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SIMPLE PRESENT (NON-ACTION VERBS)

PRESENT SIMPLE

HOW TO MAKE SENTENCES AND QUESTIONS IN THE

“SIMPLE PRESENT”
AFFIRMATIVE SENTENCES:

Subject + verb in the present:

Ex. The children walk to school every day.
Ex. I always drink coffee in the morning.
Ex. Carmen works as a lawyer.

NEGATIVE SENTENCES:

Subject + do/does not + verb

Ex. The children don’t walk to school every day.
Ex. I don’t always drink coffee in the morning.
Ex. Carmen doesn’t work as a lawyer.
*do not = don’t
*does not = doesn’t

INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES (QUESTIONS):

Do/Does + subject + verb?

Ex. Do the children walk to school every day?
Ex. Do you always drink coffee in the morning?
Ex. Does Carmen work as a lawyer?

THE VERB “BE”

I am
you, we, they are
he, she, it is

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SIMPLE PRESENT (NON-ACTION VERBS)
PRESENT SIMPLE

AFFIRMATIVE SENTENCES:
Subject + conjugation of BE
Ex. I am a teacher.
Ex. Karen is late.
Ex. The kids are at the park.

NEGATIVE SENTENCES:
Subject + conjugation of BE + not
Ex. I am not a teacher.
Ex. Karen isn’t late.
Ex. The kids aren’t at the park.
*is not = isn’t
*are not = aren’t

INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES (QUESTIONS):

Conjugation of BE + subject?
Ex. Are you a teacher?
Ex. Is Karen late?
Ex. Are the kids at the park?

WHEN DO WE USE THE PRESENT SIMPLE?

We use the present simple in 2 situations:

1. To talk about our ROUTINES or our HABITS.

Examples:
a) I always drink coffee in the morning.
- DRINK= verb
The verb is in the present simple and it refers to a habit or routine

b) Kelly never eats red meat.

- EATS= verb
Kelly (she) is in the 3rd person singular, we add the “s” to the verb EAT + S = EATS. We are talking
about something she never does related to her habit or her routine

c) Mr. Johnson is sometimes late for class.

- IS= verb
We put the frequency adverb after the Verb BE

*The frequency adverb comes BEFORE all verbs except the verb BE.
Examples:
a) Kelly never eats red meat.
b) Mr. Johnson is sometimes late for class.

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SIMPLE PRESENT (NON-ACTION VERBS)
PRESENT SIMPLE

Frequency Adverb of Frequency Example Sentence

100% Always I always go to bed before 11 pm
90% Usually I usually have cereal for breakfast
80% Normally / generally I normally go to the gym
70% Often / frequently I often surf the internet
50% Sometimes I sometimes forget my wife’s birthday
30% Occasionally I occasionally eat junk food
10% Seldom I seldom read the newspaper
5% Hardly ever / rarely I hardly ever drink alcohol
0% Never I never swim in the sea

EXAMPLES
Ex. What do you rarely eat for breakfast?

• Possible answers: I rarely eat lettuce/ pizza/ chicken for breakfast.

* lettuce sounds like “léres”

Ex. What do you often do before bed? / What do you often do before going to bed?
(before prepositions we don’t say “before to go”, we can say “before going to bed” or “before
bed”)

• Possible answers: I often read a book/ brush my teeth/ watch TV before going to bed.

Ex. What do you never drink in the morning? / What don`t you ever drink in the morning?

• Possible answers: I never drink beer/ milk/ juice in the morning.

In all these examples, we are talking about our routines or habits. It is very common to use “fre-
quency adverbs” to tell the person how often we do something.

2. We can also use the present simple to talk about FACTS.

1. Fish swim and birds fly. (Fish is also the plural form of fish. You can have1 fish or 10 fish.)
This sentence is stating general facts, so the simple present is used.

2. The earth revolves around the sun.

This sentence is stating a fact, so the simple present is also used.

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SIMPLE PRESENT (NON-ACTION VERBS)
PRESENT SIMPLE

How to conjugate verbs in the “present simple” in the 3rd person (HE/SHE/IT)

visit -> visits

walk -> walks
Add -s to the end of the verb
tell -> tells
Most verbs or the verbs ending in -e
ride -> rides
write -> writes
catch -> catches
Add -es to the end of the verb wash -> washes
Verbs ending in -ch, -sh, -s, -x, e -z kiss -> kisses
fix -> fixes
buzz -> buzzes
fly -> flies
Add -ies bury -> buries
Verbs ending with the consonants + y, take out the Y and add -ies try -> tries
Verbs that end in vowel + y, add -s buy -> buys
pay -> pays

go -> goes
Irregular verbs do -> does
have -> has

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SIMPLE PRESENT (NON-ACTION VERBS)
PRESENT SIMPLE

LET’S PRACTICE
Complete the sentence with the correct present tense conjugation of the verb in parenthe-
sis.

1. Allie _____ in an apartment. (live)

2. Dogs ______ and birds ______. (bark, sing)
3. The teacher ______ a lot of questions. (ask)
4. Edward ______ Chemistry. (teach)
5. The mother ______ her baby. (kiss)
6. Sara _____ groceries for her family every week. (buy)
7. Johnny ____ his books to class every day. (carry)
8. Mrs. Smith ______ to church every Sunday. (go)
9. Billy _____ basketball practice in the mornings. (have)
10. Ruth seldom _______ class. (miss)

RESPOSTAS
1. lives
2. bark, sing
3. asks
4. teaches
5. kisses
6. buys
7. carries
8. goes
9. has
10. misses

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SIMPLE PRESENT (NON-ACTION VERBS)
PRESENT SIMPLE

WHAT ARE NON-ACTION VERBS (“STATIVE VERBS”)

The non-action verbs, or “stative verbs” are verbs that describe a STATE, NOT an ACTION.

These verbs shouldn’t be used in the continuous tense, or if they are used in the continuous
tense, their meanings may change.

Direct or literal translation between English and Portuguese for these verbs can be tricky!

EXAMPLES of NON-ACTION VERBS:

“KNOW”
X INCORRECT: I am knowing someone/something.
√ CORRECT: I know someone/something.
You either know or you don`t know someone/something

“COST”
X INCORRECT: This shirt is costing $10.
√ CORRECT: This shirt costs $10. / This shirt doesn`t cost $10.
Something either costs or doesn`t cost a specific price.

Most of the non-action verbs aren’t supposed to be used in the continuous tense. However, in
informal language, it is common to use some of these verbs in the continuous tense.

EXAMPLES:

“LOVE”

It is a non-action verb. You either love someone/something or you do not.

BUT in modern/colloquial language, it is ok/common to use the continuous tense

√ CORRECT: I’m loving my new job.

√ CORRECT: I’m loving your new haircut.

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SIMPLE PRESENT (NON-ACTION VERBS)
PRESENT SIMPLE

HERE IS A COMPLETE LIST OF “NON-ACTION VERBS”

adore like
agree loathe
appear look - seem
appreciate love
be matter
believe mean
belong to measure
concern mind
consist of need
contain owe
cost possess
deny promise
depend on realize
deserve recognize
detest remember
disagree resemble
dislike satisfy
doubt see
equal seem
exist smell
feel sound
hate suppose
have -possession surprise
hear taste
imagine think-opinion
include understand
involve want
know weigh
lack wish

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SIMPLE PRESENT (NON-ACTION VERBS)
PRESENT SIMPLE

NON-ACTION VERBS THAT CAN BE USED IN THE “CON-

TINUOUS” TENSE BUT THEIR MEANINGS CHANGE
In addition to these “non-action verbs,” which are not supposed to be used in the continuous
tense, there are some verbs that can be used in the continuous tense, but their meanings change.

EXAMPLES:

SEE
1. I see you. / I see something over there.
We use SEE in the simple present tense to talk about what is in our line of vision.
2. Jenny and Tom are seeing each other.
We use SEE in the continuous tense to talk about dating someone.

HAVE
1. I have two children. / I have a house. / I have a car. / I have a family.
We use HAVE in the present simple to talk about our “possessions.”
2. I’m having a bad day. / John is having a seizure. I’m having a barbecue this weekend. /
I’m having a party this weekend.
We use HAVE in the continuous tense to talk about an experience or event happening right now
or in the future.

BE
1. Mr. Smith is my math teacher.
We use BE in the present simple to talk about more permanent characteristics.
2. Mr. Smith is being really rude today.
We use BE in the continuous tense to talk conditions or behaviors that are temporary and can change.

THINK
1. What do you think of their offer?
We use THINK in the present simple to talk about opinions and beliefs.
2. I’m thinking about quitting my job.
We use THINK in the present continuous to talk about our current thoughts.

LET’S REVIEW
We use the present simple to talk about our routines and our habits. We also use the present
simple to talk about general facts.
Remember, if it is a non-active or stative verb, there are several verbs that cannot be used in the
continuous tenses.
However, there are a few exceptions. A few non-action verbs can be used in the continuous
tense, but their meanings may change. And finally, some non-action verbs such as LOVE, LIKE,
and HATE can be used in the continuous tense in informal language.

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