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Unlike the Russian language, in which there is only ONE present tense for a verb, in English there are as many as FOUR:

1. Present simple tense - The Present Simple Tense(this will be discussed in this article)
   
2. Present continuous tense -
3. Present perfect tense -
4. Present perfect continuous tense - (beyond basic level)

The Present Simple Tense, The Present Continuous Tense, The Present Perfect Tense belong to the basic level. And today you will find out basic rules of Present Simple Tense, namely:

The Present Simple Tense (rules for beginners)

1. When should you use the simple present tense of a verb in a sentence?

We'll start our conversation about times from the simple present tense (The Present Simple Tense), which sometimes does not seem simple, but is so in essence, since you can use it in any sentence that refers to the present tense, that is, a verb that answers a question what does the item do?

The only exception to this case are situations in which D.L. commits D. at this moment in time, but then the sentence contains the words: now, at this moment, Listen! Look. In this case, you need to use

Rule 1. If the action in a sentence occurs in the present tense NOT at the moment, then you can safely use the simple present tense of the verb - The Present Simple Tense.

2. What tense expressions indicate the simple present tense?

Formally Present Simple Tense used in a sentence if it contains temporary expressions (hints): every day (week, month, year), once a week (day, month, year), on Saturdays (Sundays, ...), always - never, often - rarely, usually - sometimes

• I go to work every day.
• We go to the park once a week.
• He usually comes home late.

Translation of these expressions:

• every day - every day (week, month, year)
• once a week - once a week (day, month, year)
• on Saturdays - on Saturdays (Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, etc.)
• always - always
• never - never
• often - often
• rarely - rarely
• usually - usually
• sometimes - sometimes

or other words. Also a clue is CONTEXT (but this is no longer the basic level).

Rule 2. If the sentence contains tense expressions always - never, often - rarely, usually - sometimes and etc. and the action takes place in the present tense, then you can safely use the simple present tense of the verb - The Present Simple Tense.

3. What form is the verb in the simple present tense?

Rule 3. The verb in the simple present tense is in first form. This is the basic form of the verb and you will find it in the dictionary. Sometimes it is called - verb infinitive without the particle to. Further we will designate this form as D. (action).

4. How to make a sentence in Present Simple Tense?

Rule 4. Below are three sentence patterns in the Present Simple. Use the diagrams.

(from book " English grammar: just about the complex)

note that auxiliary DOES appears in negative and interrogative sentences only in the 3rd person singular. number. CM. Rule 5 (below).

5. When should you add the ending -S to a verb in the present simple tense?

Rule 5. The ending -S is added to an action verb in an affirmative sentence, when D.L. (the subject of the sentence) is in the third person singular, that is, it is a pronoun he, she, it or it can be replaced by a pronoun he, she, it.

Hereads every day. — The boy reads every day.

She cooks three times a day. — Mother cooks three times a day(three times a day).

There are 12 tenses in the English language instead of the 3 usual for Russian people. Today we will look at the Present Simple Tense (or Present Indefinite). It is translated into Russian as “simple present tense.”

With it we talk about our habits and preferences, skills and daily actions.

This tense is used constantly in English. Therefore, it is very important to fully understand and learn how to use it from the very beginning. This is perhaps the most basic tense in the English language. The base that our students master already at the first level of courses for adults.

In this article I will explain to you how and when to use the Present Simple, and also tell you about all the nuances of its use.

• Affirmative sentences in Present Simple
• Verb endings -s and -es in the Present simple

Using the Present Simple in English

Present Simple Tense is the simple present tense in English. This tense is used when we talk about actions that happen regularly.

For example: “She does exercises in the morning.”

The following cases of using Present Simple are distinguished:

1. About actions that we do regularly, usually.
We go to work; he reads books; we play sports.

2. About someone's habits and preferences.
Do you like watching comedies? she loves to eat sushi.

3. About the daily schedule, daily routine.
The bus arrives at 10:00; the plane to Paris leaves at 22:00

4. About your skills.
I read (I can read, but do not confuse it with “I am reading at the moment”). He swims (he can swim). I speak English (I can speak English).

Please note that this is the time we we don't use when we talk about actions that are happening right now. For example: “I am cooking (at the moment).”

Education rules affirmative sentences in Present Simple

The affirmative form of the Present Simple is formed using a simple scheme:

1. If the action is performed:

• I - I,
• you - you/you,
• we - we,
• they - they,

then the verb does not change in any way. Look at the table:

Example sentences

I go to work every day.

They usually get up early.
They usually get up early.

2. When actions are performed:

• He - he
• she - she,
• it - it,

then the ending is added to the verb s/es. Pay attention to the verbs in the table.

Example sentences

He play s football every Friday.
He plays football every Friday.

She like s green tea
She likes green tea.

Verb endings -s and -es in the Present Simple

Let's take a closer look at how the endings change if we use the pronouns he, she, it. Ending es We bet in the following cases.

• The verb ends in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -z, -o

ki ss(kiss) - kiss es;
cat ch(grab) - catch es;
fi x(fix) - fix es;
g o(go) - go es;

Examples

He wash es(wash - washes) his car often.
He washes his car often.

She miss es her brother (miss - misses).
She misses her brother.

• The verb ends in -y and it is preceded by a consonant. In this case we replace -y with -i and add the ending -es.

fl y(fly) - fl ies;
hurr y(hurry up) - hurr ies.

For example

She stud ies(study - studies) five new words every day.
She learns five new words every day.

Ending -s we bet in all other cases.

Note: if the verb ends in -y and stands in front of her vowel, then we just add the ending -s.

l ay(put) - la ys;
st ay(stay) - sta ys.

For example

She pla ys tennis twice a week.
She plays tennis twice a week.

Special words used in Present Simple

There are some words that indicate and help determine that this is the Present Simple. What all these words have in common is that they show that an action is happening (or not happening) periodically.

• Always - always;
• often - often;
• usually - usually;
• sometimes - sometimes;
• rarely - rarely;
• never - never;
• every time, every morning, every evening, every day - every time, every morning, every evening, every day.

Seeing these words, you can immediately understand that we are talking about some kind of regular, usual action for us.

For example

She cooks dinner usually by herself.
She usually cooks dinner herself.

They never play football.
They never don't play football.

Negative form in Present Simple

A negative sentence will be constructed in exactly the same way as in Russian: using the particle not. For example, I go to work. Let’s add “not” and it turns out: I don’t go to work.

In Present Simple particle Not consists of an auxiliary verb do or does and particles not.

To make a sentence negative, we need to put “not” in front of the verb. That is, the proposal will be structured according to the following scheme:

Actor + do/does not + action (verb in initial form).

Does we use it when we talk about one person (he, she, it), and in all other cases we must use do.

Example sentences

Please note that when we use don't And does not The ending s/es is no longer added to the verb. After all, it is these auxiliary verbs that show time (read the article “Auxiliary verbs in English”). Why do you need to show 2 times that this is a real repeating tense?

Look.

He does not read_books.
He doesn't read books.

We don't talk

He does not reads books.

How can you shorten do not and does not?

We can abbreviate the particle not as follows.

Don't = don't.
Doesn't = doesn't.

Question form in Present Simple

To ask a question, you need to use auxiliary verbs do or does first place in the sentence. In this case, the word order does not change, that is, it will be the same as in affirmative form. The scheme for constructing a question in the Present Simple is as follows:

Do/does + actor + action (verb in initial form)?

As usual, we use does with he, she, it. In all other cases we use do.

Please note that in the question the verb is in the initial form and its ending does not change.

Do es she like_sweets?
Does she like sweets?

Statement

She usually drink s coffee in the morning.
She usually drinks coffee in the morning.

They eat different fruits every day.
They eat fruit every day.

Question

Does she usually drink_ coffee in the morning?
Does she usually drink coffee in the morning?

Do they eat different fruits every day?
Do they eat fruit every day?

Answers to questions in Present Simple

Short positive answer will contain an auxiliary verb do/does, which will replace the action itself (drinking, eating).

Yes, she does.
Yes, he drinks.

Yes, they do.
Yes, they do.

Complete positive answer will be constructed as an affirmative sentence.

Yes, she usually drinks s coffee in the morning.
Yes, she usually drinks coffee in the morning.

Yes, they eat different fruits every day.
Yes, they eat fruit every day.

IN short negative answer to do/does we add not.

No, she does not.
No, he doesn't drink.

No, they don't.
No, they don't eat.

Complete negative answer is constructed as a negative sentence:

No, she does not drink coffee in the morning.
No, she doesn't usually drink coffee in the morning.

No, they don't eat different fruits every day.
No, they don't eat fruit every day.

Examples

Do do you speak English? — Yes, I do.
Do you speak English? - Yes talking.

Do do you speak English? - No, I don't.
Do you speak English? - No I do not speak.

Do do they like to dance? - Yes, they like to dance.
Do they like to dance? - Yes, they like to dance.

Do do they like to dance? - No, they don't like to dance.
Do they like to dance? - No, they don't like to dance.

Does she play_ tennis? — Yes, she does.
She plays tennis? - Yes, he plays.

Does she play_ tennis? - No, she does not.
She plays tennis? - No, he doesn’t play.

Does he like to travel? - Yes, he likes s to travel.
Does he like to travel? — Yes, he likes to travel.

Does he like to travel? - No, he does not like to travel.
Does he like to travel? - No, he doesn't like to travel.

Special questions in the Present Simple

They should be used when you want to get some additional information. List of words:

• what - what,
• where - where,
• which - which one,
• why - why,
• when - when,
• who - who,
• how - how.

Question words + do/does + actor + action (verb in initial form)?

Examples

Why does does he go to work?
Why does he go to work?

Where do do you usually go?
Where do you usually go?

When does did she come back?
When is she coming back?

What do do they usually watch?
What do they usually watch?

Which tea does she drink?
What kind of tea does she drink?

Who do do you live with?
Who do you live with?

The verb to be in the Present Simple

There is a special verb in English - to be. In the present tense, this verb has three forms: am, is, are.

Very often, English language learners get confused when to use it in the present tense and when not to. Because of this, mistakes are made.

Remember that we use the verb to be in the Present Simple when we want to say:

• who what by whom/what is (she is a nurse);
• who what what is (my cat is gray);
• who what Where is (dad at work).

That is, if we want describe the location anything state something or what is this thing/person, then we use the verb to be.

For example

I am a doctor.
I am a doctor.

She is at home.
She is at home.

We are good singers.
We are good singers.

When you say a phrase and doubt whether you should put the verb be there, you can always test yourself by asking questions to the sentence: am I who/what, is where, is what? If in translation the words “is, is, is” give the sentence a logical meaning, then in English such a sentence will be correct.

Now let's summarize briefly and look at the general table of the use of Present Simple time.

General table of present simple time use

So, Present Simple (simple present tense) is used in the following cases:

1. When we talk about actions that we do regularly, usually.
2. When we talk about someone's habits and preferences.
3. When it comes to the daily schedule, daily routine.
4. When we talk about our skills.

Let's look at the formation of all types of sentences in this tense.

We have analyzed the Present Simple tense. It is quite simple, but you need to know how to use it correctly. If something remains unclear to you, do not hesitate to ask your questions in the comments.

Useful articles on the topic:

Reinforcement task

Now let's practice using the Present Simple tense. I propose to translate the following sentences into English.

1. I love animals.
2. He doesn't work on weekends.
3. Do your parents travel every summer?
4. My brother doesn't go to the gym.
5. I'm never late.

The Present Simple Tense, or Indefinite, as it is called in English grammar, received its name for a reason. This is one of the main and at the same time the simplest tenses that form the basis of the entire grammatical system. The standard classical explanation for the use of this tense is as follows: Present Indefinite Tense is used to express a regular action that occurs on an ongoing basis. At the same time, the duration of the situation being committed is not emphasized, but only its frequency.

For Present Simple, example sentences with translation can be as follows:

• They go to this shop every day – They go to this store every day
• She buys me presents for every Christmas – She buys me gifts every Christmas
• My fiends regularly come to me in summer - My friends constantly come to me in the summer

Of course, there are other cases of using the Present Simple, which will be discussed in detail below, but first you should find out how the Present Simple is formed, and also study all the features of its constructions in different types of sentences.

Education Present Simple

The Present Indefinite Tense is formed very simply. Affirmative sentences here do not have any special forms or constructions, and the infinitive without the particle to is used as the verb form, that is, the usual first form of the verb.

In addition, the present simple tense in English has another feature, which manifests itself in affirmative sentences.

When using third person singular pronouns (he, she, it), the ending –s (–es) is added to the verb, which indicates this person.

The use of endings will be discussed in more detail below, but here are sentences in the Present Simple that reflect what verbs with such endings look like:

• He often writes to me - He often writes to me
• She never speaks to me in a rude manner - She never speaks rudely to me
• This house looks shabby because of its owners’ indifference – This house looks shabby because of the indifference of its owners

Thus, the Present Simple formula looks like this:
V1 (–s,–es)

If there is no semantic verb in the sentence, the auxiliary verb to be comes to the rescue, used in the present tense form: am (for the pronoun “I”), is (for singular pronouns - “he”, “she”, “it”) or are (pronouns plural“we”, “you”, “they”).

Interrogative sentences

are formed according to the following algorithm: if there is a verb in a sentence, then the auxiliary verbs do or does must appear at the beginning of the sentence. The second is used only for third-person pronouns (he, she, it), and the first for all others:

• Do you prefer black tea to green? – Do you prefer black tea to green?
• Does she call you every day? – Does she call you every day?

Note: if the auxiliary verb is does, then the ending –s (–es) will not be added to the verb, and no explanation is even required here: the verb does is essentially do with the ending –es.

Provided that there is no verb in the sentence, then the verb to be is put in the first place in the required form:

• Is he really as intelligent as people say? – Is he really as smart as people say?
• Are these apples tasty? – Are these apples tasty?

Negations

To express negation, it is enough to use the particle not. In this case, the principle of the appearance of auxiliary verbs in a sentence is the same: if there is a main verb, do not (=don’t) or does not (=doesn’t) appears, and if it is not there, then the negation is added to the verb to be:

• We don’t live in this house in winter - We don’t live in this house in winter
• He doesn’t like any vegetables and eats only fruit – He doesn’t like any vegetables and eats only fruits
• She isn’t so stupid as you suppose - She is not as stupid as you think

Note: in some cases, the companions of interrogative and negative sentences do or does occur even for affirmative sentences. This is especially true for colloquial speech when the speaker wants to give his words even more expressiveness and focus on something:

• I do want to come to you - I really want to come to you
• She does know all this material - She really knows all this material

Rules for writing verb endings in the Present Simple

Above, information was given that in the third person, a verb can have either an –s or –es ending. The markers of such time are as follows:

1. A hissing consonant sound at the end of a verb (in writing it is –ss, –s, –ch, –tch, – sch, – z, – x): he pushes, he watches, he teaches, he passes, etc.
2. The vowel sound –o at the end of a verb: he does, he goes,
3. If there is a letter –y at the end of the verb, then it will change to the letter combination –ie if it is preceded by a consonant sound; if the sound before –y is a vowel, then the letter will remain unchanged: to try – he tries, to play – he plays, etc.

The formation of the Present Simple, as it becomes clear, is not very complicated, but it is no less important to study when it is used, to provide its main indicators and cases for which this tense is typical.

Using the Present Simple

The use of the Present Simple is typical for the following situations:

1. Regular, repeated action

and this is the most classic way to use it. The Present Simple has adverbs that indicate that it will probably be exactly this time - always, usually, often, sometimes, regularly, occasionally, etc.:

• She usually calls me when she is free - She usually calls me when she is free
• We often buy fish from this seller - We often buy fish from this seller

2. States and actions that are characteristics of a particular person:

• He sings and plays the guitar brilliantly - He sings and plays the guitar brilliantly
• He drinks only tea and hates coffee – He drinks only tea and hates coffee

3. Well-Known Facts

Another common use of the present simple is well-known facts, which include, for example, the laws of nature, physical phenomena, etc.:

• Magnet attracts iron – Magnet attracts iron
• Water boils at a temperature of 100 degrees – Water boils at a temperature of 100 degrees

4. With certain verbs (instead of)

Indefinite tense can be used to express an action occurring at the moment, but this characteristic is shared by verbs that cannot form the Continuous form: sensory perception (hear, see, etc.), mental activity (suppose, consider, believe, etc.), desire and intention (want, intend, desire, etc.) and some other groups. In this case, the Indefinite forms are used:

• I hear John’s car, open the gate – I hear John’s car, open the gate
• I see Tom. Ask him to come here – I see Tom. Ask him to come here

5. To express the future tense

Can also be used to express future tense the Present Simple Tense. For this purpose, situations are used that display actions according to a schedule that does not depend on a person’s plans. The main clue that can help in this case is that such use is typical for verbs of the movement category (come, arrive, leave, etc.). These markers will help you understand that in such a sentence the Present Simple tense is possible and desirable, and not the Future or Present Continuous:

• Our bus leaves at 5, don’t be late – Our bus leaves at 5, don’t be late
• The train arrives tomorrow at 7.15 – The train arrives tomorrow at 15

6. In conditional sentences

The Present Simple tense in English is also used in conditional sentences of the first type (). Grammatically, the part in which there is a condition (usually temporary) is called a subordinate clause. It is in it that the Present Simple is used, and the Future is in the main part. The main markers that introduce a temporary condition are the conjunctions till, until, when, after, before, as soon as, as long as, etc. When working with Present Simple rule conditional sentence is very important, because here the tenses are different from the Russian language, where both parts contain the future tense:

• She will meet me before I come to you - She will meet me before I come to you
• They will call us as soon as find out anything interesting – They will call us as soon as they find out anything interesting
• When she brings you money, don’t refuse to take it – When she brings you money, don’t refuse to take it

Such cases of using this tense must be taken into account in order to use it for its intended purpose and not make a mistake, thereby putting yourself in an awkward position in front of your interlocutor. Like every tense, it has its own assistants, through which you can identify the present simple tense. In case of any difficulties when working with Present Simple, the rules and examples described above will help you understand the structure of this tense and forever forget about the errors associated with it.

Present Simple Tense

There are twelve tense forms in the English language, which means that the present, past and future are clearly not enough for us to convey all the necessary information.

The point is that such a number of times did not appear by chance: and time forms are determined not only by the correlation of information with the present moment, but also by the length (or duration), completeness and simultaneity of actions.

There are really only three basic tenses in English: present (Present), past (Past) and the future (Future)- everything is the same as ours. But each of them has four forms: simple (Simple), continued (Continuous), completed (or perfect) (Perfect) and completed continuous tense (Perfect Continuous).
At first this may sound strange, but not all at once.
And let's start, perhaps, with a real group of tenses in the active voice.

Present simple/indefinite tense

The present simple tense is formed from the infinitive without a particle to(i.e. basic form). In the 3rd person singular. ending is added to the number s. (I remind you that the 3rd person singular is a form that combines with he, she, it). Let's give an example of a famous song Scorpions "Wind of change":
The wind of change blow s straight into the face of time. - The wind of change blowing right in the face of time.

IN interrogative do(or does for 3rd person units. numbers). Again the words from the song. This time Queen - "Show must go on:"
Hold the line does anybody know what are we living for? - Hold the line somebody knows why do we live?
Please note that if a question begins with an auxiliary verb does, then the predicate verb itself remains unchanged, i.e. doesn't accept endings -s.

IN negative sentences use an auxiliary verb do(or does) + negative particle not.(again depending on the person and number). Let's remember the words from the song of the legendary Beatles "Back in the USSR":
I'm back in the USSR, you don't know how lucky you are. - I returned to the USSR, you even you don't suspect how lucky you are.

Remember that the ending is s added to most verbs:
She get s,he drive s.

Oes:
She do es,he go es.

If the verb ends in - s, -x, -ch/-sh, then the ending is added to it - es:
She miss es,he catch es.

If the verb ends in - y, preceded by a consonant, then again the ending is added - es, wherein -y changes to i:
cry - (she, he, it) cri es

Exceptions are the following verbs:

We have- he, she, it has
Verb to be, which in the present tense has three forms:
I am
he, she, it is
they, we, you are:
We are not the ones to blame. - This is not our fault. [ verbatim We are not (are) the ones who should be blamed].

Present Simple is used:

1. To express habitual or repetitive actions, most often with the words:
Always - always
Usually - usually
Often - often
Every day/night/month/year etc. - every day/night/month/year
From time to time - from time to time
Seldom - rarely
Rarely - rarely

For example:
As a rule, she has three meals a day. - As a rule, she eats three times a day.
As a hobby Ken designs and makes paper airlines. - Ken designs and makes paper airplanes as a hobby.

2. To express universal truths or generalizations. (as well as in proverbs and sayings):
Water boils at 100 C. - Water boils at a temperature of 100 degrees.
The early bird catches the worm. - Whoever gets up early, God gives him.
A good name keeps its luster in the dark. - Gold glitters even in dirt.
By the way, don’t be lazy to translate the proverbs literally.

3. With verbs of sensory perception, which are practically not used in the Present Continuous:
These are verbs like:
See - to see
Agree - agree
Hear - to hear
Believe - believe
Think - think
Be - to be
Taste - try
Understand - to understand
Want - want
Prefer - prefer
and etc.

Examples:
I agree with terms and conditions. - I agree to the terms and conditions.
My son wants a bike, but I don't think he should have one. - My son wants a bike, but I don’t think he deserves it.
4. To express requests and suggestions in the future:
Why don't you join us? - Why don’t you join us?
Why not invite him to dinner? - Why not invite him to dinner?

Summarize: the form of the present simple tense expresses actions that usually occur (or do not occur), are characteristic of us as a characteristic, description, as well as actions that are facts.

Strengthen your success with exercise.
Put the verbs into Present Simple. Please note that not all sentences are affirmative:

1. She never (to worry) about anything.
1. It often (to snow) in winter here.
2. She (to paint) fully for pleasure, not because she (to want) to make money out of it.
3. It (to be) difficult to write business letters?
4. They (to get in touch) with clients by post.
5. You (to find) it difficult to meet new people?

Simple tense in English - The best way tell the interlocutor about our habits and preferences, about what we know how to do or do every day. This is one of the most common tenses in everyday speech, so it is important to understand and study it from the very beginning.

Today we’ll talk about what Present Simple Tense is, common uses, learn the basic rules Education Present Simple, what time markers exist and consider example sentences.

What is Present Simple?

This is the simple present tense, denoting action in the broadest sense of the word. One of the most common and simple shapes in English to describe actions.

Actions can be related to habits, a hobby, a daily event like getting up in the morning, or something that happens regularly.

How is the Present Simple formed?

There is nothing easier than putting the verb in the Present Simple form. To do this, you need to remove the particle “to” from the verb in the infinitive and put the verb after the subject. This is the basic rule of Present Simple.

Statement:

I / We / You / They + V

She / He / It + V + s (es)

I go to work every day- I go to work every day.

They usually play tennis every weekend- They usually play tennis every weekend.

She brings me coffee every morning- She brings me coffee every morning.

It snows in winter- There is snow in the winter.

IMPORTANT: In the Present Simple, the form of the verb almost always coincides with the original one. The exception is the third person singular (he / she / it) - the ending -s is added to it:

I ride - She rides

I dream - He dreams

If the verb ends in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -o, then the ending is added to it -es

I wish - She wishes

I teach - She teaches

If the verb ends in -y, and it is preceded by a consonant, then the ending is added to it -es, but -y is replaced by -i

I try - She tries

I fly - He flies

If the verb ends in -y, and it is preceded by a vowel, then the ending is also added to it -es, But -y does not change.

I play - She plays

I stay - He stays

Negation:

To make a negative sentence, you need to put an auxiliary verb between the subject and the verb.

I / We / You / They + do not (don’t) + V

She / He / It + does not (doesn’t) + V

I don't go to school every day- I don't go to school every day

They don't drink beer- They don't drink beer

She doesn't like the weather in London- She doesn't like the weather in London

He doesn't drive the car- He doesn't drive a car

Negation can also be expressed using negative pronouns and adverbs.

Nobody speaks Arabic- Nobody speaks Arabic

I do nothing- I do nothing

Question:

When composing interrogative sentences, the auxiliary verb is placed before the subject and the following verb. Usually - at the beginning of a sentence.

Do I / We / You / They + V

Does She / He / It + does not (doesn’t) + V

Do you like pizza?- Do you like pizza?

Do they play football?- They play football?

Does she learn Russian?- Is she studying Russian?

Does he live in Spain?- Does he live in Spain?

Sometimes used in interrogative sentences question words(question words) and

phrases that help you ask a more accurate and correct question to your interlocutor.

These words include: how long(how long), why(Why), where(where) and others. As in other tenses, they are placed at the very beginning of the sentence before the interrogative construction of the Present Simple.

QW + do (does) + I / We / You / They / She / He / It + V

Where does he live in Prague?- Where does he live in Prague? Why do you drink green tea?- Why do you drink green tea?

When an auxiliary verb appears in a sentence with the Present Simple, the ending disappears from the main verb -s. Consider that this is a kind of “magnet” that “pulls” this ending to itself. This applies to negative and interrogative Present forms Simple.

IMPORTANT: sometimes the auxiliary verb do / does can be found in affirmative sentences to add expression and brightness to the statement.

I do want to try this- I really want to try this

Mary does know how to cook-Mary really knows how to cook

The verb to be in the Present Simple

The verb to be is always special and its use in the Present Simple tense depends on the subject. It has 3 different forms:

• am (for 1st person singular: I)
• is (for 3rd person singular: she / he / it)
• are (for 1st, 2nd and 3rd person plural: we / you / they)

I am ready- I'm ready

She is ready- She's ready

We are ready- We are ready

When is the Present Simple used?

Present Simple is used to describe actions that occur constantly, on a regular basis, but are not tied to the moment of speech.

The use of the Present Simple is appropriate in cases where we want to talk about our daily routine, reliably known facts, actions in the broad sense of the word or train schedules.

Regular, repetitive actions:

I often go to the bar- I often go to the bar

They play music every Sunday- They play music every Sunday

Action in the broad sense of the word (without reference to the moment of speech):

I live in Dublin- I live in Dublin.

She speaks Chinese- She speaks Chinese.

Facts that everyone knows:

The Earth rotates around its axis- The earth rotates around its axis.

Moscow is the largest city in Russia- Moscow is the largest city in Russia

Future actions that will occur according to the schedule:

The airplane takes off at 4.30 am- The plane will take off at 4.30 am.

The train leaves at 9 pm tomorrow- The train leaves tomorrow at 9 pm.

Recipes and instructions (used instead of the imperative):

You push the red button to turn on the radio- Click on the red button to turn on the radio

First you turn left and then you go down the street- First turn left, then go to the end of the street

When listing some actions and their specific sequence, the Present Perfect tense is also used

You take the bus into the city center and then you take a taxi to the restaurant- You take a bus to the city center and then take a taxi to the restaurant.

Sometimes the Present Simple is used to refer to the past tense. For example, in newspaper headlines (indicating that an action has taken place) or in a story about an event (when we talk about someone and their actions).

The bus with American tourists crashes in India- A bus carrying American tourists crashed in India

I met John last week. He comes to me and say: “Hello, old friend”- Last week I met John. He came up to me and said, "Hello, old friend"

Present Simple tense markers

In order to better navigate where and when Present Simple verbs are used, pay attention to special markers in the text.

Such “beacons” for the Present Simple are adverbs ( often, always, usually, etc.) and time indicators ( every day, in the morning, on Fridays, etc.).

She always drinks coffee in the morning- She always drinks coffee in the morning

I usually wake up at 6 am- I usually wake up at 6 am

They often talk about sport- They often talk about sports

I check my smartphone every 15 minutes- I check my phone every 15 minutes

He takes a shower twice a day- He showers twice a day

On Mondays we go to the central park- On Mondays we go to central park

He comes here sometimes- Sometimes he comes here

Examples of sentences with Present Simple:

Affirmative sentences:

I read a book every evening - I read a book every evening

He likes to be polite - He likes to be polite

It takes two hours to fly from Berlin - The flight from Berlin will take two hours

Cats like milk - Cats love milk

Negative Suggestions:

I don’t buy food in the supermarket - I don’t buy food in the supermarket

He doesn’t play piano very well - He doesn’t play the piano very well

They don’t read books - They don’t read books

Duck don’t eat fish - Ducks don’t eat fish

Interrogative sentences:

Do you live in Paris? - Do you live in Paris?

Does she play in a band? - Does she play in a band?

Do you eat fish? - Do you eat fish?

Do they like coffee? - Do they like coffee?