PRESENT SIMPLE TENSE | English Grammar tenses

Present Simple Tense

The Present simple tense is the most basic tense in English and it uses the base form of the verb (except for the verb 'be').

Formula: Subject + Verb.  For example, "I drink", "She dances", "He plays".

Subject: I, we, you, they, he, she, it, Shweta, Ramesh, John, etc.

Verb: Drink, play, laugh, happy, run, dance, think, etc.

Present Simple Tense is majorly used in four situations:

  • Habits and routines.
  • Permanent situations.
  • Facts and truths
  • States (state verbs)


Present Simple Tense:  Habits and Routines

When there is a routine or habit, we use the Present simple tense. A routine can be daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, doesn't matter.
Any habit or action that repeats after a certain period comes under the present simple Tense.

  • I drink coffee every morning.                        - daily habit
  • He watches TV every morning.                      - daily routine
  • I get up usually at 7 AM.
  • Ramesh visits his parents on weekends.         - weekly routine
  • Shweta usually has dinner at 8.
  • I run for 30 minutes daily.
  • I go to London every year.                               - yearly routine
  • She visits the doctor twice a year for a checkup.
  • Shweta generally comes late to the office.
  • Ramesh always walks to work.
  • She never drives to work.


There are a few common words we use to talk about habits or routines. 

For example, every, on, in, once a, twice a, etc.
  • I drink tea every morning.
  • Ram visits his parents on weekends.
  • He visits a doctor twice a year for a full body checkup.
  • I publish a new post once a week.

There are several Frequency Adverbs that are also used to tell about habits and routines:
  • Ramesh always walks to work.
  • I get up usually at 7 AM.
  • Seema generally comes late to the office.
  • He often comes late to work.
  • I rarely talk to her.

There are a few more frequency adverbs that are used eg. occasionally, never, sometimes, seldom, hardly ever, etc.





Present Simple Tense:  Permanent situations


My sister lives in Australia.    - Present perfect  ✅

The above sentence is in the present perfect tense because this is a permanent situation. Australia is her home and she will be living there forever.

My sister is living in Australia.     - not present perfect ❌

This is a temporary situation because my sister is living there maybe for a few weeks, or few months, but not forever. 

Examples:
  • I live in London.
  • My brother lives in India.
  • He speaks English.
  • I work as a teacher.


Present Simple Tense:  Facts and Truths

If something is a truth or a fact all across the world, we use the Present Simple tense to tell it.

Examples:
  • The capital of India is New Delhi.
  • Animals run.
  • Birds fly.
  • Water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius.
  • Earth is a planet.
  • There are twelve months in a year.
  • The earth is revolving around the run.


Note: Facts are also permanent situations but these are not personal situations instead these are facts for the world.



Present Simple Tense:  State

We can also Present simple tense to talk about the present state. There is no activity involved in these sentences.

For example, "I am happy".  

Is it a habit?  No.
Is it a permanent situation?  No. 
Is it a fact around the world?   No. not at all.

What is the category of this sentence?     - It is my present state of mind.

Let's see a few more examples:
  • I want coffee.
  • She wants ice cream.
  • Shweta loves to dance.
  • You look good.
  • She smells really nice.
  • I have 2 children.

She is loving to dance.❌  

I am having 2 children. ❌    


* Examples of State verbs are love, like, happy, look, want, smell, etc.

* Examples of Action verbs are run, dance, sing, work, play, speak, etc.





Affirmative Sentence (or Positive sentence)

Examples:
  • I work at Google.
  • You work at Amazon.
  • We work at Google.
  • They work for Microsoft.
  • My friends work at Microsoft.

    Verb ending with "-s"

  • He works for me.
  • She works for Google.
  • I know, It works.
  • Shweta works for Microsoft.

When the verb ends with "-s"?

RULE: 
  • When the Subject is First-person singular (I), Second person singular (You), First-person plural (We), Third-person plural (They, my friends), then use the base form of the verb.

    So remember, with I, we, they, or any third person plural ( eg. My friends), use the base form of the verb (like work).


  • When the subject is Third-person singular (He, She, It) or any Singular noun (eg. Shweta), the verb ends with "-s" (like works).


There are a few verbs that end with "-es" and "-ies" instead of "-s":

For example:
  • He goes.
  • He watches.
  • She guesses.
  • That bird flies fast.
  • She does the job.

RULES:
  • If the verb ends with -s, -ch, -sh, -x, and consonant + o, then use "-es".

    Example: Pass (passes), Search (searches), wish (wishes), fix (fixes), go (goes) and do (does).

    Note: Any English letter that is not a vowel (a,e,i,o,u) is a consonant.

  • If the verb ends with consonant + y, then use "ies" at the end of the verb.

    Example: try (tries), fly (flies), study (studies), etc. 


Negative Sentences (Simple Present Negative)

Use "Do not" with I, You, We, They, or any third person plural subject. 

Use "Does not" with He, She, It, or any singular noun (eg. Shweta.).

Note: You can also use short forms of Do not i.e Don't and Does not i.e Doesn't.

Examples:
  • He doesn't travel too much.
  • Many children don't play basketball.           [Many children is Third-person plural]
  • It doesn't work.
  • I don't eat breakfast.
  • Shweta doesn't go to college.


Present Simple Questions

Examples:
  • Do you play cricket?
  • Where do you live?
  • Does he play cricket?
  • Where does he come from?
  • Where do they work?
  • Who lives in London?



Present simple with the main verb "be"

Examples:
  • I am from India.
  • He is my brother.
  • It is red.
  • We are hungry.
  • I am not from London.
  • She is not my sister.


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