Simple Present (Present Simple) - Introduction
Simple present is also called present simple.
The simple present expresses an action in the present taking place regularly,
never or several times. It is also used for actions that take place one after another
and for actions that are set by a timetable or schedule. The simple present also
expresses facts in the present.
Simple Present - Form
be
Use:
am with the personal pronoun II
is with the personal pronouns he, she or it (or with the singular form of nouns)
are with the personal pronouns we, you or they (or with the plural form of
nouns)
example: I am hungry.
affirmative negative question
I I am. I am not. Am I?
he/she/it He is. He is not. Is he?
you/we/they You are. You are not. Are you?
Do:
tense Affirmative/Negative/Question Use Signal Words
always, every …,
Simple A: He speaks. action in the present never, normally, often,
Presen N: He does not speak. taking place regularly, seldom, sometimes,
t Q: Does he speak? usually
never or several times if sentences type I (If
facts I talk, …)
actions taking place
one after another
action set by a
timetable or schedule
Exercise on Form with 'be'
Write down the missing sentences.
affirmative negative question
I I am hungry.
you You are Sam.
he He is not here.
she Is she loud?
it It is okay.
we Are we fine?
you You are not friendly.
they Are they happy?
Present Simple
The Present Simple tense is the most basic tense in
English and uses the base form of the verb (except for the
verb be). The only change from the base is the addition
of s for third person singular.
How do we make the Present Simple tense?
There are two basic structures for the Present Simple:
1. Positive sentences
subje + main verb
ct
Present
Simple
2. Negative and question sentences
subje + auxiliary do + main
ct verb
conjugated in Present
Simple
do, does base
Look at these examples with the main verb like:
subject auxiliary main
verb verb
+ I, you, we, like coffe
they e.
He, she, it likes coffe
e.
- I, you, we, do no like coffe
they t e.
He, she, it does no like coffe
t e.
subject auxiliary main
verb verb
? Do I, you, we, like coffe
they e?
Does he, she, it like coffe
e?
From the above table, notice the following points...
For positive sentences:
There is no auxiliary verb.
We conjugate the main verb by adding s to the third
person singular.
For negative and question sentences:
The auxiliary verb (do) is conjugated in the Present
Simple: do, does
The main verb is invariable in base form: base
For negative sentences, we insert not between the
auxiliary verb and the main verb.
For question sentences, we exchange the subject and
the auxiliary verb.
Emphatic do
Normally, for positive sentences we do not use the
auxiliary verb do. But if we want to emphasize (stress)
something, we may use it. For example, instead of saying "I
like your dress", we could say "I do like your dress", just to
show how much we like it. Here are some more examples:
I do wish you'd stop.
I do apologize.
You do look smart today.
Present Simple with main verb be
The structure of the Present Simple with the main
verb be is:
subje + main verb be
ct
conjugated in Present
Simple
am, are, is
Look at these examples with the main verb be:
subject main
verb be
+ I am Frenc
h.
subject main
verb be
You, we, are Frenc
they h.
He, she, it is Frenc
h.
- I am no old.
t
You, we, are no old.
they t
He, she, it is no old.
t
? Am I late?
Are you, we, late?
they
Is he, she, it late?
subject main
verb be
From the above table, notice the following points...
There is no auxiliary verb, even for questions and
negatives.
The main verb (be) is conjugated in the Present
Simple: am, are, is
For negative sentences, we insert not after the main
verb.
For question sentences, we exchange the subject and
the main verb.
How do we use the Present Simple tense?
We use the Present Simple to talk about:
general time (action verbs)
situations now (stative verbs)
general time and situations now (verb be)
Present Simple for general time
We use the Present Simple tense when:
the action is general
the action happens all the time, or habitually, in the
past, present and future
the action is not only happening now
the statement is always true
John drives a taxi.
past present future
It is John's job to drive a taxi. He does it every day. Past,
present and future.
Look at these examples:
I live in New York.
The Moon goes round the Earth.
John drives a taxi.
He does not drive a bus.
We meet every Thursday.
We do not work at night.
Do you play football?
Present Simple for now
For stative verbs, we can use the Present Simple to talk
about now. Stative verbs do not describe action. They
describe state, and are verbs such as: like, sound, belong
to, need, seem. We can use these verbs with the Present
Simple tense to talk about about a situation at the present
time, not general.
I want a coffee.
That sounds interesting.
Do you need some help?
past present future
The situation is
now.
Present Simple for general time and now
The verb be is always special. It is a stative verb, and we
use it in the Present Simple tense to talk
about now situations and about general situations. Look at
these examples of the verb be in the Present Simple tense -
some are general and some are now:
I am not fat.
Why are you so beautiful?
Ram is tall.
past present future
The situation is general. Past, present and future.
Am I right?
Tara is not at home.
We are hungry.
past present future
The situation is
now.
Present Simple Quiz
1. Do you _____ chocolate milk?
like
likes
be like
2. He _____ not want to go to the movies.
do
does
is
3. He ____________ now.
plays tennis
wants breakfast
walks home
4. It _____ a beautiful day today.
is
are
am
5. Sorry, Lisa _____ not here at the moment.
am
is
be
6. They're not here. They ____________ right now.
go to school
swim at the beach
are on holiday
7. Robert _____ not go to my school.
is
does
are
8. My parents _____ in a two-bedroom apartment.
live
lives
are live
9. We _____ European.
do be
are
do are
10. You _____ so happy today!
looks
seem
be
