Present Simple
Uses
- Things that are always true: The sun is hot.
- Things that are generally true or true at the moment: She likes ice-cream (but maybe not ALL ice-cream ALL the time!).
- How regularly we do things: I swim twice a week.
- States (verb “to be” + adjective): I am happy.
Affirmative Structure
The general structure is: SUBJECT + INFINITIVE VERB + OBJECT
The verb “to be” is conjugated as usual.
Third person: We add S to the end of the verb, unless it ends with a Z, S, CH, SH or DGE sound, in which case we add ES and it is pronounced with an extra syllable.
E.g.: She likes running and It wants to come in, but He watches television and The cobra hisses when it is angry.
Negative Structure
We add don’t (or doesn’t in third person) before the main verb.
E.g.: He doesn’t like eggs. | I don’t want to go.
Question Structure
If there is no auxiliary verb, we add do or doesn’t. We invert the subject and auxiliary verb.
E.g.: He is happy > Is he happy? | You like melon > Do you like melon?
Examples
Remember that “Context is King”. Click the links to see the examples in context.
- HE IS INSANE
- THEY EAT CAKE
- WATER BOILS AT 100º
- GUINEA PIGS ARE NATIVE TO SOUTH AMERICA
- The Eudyptes and Pygoscelis penguins feed on both crustaceans (primarily krill) and on fishes.
- They don’t have horses on the moon.
- Does she want…?
- What are language learning strategies and how can they contribute to a better learning?
Related topics
- Present Simple for Future
- Present Continuous
- Present Simple vs. Present Continuous
Exercises
- VOScreen: https://www.voscreen.com/pg/voStructure/present_simple
- https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/present-simple-exercise-7.html
- https://agendaweb.org/verbs/present_simple-exercises.html
- https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/simple_present_mix.htm
- https://www.really-learn-english.com/simple-present-exercises.html
- https://www.englishgrammar.org/simple-present-tense-exercise-3/
References
- https://www.grammarly.com/blog/simple-present/
- https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-grammar-reference/present-simple
- https://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/simplepresent.html
- https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/present-simple.html
- https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verb-tenses_present-simple.htm
