APOSTILA DE INGLÊS BÁSICO – PRONATEC/UNEP/FUNECE

PRESENT SIMPLE TENSE

The Present Simple Tense is the most used tense in English and is a Tense that people use to describe things they always
do. This Tense tells us how often something is done or whether it is done in daily life. The Present Simple Tense, which is
used for routine tasks that are done continuously and repeated every day, is also used for scientific facts. In addition, the
Present Simple Tense is used when talking about events that are accepted by everyone and situations in which people agree.

What is the Simple Present Tense?

If you want to talk about an action happening right now, you will use the present simple tense. This tense is common in
English and has its own grammar rules. Knowing these rules helps you speak clearly.

In English, the simple present tense belongs to the verb forms of the present tense. You typically use the simple present
tense for these cases:

Expressing facts, general truths, and common-sense ideas.

 Stating habits, customs, and events that happen regularly.
 Describing future plans and events.
 Telling jokes, stories, and describing sporting events in real-time.
One thing the simple present tense does not do is describe actions happening right now. That’s better for present participles.

Regular verbs in the first, second, and third person plural are simple. They often look like the infinitive form of the verb.

The third person singular has specific rules:

 For most regular verbs, add an s at the end.

 For verbs ending in s, ss, sh, ch, th, x, z, or o, add es.
 For verbs ending in y, drop y and add ies.
Examples:

 Infinitive: To Go
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 First Person: I go/We go
 Second Person: You go
 Third Person: He goes/They go

 Infinitive: To Study

 First Person: I study/We study

 Second Person: You study
 Third Person: She studies/They study

 Infinitive: To Mix

 First Person: I mix/We mix

 Second Person: You mix
 Third Person: He mixes/They mix
The simple present tense can combine with phrases like “every Tuesday,” “always,” “usually,” and “twice a month.” You can
make this tense negative or use it in questions. This flexibility helps express complex ideas.

The Present Simple Tense Usage

The Present Simple tense is used to express:

General Truths: The sun rises in the east.

Habits: I play football every Saturday.

Future Timetables: Our train leaves at 9 am.

Future after “When”, “Until”: I won’t go out until it stops raining.

Permanent Situations: He works in a bank.

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Newspaper Headlines: Man enters space.

With Non-progressive Verbs: I believe that you are innocent.

Telling Stories: Suddenly, the window opens and a masked man enters.

Directions and Instructions: First of all, you break the eggs and whisk with sugar.

PERSONAL PRONOUNS
A personal pronoun is a short word used as a simple substitute
for the proper name of a person.
Each of the English personal pronouns
for subjects are I, you, he, she, it, we, and they.
For objects, they are me, you, him, her, it, us, and them.

PERSO VERB TO AFFIRMATIV NEGATIV INTERROGATI

BE E E VE
NAL Full form
Contracted
PRONO
forms
UNS
I AM I’M I AM NOT AM I?
I’M NOT
YOU ARE YOU’RE YOU’RE ARE YOU?
NOT
YOU
AREN’T
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SHE IS SHE’S SHE’S NOT IS SHE?
SHE ISN’T
HE IS HE’S HE’S NOT IS HE?
HE ISN´T
IT IS IT’S IT’S NOT IS IT?
IT ISN´T

Questions Words
Em inglês, os interrogativos são chamados de ‘question words’ e
iniciam as sentenças interrogativas chamadas de ‘ Wh- questions’,
pois a maioria se inicia com WH, exceto ‘HOW’.

QUESTIONS USED FOR

WORDS
What Things

Who People

When Time

Where Place

Why Reason. cause

How Manner, method

Ex:
A- What do you do?
B- I am a flight attendant.
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A-Who’s that girl?
B-She is my friend Sarah
A-When is your birthday?
B-It is on 6 of November 1995
A-Where are you from?
B- Iam from New York.
A-Why are you sad?
B- Iam sad because my dog is sick.
Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in simple present tense.
Example: I (play) play the guitar.
Example: Jessica (play) plays the guitar.
1) I (be) _______ sixteen years old.
2) Tommy (live) _______ at 107 Pine Lane.
3) Juana (cook) _______ dinner for her family.
4) They (eat) _______ lunch at 12:00.
5) Nina (take) _______ medicine when she is sick.
6) I (like) _______ chocolate.
7) He (drive) _______ a nice car.
8) We (want) _______ to see a movie tonight.
9) Mr. Anderson _______ chemistry at Hill High School.
10) They (study) _______ English at school.
11) I (want) _______ to go home now.
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12) Bill and Calicia (drive) _______ to the mountains every year.
13) We (eat) _______ pasta once a week.
14) It (snow) _______ here in December.
15) When Dax (take)_______ a shower, he (washes) _______ his hair with shampoo.

Exercise

1. Complete the sentences using personal pronous – subject or object pronouns.

 APOSTILA DE INGLÊS BÁSICO – PRONATEC/UNEP/FUNECE

1._______ am a Brazilian
2. is Canadian.
3. are close friends.
4. Are from Argentina?
5. is very hot in Fortaleza.

Simple Present Tense Structure

Present Simple Tense with “TO BE” (am/is/are)

Affirmative Sentence:

S + am/is/are + predicate

Example:

He is a doctor.

Negative Sentence: S + am/is/are + not + predicate

Example:

He isn’t a doctor.

Interrogative Sentence: Interrogative Sentence

Am/Is/Are + S + predicate?

Example:

Is he a doctor?

Simple Present Tense with Other Verbs

 APOSTILA DE INGLÊS BÁSICO – PRONATEC/UNEP/FUNECE

Affirmative Sentence:

S + verb + object

Example:

We like tea.

Negative Sentence:

S + don’t/doesn’t + verb + object

Example:

We don’t like tea.

Interrogative Sentence:

Do/Does + S + verb + object?

Example:

Do you like tea?

Examples of the Simple Present Tense

 In the United States, Daylight Saving Time begins on the

second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in
November.
 My wife and I drink a toast to the New Year every January
1st.
 So, a horse walks into a bar and the bartender says “Why
the long face?”…
 My company issues promotions and raises next week.
 The human body maintains a temperature of 98.6 degrees.
 Do you like my cat?
 Does my dog wake you up when it barks at night?
 I always feed my kids before sending them off to school.
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 The best student in the class studies twice as much as

anyone.

How to Use the Simple Present

Notes for the Present Simple

The basic form of the simple present is the same as the base form of
the verb unless the subject is third person singular, in which case a
form with the addition of -(e)s is used.

Verb Modifications:

 I, you, we, they: No change in verb.

 He, she, it: A suffix is added.
Rules for adding -es suffix:

 Verbs ending in –o, –ch, –sh, –s, –x, or –z.

 Do – Does
 Touch – Touches
 Fix – Fixes
Rules for replacing -y with -ies:

 Verbs ending in a consonant + y.

 Try – Tries
 Study – Studies
 Carry – Carries
For other cases:

 Add –s.
Cook – Cooks
 Say – Says
 Laugh – Laughs
Time Expressions in the Present Simple Tense

Common time expressions include:

 This evening
 At 10 am
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 When
 Until
 As soon as
 After
 Before
 Twice a month
 Every Tuesday
 Often
 Sometimes
These expressions help provide context for action in the present
simple.

Simple Present Tense Exercises

1. Fill in the Blanks

Complete the sentences using the correct form of the verb in

parentheses.

1. She _______ (go) to school every day.

2. They _______ (play) soccer on weekends.
3. The sun _______ (rise) in the east.
4. He _______ (not like) spicy food.
5. We _______ (study) English on Mondays.
2. Sentence Transformation

Rewrite the sentences in the negative form.

1. I eat breakfast at 7 AM.

2. She reads a book every evening.
3. They travel to Spain every summer.
4. He works at a hospital.
5. We watch TV after dinner.

3. Question Formation

Form questions from the given statements.

1. She plays the piano. (What)

2. They visit their grandparents. (When)
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3. He drinks coffee. (Does)

4. You like chocolate. (Do)
5. The store opens at 9 AM. (What time)