Simple Present Tense: The Simple Present Tense Is One of Several Forms of The Present Tense in

Simple Present Tense
Simple present tense definition
The simple present tense is one of several forms of the present tense in
English. The present simple one of the most commonly used tenses in the
English language.
We use the simple present tense when describing things that are true, or

when it happens regularly (or unceasingly, which is why it’s sometimes
called present indefinite). The present tense is the base form of the verb. But
with the third person singular (she/he/it), we add an –s.
The present simple tense uses
1. We often use adverbs of frequency like sometimes,

always, and never with the present simple tense.
He is always late.
I never play baseball.
She often cooks dinner at 5 p.m.
Some other signal words:
 usually, often, sometimes, seldom

 every day/week/month/…
2. To express habits, general truths, repeated actions or unchanging

situations, emotions and wishes
Habit: He rides a bike every day.
Unchanging situations: I work in London.
A general truth: Beijing is a large city.
3. To give advice, directions or instructions
You go straight ahead and then turn right.

Please practice English for thirty minutes a day!
4. To express fixed arrangements, present or future
Our exam ends at 3 p.m.
That soccer match starts at 9 a.m.
5. To express future time, after some conjunctions such as after, when,

before, as soon as, until
He’ll give it to you when you come next Saturday.
6. Stative verbs and verbs of thought/memory (like, love, need, prefer,…)
He likes playing football.
I prefer to read comics.
I need some coffee.
Conjugation of English Simple Present Tense
In the present simple tense, most regular verbs use the root form, except in
the third-person singular (which ends in -s). The third-person singular ends
with -es instead of -s. Typically, these are verbs whose root form ends
in o, ch, sh, ss, x, or z.
Some verbs that end in -y will be changed to -ies. Example: fly –> flies, cry –>
cries. There is an exception to this rule when there is a vowel before the -
y: play –> plays, pray –> prays
The verb to be is irregular:
 First-person singular: I am
 Second-person singular: You are
 Third-person singular: He/she/it is
 First-person plural: We are
 Second-person plural: You are

 Third-person plural: They are
Make the Simple Present Negative
do/does + not + [root form of verb]
You can also use the contraction don’t or doesn’t instead of do not or does

not. In other words, only third-person singular subjects (he, she and it)
have doesn’t — the rest have don’t. Notice that the letter S at the end of the
verb in the affirmative sentence (because it is in the third person) disappears
in the negative sentence.
Importantly, contractions should not be used in formal written English such as

essays or applications. They are mainly used in spoken and informal written
English
Examples:
I don’t go to school on Sunday.
You don’t go to school on Sunday.
We don’t want to swim.
They don’t go to work.
He doesn’t work hard.
She doesn’t work hard.
It doesn’t work well.
Make the verb to be negative
[to be] + not
I am not a student.
He is not a student = He isn’t a student.
They are not late = They aren’t late.

Questions in the Simple Present Tense
To make a question in English we put Do/Does, Is/Are, or modal verbs (can,

must, might,…) at the beginning of the question. We use Do when the subject
is I, you, we, or they. When the subject is he, she or it, we add Does
You speak English –> Do you speak English?
He speaks French. –> Does he speak French?
Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb in the affirmative sentence
(because it is in the third person) disappears in the question.
We do not use Do or Does in questions that have the verb To Be or Modal

Verbs (can, must, might, should,…)
Wh- questions in the Simple Present Tense
Wh-questions are questions that require more information in their answers.

They are made using Wh- words such
as what, where, when, why, which, who, how, how many, how much,…
To make a Wh- question, use the same word order as with yes-no questions
but put a question word before the verb do or does.
Wh- question + do/does + Subject + Verb (infinitive without “to”) +

Object?
Examples:
Where do you live?
When does the train arrive?
How do you go to school?
How much does it cost?
Why does he go to the movie theater?
Tenses table
Look at the present simple tense table below to review the lessons.
The Present Progressive Tense
Introduction to the English Present Progressive Tense
The present progressive (also called present continuous) is a verb tense which is used to indicate that an
ongoing action or condition is happening now, either at the moment of speech or now in a larger sense.
The present continuous can also be used to show that an action is going to take place in the near future.
The form of present continuous is as below:
To be [am/is/are] + Verb [present participle]
The present progressive uses
The present progressive tense (The present continuous tense) is used:
To talk about something that is happening at the time of speaking. The action is not finished.
She is speaking to James.
They are dancing.
Are you sleeping?
To talk about temporary situations.
I’m working in Paris for the next two weeks.
I‘m staying with my friend this week.
To talk about changing situations.
The weather‘s getting warmer.
To talk about future plans or arrangements.
I‘m having dinner with Mary tomorrow.

To indicate actions that are currently happening around the time of speaking.
I’m seeing David a lot these days.
Present continuous is used with words such as always, continually, constantly to talk about things that
happen repeatedly (sometimes to say that something is irritating or annoying)
I don’t like them because they are always complaining.
He is always going to school late.
You’re constantly missing the train.
The present progressive signal words
Signal words are words or phrases which help you to put in the correct tense. They can give us clues
about which tense to expect or to use. Some common signal words with present continuous are time
words like now, at the moment, this week and for the time being and the words Look! And Listen!
Present progressive affirmatives
We can use a contraction of the auxiliary verb in order to sound more natural in spoken English:
I am playing badminton. –> I’m playing badminton.
They are laughing at the dog. –> They’re laughing at the dog.
You are swimming in the pool. –> You’re swimming in the pool.
Present progressive negatives
We make negative sentences by putting not (or n’t) after to be [am, is, are].
I am not playing football.

She is not cooking now. –> She isn’t cooking now
They are not working at the moment. –> They aren’t working at the moment.
Present progressive questions
The present progressive questions are indicated by inverting the subject. This means that we swap
around the position of the auxiliary verb and the subject.
Are you watching TV?
Is she going to school?
Am I typing on my computer?

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Simple Present Tense

Simple present tense definition

We use the simple present tense when describing things that are true, or

The present simple tense uses

1. We often use adverbs of frequency like sometimes,

I never play baseball.

She often cooks dinner at 5 p.m.

Some other signal words:

 usually, often, sometimes, seldom

2. To express habits, general truths, repeated actions or unchanging

Habit: He rides a bike every day.

Unchanging situations: I work in London.

A general truth: Beijing is a large city.

3. To give advice, directions or instructions

You go straight ahead and then turn right.

4. To express fixed arrangements, present or future

Our exam ends at 3 p.m.

That soccer match starts at 9 a.m.

5. To express future time, after some conjunctions such as after, when,

He’ll give it to you when you come next Saturday.

6. Stative verbs and verbs of thought/memory (like, love, need, prefer,…)

He likes playing football.

I prefer to read comics.

I need some coffee.

Conjugation of English Simple Present Tense

The verb to be is irregular:

 Second-person singular: You are

 Third-person singular: He/she/it is

 First-person plural: We are

 Second-person plural: You are

Make the Simple Present Negative

do/does + not + [root form of verb]

You can also use the contraction don’t or doesn’t instead of do not or does

Importantly, contractions should not be used in formal written English such as

I don’t go to school on Sunday.

You don’t go to school on Sunday.

We don’t want to swim.

They don’t go to work.

He doesn’t work hard.

She doesn’t work hard.

It doesn’t work well.

Make the verb to be negative

[to be] + not

He is not a student = He isn’t a student.

They are not late = They aren’t late.

To make a question in English we put Do/Does, Is/Are, or modal verbs (can,

You speak English –> Do you speak English?

He speaks French. –> Does he speak French?

We do not use Do or Does in questions that have the verb To Be or Modal

Wh- questions in the Simple Present Tense

Wh-questions are questions that require more information in their answers.

Wh- question + do/does + Subject + Verb (infinitive without “to”) +

Where do you live?

When does the train arrive?

How do you go to school?

How much does it cost?

Why does he go to the movie theater?

Introduction to the English Present Progressive Tense

The form of present continuous is as below: