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Simple Present Tense Explained

The document discusses the simple present tense and its various uses in English. It can be used to describe: 1) Repeated or habitual actions, such as hobbies or daily routines. 2) General facts or truths, whether accurate or not. 3) Near future scheduled events involving transportation or other plans. 4) Actions happening now using non-continuous verbs like "need" or "want" rather than continuous forms like "is needing." The simple present tense conveys repetition, habits, facts, scheduled plans, and present situations depending on the context.

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Yanina Ferrer
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28 views5 pages

Simple Present Tense Explained

The document discusses the simple present tense and its various uses in English. It can be used to describe: 1) Repeated or habitual actions, such as hobbies or daily routines. 2) General facts or truths, whether accurate or not. 3) Near future scheduled events involving transportation or other plans. 4) Actions happening now using non-continuous verbs like "need" or "want" rather than continuous forms like "is needing." The simple present tense conveys repetition, habits, facts, scheduled plans, and present situations depending on the context.

Uploaded by

Yanina Ferrer
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

FORM

Examples:

 You speak English.
 Do you speak English?

 You do not speak English.

Complete List of Simple Present Forms

USE 1 Repeated Actions


Use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is repeated or usual.
The action can be a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or
something that often happens. It can also be something a person often forgets
or usually does not do.

Examples:

 I play tennis.
 She does not play tennis.

 Does he play tennis?

 The train leaves every morning at 8 AM.

 The train does not leave at 9 AM.

 When does the train usually leave?

 She always forgets her purse.

 He never forgets his wallet.

 Every twelve months, the Earth circles the Sun.

 Does the Sun circle the Earth?

USE 2 Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Present can also indicate the speaker believes that a fact was true
before, is true now, and will be true in the future. It is not important if the
speaker is correct about the fact. It is also used to make generalizations about
people or things.

Examples:
 Cats like milk.
 Birds do not like milk.

 Do pigs like milk?

 California is in America.

 California is not in the United Kingdom.

 Windows are made of glass.

 Windows are not made of wood.

 New York is a small city. It is not important that this fact is untrue.

USE 3 Scheduled Events in the Near Future

Speakers occasionally use Simple Present to talk about scheduled events in


the near future. This is most commonly done when talking about public
transportation, but it can be used with other scheduled events as well.

Examples:

 The train leaves tonight at 6 PM.


 The bus does not arrive at 11 AM, it arrives at 11 PM.

 When do we board the plane?

 The party starts at 8 o'clock.

 When does class begin tomorrow?

USE 4 Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)


Speakers sometimes use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action
is happening or is not happening now. This can only be done with Non-
Continuous Verbs and certain Mixed Verbs.

Examples:

 I am here now.
 She is not here now.

 He needs help right now.

 He does not need help now.

 He has his passport in his hand.

 Do you have your passport with you?

Group II Non-Continuous Verbs

The second group, called "non-continuous verbs," is smaller. These verbs are
usually things you cannot see somebody doing. These verbs are rarely used in
continuous tenses. They include:

Abstract Verbs

to be, to want, to cost, to seem, to need, to care, to contain, to owe, to exist...

Possession Verbs

to possess, to own, to belong...

Emotion Verbs

to like, to love, to hate, to dislike, to fear, to envy, to mind...

Examples:

 He is needing help now. Not Correct


 He needs help now. Correct
 He is wanting a drink now. Not Correct

 He wants a drink now. Correct

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