SHREE SHARADA ENGLISH SPEAKING COURSE

SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

FORM Simple Present

EXAMPLE: [to run]

I run
you run
he runs
she runs
it runs
we run
they run

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.

The train leaves every morning at 8 am.

The train does not leave at 9am.

She always forgets her purse.

He never forgets his wallet.

Every twelve months, the Earth circles the

sun.

The sun does not circle the Earth.

USE 2 Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Present can also indicate the

speaker believes that a f act 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.

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 Now (Non-Continuous

Verbs)
Sometimes speakers 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 a car.

ACTIVE / PASSIVE Simple Present

EXAMPLES:

Once a week, Tom cleans the car. ACTIVE

Once a week, the car is cleaned by Tom.

PASSIVE
Simple Present Tense
I sing
How do we make the Simple Present Tense?

Subject + auxiliary verb + main verb

do base
There are three important exceptions:
1.For positive sentences, we do not
normally use the auxiliary.
2.For the 3rd person singular (he, she, it),
we add s to the main verb or es to the
auxiliary.
3.For the verb to be, we do not use an
auxiliary, even for questions and
negatives.
Look at these examples with the main verb
like:

auxiliary main
subject
verb verb
+ I, you, like coffee.
we, they
 He, she, it likes coffee.
I, you,
do not like coffee.
- we, they
He, she, it does not like coffee.
I, you, we,
Do like coffee?
? they
Does he, she, it like coffee?

Look at these examples with the main verb

be. Notice that there is no auxiliary:

subject main verb

I am French.
+ You, we, they are French.
He, she, it is French.
I am not old.
- You, we, they are not old.
He, she, it is not old.
? Am I late?
Are you, we, they late?
 Is he, she, it late?

How do we use the Simple Present Tense?

We use the simple present 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 do not work at night.
 Do you play football?
Note that with the verb to be, we can also use the simple present tense for situations that
are not general. We can use the simple present tense to talk about now. Look at these
examples of the verb "to be" in the simple present tense—some of them are general, some
of them are now:

Am I right?
Tara is not at home.
You are happy.
past present future

The situation is now.

I am not fat.
Why are you so beautiful?
Ram is tall.
past present future

The situation is general. Past, present and

future.

GENERAL SPEAKING.
1.
Hi, Sylvia! How are you?
I'm fine, thanks. How are you?
I'm very well!
2.
Hi, my name's Tyler.
Nice to meet you, Tyler. My name's Sylvia.
It's nice to meet you too. Sylvia.
-----
3.
Hi, Tyler! How are you?
Oh, I'm OK. How about you?
I'm great, thanks.
4.
What's your name?
My name is Tyler Saunders. What's your
name?
My name's Sylvia. It's nice to meet you,
Tyler.
Nice to meet you too. Where are you from?
I'm from China.
--------
1.
Hi, let me tell you about my daily routine.
First, I get up at 8.00, then I brush my teeth,
have a shower, and eat breakfast. I go to
work at 8.50, and I start work at 9.30. Then I
have lunch at 1.00, and finish work at 5.30. I
go bed at 11.00. That's my day!
-----
2.
Hi! My name is Sylvia. I come from Korea. I'm
24 years old, I'm tall and I have black hair. I
like music and movies. I also like reading
books. I play sports and I study English. I'm
really happy to meet you!

3 Tyler, do you have a hobby?

Sure, I read books.
Oh, I like books as well. Do you watch TV?
Yes, I watch TV every day. I like drama and
comedy programs.
I like the news. And I go to the gym as well.
Me too! Let's go together.
That sounds great!
Explanation
The simple present tense takes one of two forms depending on the subject.
Subject base form -s form
I, you eat
They, We go
Plural nouns work

He, She, It eats

Singular nouns goes
Non count-nouns works

Examples

Subjects followed by verb in base form:

I like rice.
You look nice.
They think twice
We throw dice.
Chefs use spice.
The boys ring the doorbell.
Children sing on special occasions.
Some people bring gifts to parties.
Bees sting when they are disturbed.

Subjects with verb in? s form:

She makes toys.

He rakes leaves.
It takes time.
Mom bakes pies.
Water slakes thirst.
Jill loves dates.
Mr. Smith fills crates.
Grandpa washes plates.
The dog jumps gates.

Note how the present tense is used in the

following paragraph.
Mr. Lee is a bus driver. Every day he gets up
at 7:00 a.m. and prepares for his day. He
showers, eats his breakfast, and puts on his
uniform. His wife drives him to the station
where he checks in with his supervisor.
Then, he gets on Bus #405 and starts the
engine. He pulls out of the parking lot and
begins his route. At his first stop, he picks
up Mrs. Miller, who lives in a red house on
the corner of Main Street and Seventh
Avenue. She works at the post office and has
to be to work by 9:00. At the next stop, the
Bartlett twins get on the bus. They attend
class at Bayside Elementary. More children
get on at the next three stops, and they ride
until the bus reaches their school. Mr. Lee
enjoys seeing the kids every day and is
happy to see them again in the afternoon
when he drives them safely back home.
Exercises
1. To practice the present tense, reread the
above paragraph, then try to repeat the
main ideas in your own words. Be sure to
use the -s form of the verb when the subject
of a sentence is singular. Have a partner
listen to your speech and check for correct
usage of verbs.
Common Mistakes with the simple present
tense
 1. Not using the -s form with singular
subjects:
Jack likes Chinese food. (Correct)
Jack like Chinese food. (Incorrect).

2. Using the simple present tense when

another tense is required.
Last night I watched television for two hours.
(Correct)
Last night I watch television for two hours.
(Incorrect)

Present simple
Here is the verb "to give in the Simple
Present:

Singular Plural
I give We give
You give You give
He gives They give
She gives
It gives
2. Spelling Rules for the Present Simple
If you look above you'll see the spelling
doesn't change, except for the third person
singular (He, She, It), which adds an "s" to
the verb. For example "I eat - He eats".

Sometimes other spelling rules also apply

to He, She and It. All the following verbs add
"es" instead of "s":

The short forms for the negative verb "to

be" are as follows:

Verb Endings Spelling Examples

Verbs ending in -o do - does, go - goes
add -es
pass - passes, kiss -
Verbs ending in -s kisses
add -es
fix - fixes, mix - mixes
Verbs ending in -x
add -es match - matches,
catch - catches
Verbs ending in -ch
add -es push - pushes, rush -
rushes
Verbs ending in -sh
add -es
----- try - tries, cry - cries
Verbs ending in a
consonant and -y buy - buys, pay -
often change the -y to pays.
-ies:
Verbs such as "buy"
have no consonant
before the "y", so you
simply add -s
as usual.

Present Simple - Negatives and Questions

1) Hi, how are you today?

Fine, thanks.
Do you have English class?
Yes, I have English class. It's very
interesting.
Your English is good. Do you understand
the teacher?
Well, yes, I understand. English is difficult,
but I learn quickly.
Well done!

2) Tyler, do you have a brother?

Yes, I have one brother. He's 23.
Do you have a sister?
No, I don't have a sister. How about you?
I have two sisters. They are 17 and 20.
3.
What do you eat for breakfast?
I eat sausages, bacon, and fried eggs.
Oh, that's not very healthy. I have fruit juice
and cereal.
That's really good. For lunch I eat French
fries and a burger. Do you eat fast food?
No, I eat chicken and rice for lunch. It's
delicious.
Wow, you're very healthy. Do you like
sports?
Yes, I play tennis and soccer. Do you play
sports?
Not really. I stay home and watch TV. I like
movies.
Oh, me too. Let's watch a movie together
1. Simple Present Negatives
Simple Present negatives and questions are
used in the same situations as Simple
Present statements: for permanent facts,
present fact, and habitual actions.

- Permanent facts: I do not speak Japanese.

- Fish do not live in water.

- Present facts: I do not work at home. - She

does not play the piano.

- Habitual actions: I do not get up at 8.00. -

They do not come here every day.

To make a negative sentence we put do or

does after the subject. Because of this, the
verb that follows do/does + not is always in
the bare infinitive form.
For example:
"I do not like pizza." is correct, but
"I do not likes pizza is incorrect" - you don't
need to add an "s" to the verb "like".
Do and does come from the verb "to do",
which is often used as an auxiliary verb in
English.
Here is the negative form of the verb "to
give" in the Simple Present:

Singular Plural
I do not give We do not give
You do not give You do not give
He does not give They do not give
She does not give
It does not give

2. Simple Present Questions

To make a Simple Present Questions you
put do or does before the subject. For
example: - Statement: I speak Japanese.
- Questions: Do I speak Japanese?
- Statement: She likes pizza.
- Questions: Does she like pizza?
As with negatives, the verb after do or does
(and the subject) is always in the bare
infinitive form. It is the auxiliary verb "to
do", do or does, which changes.

Simple Present Question verbs are as

follows:

Singular Plural
Do I like (pizza)? Do we like ...?
Do you like ...? Do you like ...?
Does he like ...? Do they like ...?
Does she like ...?
Does it like ...?

Negative questions are also possible but are

used for several more advanced ways. We'll
deal with them later!

1. I don't like spaghetti.

2. He doesn't meet his friends.
3. Terry doesn't play the violin.
4. Kate and I don't watch TV.
5. They don't start work at 9.00.
6. Jenny doesn't call her grandmother.
7. Does she need a pen?
8. Do you have a car?
9. Do they get up at 8.00?
10. Does Jack sit with Lisa?
11. Does she send letters to her friend?
12. Do we play cards?

1. Does Jenny go to school?

2. Do you like movies?
3. Does he want an apple?
4. Do you have a book?
5. Does orange juice taste good?
6. Jenny doesn't call her grandmother.
7. Do you like
8. like
9. don't like
10. love
11. don't run
12. don't have

Grammar

1. Contractions
Many verbs have short forms, which are
used particularly in spoken English. For
example: "I am happy today" = "I'm happy
today". The short forms of the verb "to be"
are as follows:

Singular Plural
I am = I'm We are = We're
You are = You're You are= You're
He is = He's They are = They're
She is = She's
It is = It's

Be careful not to confuse it's with its. It's

means "it is", but its is a possessive form
we'll study later.
2. Negative Contractions - Simple Present
Verb "to be"
There are two main short forms for the
negative of the verb "to be": "You are"
becomes "You're not" or "you aren't". For
example:
- She is not happy = She isn't happy = She's
not happy.
- We are not singers = We aren't singers =
We're not singers
The short forms for the negative verb "to
be" are as follows:

Singular Plural
I am not = I'm not = I We are = We're not =
amn't* We aren't
You are not = You're You are= You're not =
not = You aren't You aren't
He is not = He's not = They are = They're
He isn't not = They aren't
She is not = She's not
= She isn't
It is not = It's not = It
isn't

* "I am" Negative Contraction

You can say "I am not", and you can say
"I'm not", but you can't say "I amn't".
3. Negative Contractions - Simple Present
Simple Present negatives contract in two
ways: "do not" becomes "don't" and "does
not" becomes "doesn't". For example:

- Statement: I do not like pizza = I don't like

pizza.
- Questions: He does not drive a car = He
doesn't drive a car.
And just in case you need it, here's a table
of Simple Present contractions.
Singular Plural
I do not = I don't We do not = We don't
You do not = You You do not = You
don't don't
He does not = He They do not = They
doesn't don't
She does not = She
doesn't
It does not = It
doesn't

The Simple Present Tense

The simple present tense is used to discuss
permanant situations and the frequency of
events.

To have Short form Other Verbs (to work)

I have I've I work
he has he's He works
she has she's She works
 It has it's It works
you have you've you work
we have we've we work
they have they've they work

Short
Short
Statements Statements answer
Questions answer
+ -
-
+
I don't Do I Yes, I No, I
I work.
work. work? do. don't.
He doesn't Does he Yes, he No, he
He works.
work. work? does. doesn't.
She Yes,
Does she No, she
She works. doesn't she
work? doesn't.
work. does.
It doesn't Does it Yes, it No, it
It works.
work. work? does. doesn't.
Yes
You don't Do you No, you
You work. you
work. work? don't.
do.
We don't Do we Yes we No, we
We work.
work. work? do. don't.
They work. They don't Do they Yes No,
work. work? they they
 do. don't.

Regular or permanent situations

When something happens regularly or is a
permanent situation we usually use the
simple present tense. When using the simple
present the verb (with the exception of the
auxiliary verbs) remains in the dictionary
form (verb + s with he/she/it).
Simple Present Timeline
For example:
Q) "Where do you live?" A) "I live in
Germany."
Q) "Where does he live?" A) "He lives in
Germany."
Q) "What do you do?" A) "I'm a teacher."
Q) "What does he do?" A) "He's a teacher."
Frequency
The simple present tense is also used to
show how often something happens with
adverbs of frequency - always, usually, often,
sometimes, occasionally, seldom, rarely,
never, etc.... And when discussing daily,
weekly, monthly etc. routines.
For example:
"I always get up at 6.00."
"I never drink coffee before 12.00."
"I work on my website every day."
"Every Monday and Thursday I go to the
gym."
We also use the simple present to ask for
and give instructions or to discuss a series
of actions.
For example:
Q) How do I make pancakes?" A) Well, first
you take 4 eggs and crack them into a bowl,
then you weigh out 4 oz. of flour and sieve it
into the eggs. etc.
The simple present tense can also be used to
discuss future events.
Usage
Permanent or long-lasting situations
Examples
1) Where do you work?
2) The store opens at 9 o'clock.
3) She lives in New York.
Regular habits and daily routines.
1) I usually get up at 7 o'clock.
2) She doesn't often go to the cinema.
3) When do they usually have lunch?

FACTS
1) The Earth revolves around the Sun.
2) What does 'strange' mean?
3) Water doesn't boil at 20°.

Feelings
1) I love walking around late at night during
the summer.
2) She hates flying!
3) What do you like? I don't want to live in
Texas

Opinions and states of mind.

1) He doesn't agree with you.

2) I think he is a wonderful student.
 3) What do you consider your best
accomplishment?

Timetables and schedules.

The plane leaves at 4 p.m.

When do courses begin this semester?
The train doesn't arrive until 10.35.

Structure
In the positive form add an 's' to the base
form of the 3rd person singular. If the verb
ends in -y preceded by a consonant, change
the -y to -ies.
I
You
eat lunch at noon.
We
They
He
eats lunch
She at noon.
tries to have fun.
It

Conjugate the helping verb 'do' not (don't

and doesn't) the base form of the verb to
make negatives.
I don't leave at noon.
You
 We
They
He
She doesn't leave at noon.
It

Conjugate the helping verb 'do' (do or does)

the base form of the verb in question forms
I
You
Do leave at noon?
We
They
He
Does She leave at noon?
It

The simple present tense is often confused with the present continuous tense. This page
will explain when to use each one.

The simple present tense

The simple present tense is used for two main types of action:

Habits Actions which happen regularly (every day, every week, etc.)

States Things which do not often change (opinions, conditions, etc.)

Some examples will help to make this clearer:

Type of
Examples Explanations
action
 Young-Mi goes to class
"Every day" is a habit.
every day.

It rains a lot in
This means that it rains often.
Vancouver.
Habit Santos always talks
"Always" means this is a habit.
about his family.

This implies that he spends

Jerry spends Christmas
Christmas with his parents every
with his parents.
year.

This is a state, because it doesn't

Bianca lives in Florida.
change.

Someone's hair colour doesn't

Jean-Paul has red hair.
usually change.
State
When we like something, usually we
Martin likes chocolate.
will always like it.

Anna believes in God.