10.Where.............your friend………..when he goes to London? (stay)
11.To which station.............I……….to get a train for Liverpool? (go)
Exercise 2
Complete the sentences by putting in the verbs. Use the present simple. You have to decide if the verb is positive or negative. Some examples are given.
· Claire is very sociable. She knows (know) lots of people.
· We've got plenty of chairs, thanks. We don't want (want) any more.
1.
1. My friend is finding life in Paris a bit difficult. He............ (speak) French.
2. Most students live quite close to the college, so they ...................... (walk) there.
3. My sports kit is really muddy. This shirt ............................. (need) a good wash.
4. I've got four cats and two dogs. I ........................................... (love) animals.
5. No breakfast for Mark, thanks. He ...............................................(eat) breakfast.
6. What's the matter? You ............................................(look) very happy.
7. Don't try to ring the bell. It .............................................. (work).
8. I hate telephone answering machines. I just....................... (like) talking to them.
9. Matthew is good at badminton. He ......................................... (win) every game.
10. We always travel by bus. We .......................................... (own) a car.