Present Simple

For beginners

In this lesson, you will learn all the grammatical features of the Present simple tense in English and get familiar with its uses.

"Present Simple" Tense in English Grammar

What Is Present Simple Tense?

The present simple tense in English is the root of the verb without any ending and is used to talk about actions or situations that are regular or always true.

Structure

Present simple tense is formed by using the base form of the verb, with an 's' or 'es' added for third-person singular subjects (he, she, it).

I	work
You	work
He/She/It	works
We	work
They	work

Spelling

In the simple present tense, the third-person singular form (he, she, it) of most verbs is formed by adding 's' to the base form of the verb. For example:

eat → eats
walk → walks
run → runs

If a verbs end in '-ch', '-ss', '-sh', '-x' or '-zz', add '-es' instead of 's':

watch → watches
wash → washes
mix → mixes

If a verb ends in a consonant + -y, change 'y' to 'i' and then add '-es':

study → studies
hurry → hurries

If the verb ends in a vowel + '-y', just add '-s':

pay → pays
enjoy → enjoys

Some verbs are irregular and their third-person form does not follow these rules. For example:

be → is
have → has

Present Simple 'to be'

The verb to be is one of the irregular verbs in English. In the table below, you can see its forms in the present simple tense:

Subject	Be
I	am
You	are
He/She/It	is
We	are
You	are
They	are

Negation

To make a negative sentence, add 'do not' (don't) or 'does not' (doesn't) before the base form of verbs.

Affirmative	Negative	Short Form
I go to school.	I do not go to school.	I don't go to school.
You work.	You do not work.	You don't work.
She runs.	She does not run.	She doesn't run.

To negate a 'to be' verb, simply add 'not' after it. For example:

To Be	Negation	Short Form
I am a student.	I am not a student.	-
You are a student.	You are not a student.	You aren't a student.
He/she is a student.	He/she is not a student.	He/she isn't a student.

Questions

To make a yes/no question, use 'do/ does + subject + the base form of the verb' at the beginning of the sentence.

Statement	Question
I run.	Do I run?
You run.	Do you run?
He goes to school.	Does he go to school?

If the main verb of the sentence is 'to be', the question form is made by putting the verb at the beginning of the sentences and putting the subject after it.

Statement	Question
I am happy.	Am I happy?
You are a doctor.	Are you a doctor?
He is nice.	Is he nice?

Using Present Simple to Talk about a Frequent Action

Uses

The simple present tense is used to:

Talk about facts:

Mary has a twin sister.

The earth is round.

Talk about routines:

Mary goes to school every day.

I wash the dishes after dinner every night.

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What Is Present Simple Tense?
- Spelling
Present Simple 'to be'
- Questions
Uses

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