PRESENT SIMPLE

The simple present tense

This page will present the simple present tense:

• its form
• and its use.

Before you continue the lesson read the following passage and try to see how the verbs are formed and used.

The forms of the simple present

The affirmative form of the simple present:

Remember the verbs in the third person singular (he,she and it) always take an "s". For example, "he plays, she sings,it works..."

Examples:

• Nancy and James speak good German.
• Nancy works in a restaurant downtown.
• The children play in the garden every weekend.

The interrogative form of the simple present:

Examples:

• Do you speak good German?
• Does Nancy work in a restaurant downtown?

The negative form of the simple present:

Examples:

• No, I don't speak German.
• No, she doesn't work in a restaurant downtown

The use of the simple present:

The simple present is used:

• to give your opinion - I like ice cream. I don't like spicy food.
• to talk about schedules - The library opens at eight. It doesn't open at 7.
• to talk about daily habits (routine actions)- Sara eats a cheese for breakfast every day. She doesn't eat cereal.
• to give facts - The earth circles the sun. The moon doesn't circle the sun.

The spelling of the third person singular form of the simple present:

All the verbs take an "s" in the simple present when conjugated in the third person singular (he, she, it) form:

Examples:

• I visit my parents every summer holiday. But my wife visits her parents every weekend.
• My brother meets his girlfriend everyday.

So the rule is:

There are however some special cases. Here are the spelling rules:

Examples:

• She drives to work every morning.
• He says he plays football on the weekends

Exception:

• The verb to have changes its forms as follows:
  I have two sisters and two brothers. But she has one sister and two brothers.
  I have = he / she / it has

Things to remember about the simple present:

1.In the interrogative forms, we use "do" or "does".

• "Do you like the house?"
• "Does she go to school?"

2; Verbs never take an "s" in the the negative and interrogative forms.

• "Does he speak German?"
• "Do they play soccer?"
• She doesn't like ice cream.

3. don't is the short form of "do not". You can say either:

• I do not speak Italian, or
• I don't speak Italian.

4.doesn't is the short form of "does not". you can say either:

• He does not listen to jazz music, or
• He doesn't listen to jazz music.

The simple present of the verb to be

This page will present the simple present of the verb to be:

• its form
• and its use

The verb to be

The verb to be is the most important verb in the English language. It is difficult to use because it is an irregular verb in almost all of its forms.  In the simple present tense, to be is conjugated as follows:

Affirmative forms of the verb to be

Interrogative forms of the verb to be:

Negative Forms of the verb to be:

Examples:

• Is Brad Pitt French?
• No, he isn't. He's American.
• What about Angelina Joli? Is she American, too?
• Yes, she is. She is American.
• Are brad Pitt and Angelina Joli French?
• No, They aren't. They are American.

Use of the simple present of to be

The principal use of the simple present is to refer to an action or event that takes place habitually, but with the verb "to be" the simple present tense also refers to a present or general state, whether temporary, permanent or habitual.

• I am happy.
• She is helpful.

The verb to be in the simple present can be also used to refer to something that is true at the present moment.

• She is 20 years old.
• He is a student.

Remember:

• I, you, he, she, it, you, they are subject pronouns (also called personal pronouns, a term used to include both subject and object pronouns.)
• am, are, is are forms of the verb to be in the simple present.
• 'm, 're, 's are short (contracted) forms of  am, are, is
• 'm not, aren't, isn't are short (contracted forms) of am not, are not, is not.

What are adverbs of frequency?

We use adverbs of frequency to say how often we do something. Adverbs of frequency are often used with the present simple because they indicate repeated or routine activities.

Adverbs of frequency :

• They often go out for dinner.
• I never go to cinema. I don't like it.
• I don't mind going to the theater. I sometimes go with my husband.
• Never say never. (proverb)
• She likes dancing. She always go to the night club to dance.
• They usually quarrel. I rarely see them in good terms with each other.

Other adverbs of frequency include:

• occasionally
• frequently

Position of adverbs of frequency

• Generally speaking adverbs of frequency come before the main verb except the main verb "to be":

• I sometimes visit my uncle.
• We have often seen him pass by the house.
• They are seldom at work.

• Occasionally, sometimes, often, frequently and usually can also go at the beginning or end of a sentence:

• Sometimes they visit him.
• I miss him occasionally.

• Rarely and seldom can also go at the end of a sentence (often with "very"):

• We see them rarely.
• John eats meat very seldom.

Adverbs of frequency include (form most often to least often):