The Present Simple is the most basic and common tense in the English language. It is also an interesting tense because it can express both the present and the future.
Use
- Facts and generalization
- Habits and routines
- Permanent situations
- State verbs (e.g. be, have, think, know)
- Fixed / official arrangement that we can't change
- Narrations (e.g. telling a story or a joke)
Note
Apart from the above uses, this tense is also used in: - Zero Conditional - If it rains, I go play football.
- First Conditional - We won't get our pocket money, if we don't pass this exam.
- In sentences after "when", "before", "till", "after", "as soon as" ("Before you leave, please take the keys").
The first and most important use of the Present Simple is to talk about things we believe are (or are not) true. It's also used to generalize about somebody or something.
Examples:
- It is a big house.
- He talks a lot.
- Berlin is the capital city of Germany.
- Buenos Aires is a large city.
- The Elephant doesn't fly.
- Dogs don't smoke cigarettes.
- A dog is not large than an elephant
- London is the capital city of France. (Remember: the sentence doesn't have to be true)
To understand this use better, watch this interactive animation:
In this cartoon, you can see a scientist who says: "The Earth goes around the Sun".
- Why is this in Present Simple? Because the scientist expresses a fact, something that he believes is true (in this case, he is right: the Earth really goes around the Sun).
USE 2: Habits and Routines
We also use this tense to indicate that an activity is a habit or a routine.
Examples:
- We leave for work at 7.30 every morning.
- Susan often meets with her friends after school.
- They usually play football on Sunday.
- Mark rarely visits his sick grandmother.
To understand this use better, watch this interactive animation:
In this cartoon, you can see a boy who says: "I play basketball every Friday" (click on the now button to see this).
- Why is this in Present Simple? Because the boy talks about a habit, something that he does regularly.
Use the Present Simple to talk about situations in life that last a relatively long time.
Examples:
- I live in Boston
- He works as a fireman.
- Margaret drives a Porshe.
- Jerry doesn't teach maths at highschool.
You should use the Present Simple with state verbs.
Examples:
- I like swimming.
- We know this man.
- Margaret drives a Porshe.
- Jerry doesn't teach maths at highschool.
Ronaldinho: Yes, I do.
USE 5: Fixed / Official arrangements
Use the Present Simple to talk about events that we can't change (for example, an official meeting or a train departure).
Examples:
- The meeting starts at 4 pm.
- The train leaves at the noon.
- When does the plane take off?
- Jerry doesn't teach maths at highschool.
USE 6: Narrations
The Present Simple is also used in narrations (e.g. to tell a story or a joke).
Examples:
- A man goes to visit a friend and is amazed to find him playing chess with his dog. He watches the game in astonishment for a while [...]
Good to know...
Some of the verbs used in the simple form can also appear in the continuous form. This is typically when they have an active meaning or exphasize change.
Examples:
Forming a sentence in the Present Simple is easy. To form a declarative sentence, all you need is the subject of the sentence (e.g. I, you, he, a dog) and the verb (e.g. be, talk, swim). Questions and negative sentences are only a little more difficult, because they require an auxiliary verb.
Examples:
- I'm thinking of moving to San Francisco
- I'm loving your new hairdo!
Forming a sentence in the Present Simple is easy. To form a declarative sentence, all you need is the subject of the sentence (e.g. I, you, he, a dog) and the verb (e.g. be, talk, swim). Questions and negative sentences are only a little more difficult, because they require an auxiliary verb.
Declarative Sentences
| Subject | + | Verb |
| e.g. I/a dog etc. | e.g. work/go/make |
| Examples | Use | |
 | A dog is an animal | (Use 1) |
| I learn English twice a week | (Use 2) |
| I have two eggs | (Use 4) |
| The course starts in April | (Use 5) |
| I come from Basil | (Use 3) |
 | I'm having two eggs | |
Questions
| Auxiliary Verb | + | Subject | + | Verb |
| do or does | e.g. I/a dog etc. | e.g. work/go/make |
Questions require the auxiliary verb to do or, in the third person singular, does.
Compare these examples: - A: Does she like going to the mountains?
- B: Yes, she does.
- A: Does John have a dog?
- B: No, he doesn't.
- Does she have a dog?
Does she has a dog?
- Is he tall?
Does he be tall?
Negative Sentences
| Subject | + | Auxiliary verb+not | + | Verb |
| e.g. I/a dog etc. | do not (don't) / does not (doesn't) | e.g. work/go/make |
Contracted forms (more)
- do + not = don't
- does + not = doesn't
| Examples | Use | |
| They don't live in New York anymore | (Use 3) |
| I don't like winter | (Use 4) |
| They don't live in New York anymore | (Use 3) |
| He doesn't go to the cinema at all | (Use 2) |
Exercise : Present Simple Tense
1) They........the students.
is am are was
2) Dang.........a farmer.
is was are were
3) ........you and Joe students here ?
Is Are Do Does
4) Where......your house, Prateep ?
are was do is
5) The bird always...........in the sky.
fly flys flyes flies
6) My father......to the church every Sunday.
go goes going went
7) Wilai ........... the watch for her mother.
buy buies buys buyes
8) I and my sister always .......... six o'clock every morning.
get up gets up got up gots up
9) .........she ....... to the market everyday ?
Is , go Is , goes Does , go Does , goes
10) I and you ........ close friends.
am are we was
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