Scribd
Upload
9 views

Simple Present - Wikipedia

The simple present tense is a fundamental verb form in English used to express habitual actions, facts, and general truths. It typically uses the base form of the verb, with an added -(e)s for third-person singular subjects, and has specific conjugation rules for different pronouns. The simple present can also convey future events and is used in various grammatical structures, including negative and subjunctive forms.

Uploaded by

abousoufiyanemahamadou715
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
9 views

Simple Present - Wikipedia

The simple present tense is a fundamental verb form in English used to express habitual actions, facts, and general truths. It typically uses the base form of the verb, with an added -(e)s for third-person singular subjects, and has specific conjugation rules for different pronouns. The simple present can also convey future events and is used in various grammatical structures, including negative and subjunctive forms.

Uploaded by

abousoufiyanemahamadou715
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 10

Simple present

The simple present, present simple or present indefinite is one of t he verb


forms associat ed wit h t he present t ense in modern English. It is commonly
referred t o as a t ense, alt hough it also encodes cert ain informat ion about aspect in
addit ion t o t he present t ime. The simple present is t he most commonly used verb
form in English, account ing for more t han half of verbs in spoken English.[1]

It is called "simple" because it s basic form consist s of a single word (like write or
writes), in cont rast wit h ot her present t ense forms such as t he present progressive
(is writing) and present perfect (has written). For nearly all English verbs, t he simple
present is ident ical t o t he base form (dict ionary form) of t he verb, except when
t he subject is t hird-person singular, in which case t he ending -(e)s is added. There
are a few verbs wit h irregular forms, t he most not able being t he copula be, which
has t he simple present forms of am, is, and are.

Conjugation
For pronouns I, you, we, they, t here is no modificat ion for verbs.

For pronouns he, she, it, a suffix is added following t hese rules:

For verbs t hat end in -o, -ch, -sh, -s, -x, or -z, t he suffix -es is added.

Examples:

Go – Goes
Catch – Catches
Wash – Washes
Kiss – Kisses
Fix – Fixes
Buzz – Buzzes
For verbs t hat end in a consonant + y, t he let t er y is replaced by t he suffix -ies.

Examples:

Marry – Marries
Study – Studies
Carry – CarriesI
Worry – Worries
In ot her cases, t he suffix -s is added.

Examples:

Play – Plays
Enjoy – Enjoys
Say – Says
A special sit uat ion happens wit h t he verb to have in which t he let t ers ve are
omit t ed before adding s.
Example:

Have – Has

Formation
The basic form of t he simple present is t he same as t he base form of t he verb,
unless t he subject is t hird person singular, in which case a form wit h t he addit ion of
-(e)s is used.[2] For det ails of how t o make t his inflect ed form, see English verbs
§ Third person singular present .

The copula verb be has irregular forms: am (first person singular), is (t hird person
singular), and are (second person singular and all persons plural). The modal verbs
(can, must, et c.) have only a single form, wit h no addit ion of -s for t he t hird person
singular.

The above refers t o t he indicat ive mood of t he simple present ; for t he format ion
and use of t he subjunct ive mood, see English subjunct ive. (The defect ive verb
beware has no simple present indicat ive, alt hough it can be used in t he subjunct ive.)

The conjugat ion of t he simple present is given below, using t he verb to write as an
example.

Simple Present Indicat ive

Singular Plural

First Person I write We write

Second Person You write You write

Third Person He/she/it writes They write

Negative
The present simple for lexical verbs has an expanded form t hat uses do (or does, in
t he t hird person indicat ive) as an auxiliary verb. This is used part icularly when
forming quest ions and ot her clauses requiring inversion, negat ed clauses wit h not,
and clauses requiring emphasis. For det ails see do-support . For t he verbs (auxiliary
and copular) t hat do not make t his form, as well as t he format ion and use of
cont ract ed forms such as 's, isn't, and don't, see English auxiliaries and cont ract ions.

Simple Present Negat ive

Singular Plural

First Person I do not write We do not write

Second Person You do not write You do not write

Third Person He/she/it does not write They do not write

Simple present
subjunctive

Uses
The simple present is used t o refer t o an act ion or event t hat t akes place
habit ually, t o remark habit s, fact s and general realit ies, repeat ed act ions or
unchanging sit uat ions, emot ions, and wishes.[3] Such uses are oft en accompanied
by frequency adverbs and adverbial phrases such as always, sometimes, often,
usually, from time to time, rarely, and never.

Examples:

I always take a shower.


I never go to the cinema.
I walk to the pool.
He writes for a living.
She understands English.
This cont rast s wit h t he present progressive (present cont inuous), which is used t o
refer t o somet hing t aking place at t he present moment : I am walking now; He is
writing a letter at the moment.

It is also used wit h st at ive verbs in senses t hat do not use progressive aspect (see
Uses of English verb forms § Progressive), t o refer t o a present or general st at e,
whet her t emporary, permanent or habit ual:

You are happy.


I know what to do.
A child needs its mother.
I love you.
The simple present is also used t o st at e fact s:

The Earth revolves around the


Sun.
A king beats a jack.
Many Americans drink coffee in
the morning.
It can similarly be used when quot ing someone or somet hing, even if t he words
were spoken in t he past :
Mary says she's ready.
It can be used t o refer t o a single complet ed act ion, as in recount ing t he event s of
a st ory in t he present t ense (see hist orical present ), and in such cont ext s as
newspaper headlines, where it replaces t he present perfect :

In Hamlet, Ophelia drowns in a


stream.
40-year-old wins a gold medal.
Simple present is somet imes used t o refer t o an arranged fut ure event , usually
wit h a reference t o t ime:

We leave for Berlin tomorrow at 1


pm.
Our holiday starts on 20 May.
It is used when providing a comment ary on event s as t hey occur:

I chop the chives and add them to


the mixture.
Ronaldo dribbles around the
defender and shoots.
Similarly, it is also used when describing event s in some t heoret ical or planned
sit uat ion t hat is under considerat ion:
According to the manager's new
idea, I welcome the guests and
you give the presentation.
It is used in many dependent clauses referring t o t he fut ure, part icularly condit ion
clauses, clauses expressing place and t ime, and many relat ive clauses (see Uses of
English verb forms § Dependent clauses):

If he finds your sweets, he will eat


them.
We will report as soon as we
receive any information.
Simple present is also used in zero condit ional sent ences in bot h part s of t he
sent ence.[4]

Ice melts if you heat it.


Plants die if they don't get enough
water.
In cert ain sit uat ions, like in a t emporal adverbial clause, simple present is used
rat her t han t he present progressive:

We can see the light improving as


we speak.
In colloquial English, it is common t o use can see, can hear for t he present t ense of
see, hear, et c., and have got for t he present t ense of have (denot ing possession).
See also

Present continuous
Simple past
Uses of English verb forms

References

1. Alzuhairy, Uthman (2016). "The


Frequency of The Twelve Verb
Tenses in Academic Papers
Written by Native Speakers".
University of Central Florida.
p. 41.
2. Using the Third Person Singular
(he, she, it) in the Present Tense
(http://nextgenenglish.com/usin
g-the-third-person-singular-he-sh
e-it-in-the-present-simple-tens
e) nextgenenglish.com
3. Verb Tenses: Simple Present (ht
tp://www.edufind.com/english/g
rammar/present_simple.php)
edufind.com
4. Zero Conditional | English
Grammar Guide | EF (http://ww
w.ef.com/english-resources/eng
lish-grammar/zero-conditiona
l/) Education First

Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Simple_present&oldid=1253226310"
This page was last edited on 24 October
2024, at 23:19 (UTC). •
Content is available under CC BY-SA 4.0
unless otherwise noted.

You might also like