The present simple tense
Am - is - are
The present simple tense is a verb tense used in English to describe actions or states that are habitual, regular, or generally true. It's often used to talk about routines, facts, general truths, and permanent situations. The present simple tense is one of the most basic and fundamental tenses in English.
1. Usage:
The present simple tense is used for several purposes:
Habits and Routines: To describe actions that are repeated regularly or habits.
I go for a run every morning.
She brushes her teeth before bed.
General Truths and Facts: To state facts or things that are generally true.
The sun rises in the east.
Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
Permanent Situations: To describe states or conditions that are generally true and not likely to change.
They live in London.
The Earth revolves around the sun.
1. Scheduled Events: To indicate future events that are part of a fixed schedule or timetable.
The train departs at 6:00 PM. Instructions and Directions: To give instructions, directions, or recipes. First, you mix the ingredients. Narrative Present: To narrate stories or events in literature and storytelling. Once upon a time, there is a little cottage in the woods.
The third person in the present simple tense
Habit/Routine:
She wakes up early every morning.
He eats cereal for breakfast.
The cat sleeps on the windowsill.
General Truth/Fact:
The sun rises in the east.
Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
The Earth revolves around the sun. Permanent Situation:
She works at a bank.
The company produces high-quality goods.
The mountain stands tall and majestic.
Daily Routine Writing: Write a short paragraph describing your daily routine or the daily routine of someone you know. Use the present simple tense to describe habitual actions and routines. Include at least five sentences in your paragraph. Here's an example using a fictional character named Lisa: "Lisa is a student. She wakes up at 7 AM every morning. She brushes her teeth and takes a quick shower. Then, she eats cereal for breakfast and drinks a glass of orange juice. After breakfast, she goes to school. She walks to the bus stop and waits for the bus. School starts at 8:30 AM. In the afternoon, Lisa comes home, does her homework, and helps her mom with chores. After dinner, she relaxes by reading a book or watching TV. Finally, she goes to bed around 10 PM."
By writing about daily routines, you can practice using the present simple tense to describe habits, routines, and regular activities. This activity will help reinforce your understanding of how to form and use sentences in the present simple tense.
The construction "verb + verb-ing"
Is known as a gerund or a gerund phrase. It is used in various ways in English grammar. Here are some common scenarios where this construction is used: As the subject of a sentence:
Swimming is good exercise.
Cooking requires patience and skill.
After certain verbs:
I enjoy swimming.
They dislike studying.
She suggested going to the movies.
After prepositions:
He's interested in learning new languages.
She's afraid of flying.
In continuous tenses: She is studying for her exams. They were playing basketball when it started raining. After certain verbs of perception: I saw him running down the street. She heard the birds singing in the morning. After verbs of liking and disliking: He loves reading mystery novels. She hates doing chores.
Here are some examples of verbs that are commonly followed by gerunds (verbs + -ing form): Enjoy: I enjoy swimming. Dislike: They dislike studying. Suggest: She suggested going to the movies. Admit: He admitted making a mistake. Avoid: I try to avoid eating fast food. Consider: We are considering buying a new car. Mind: Do you mind helping me with this task? Finish: They finished cleaning the house. Practice: She practices playing the piano every day. Imagine: Can you imagine living in a foreign country?
Here are some poorly written sentences using gerunds in the present simple tense: "He enjoy play soccer every weekend." "I'm usually cooking dinner around 7 PM." "They're loving read mystery novels." "We watch movies on Fridays, preferring action films." "The cat always chases its tail, amusing us." "He dances really good at parties." "She never studies, always procrastinating." "They're often playing video games instead of doing homework." "We goes for a walk in the park, enjoying the nature."
Here are the correct versions of the sentences:
"He enjoys playing soccer every weekend." "I usually cook dinner around 7 PM."
"They love reading mystery novels."
"We watch movies on Fridays, preferring action films."
"The cat always chases its tail, amusing us."
"He dances really well at parties."
"She never studies, always procrastinating."
"They often play video games instead of doing homework."
"We go for a walk in the park, enjoying the nature."
The present simple tense in the negative form
The present simple tense in the negative form is used to indicate that an action or state doesn't occur regularly, is not a habit, or is not generally true. In English, to create negative sentences in the present simple tense, you usually use the auxiliary verb "do" (or "does" for the third person singular) in combination with "not" before the base form of the main verb.
For Regular Verbs:
Use the auxiliary verb "do" for all subjects except for the third person singular (he/she/it).
Use "does" as the auxiliary verb for the third person singular.
Add "not" after "do" or "does."
Use the base form of the main verb after "not."
For Irregular Verbs:
Use "do not" or "does not" (contracted as "don't" or "doesn't") followed by the base form of the main verb.
Irregular Verb (not contracted): I do not have a car. You do not know the answer. We do not go to that restaurant. Irregular Verb (contracted): She doesn't understand the instructions. He doesn't go to the gym. It doesn't make sense.
Regular Verb (not contracted): I do not like coffee. You do not play the guitar. We do not watch horror movies. They do not travel often. Regular Verb (contracted): She doesn't eat meat. He doesn't drink soda. It doesn't rain much here.
"Lisa is a student, but she does not wake up early every morning. She usually stays in bed until 9 AM. She does not eat cereal for breakfast; she prefers to have a sandwich instead. She does not go to school today because it's a weekend. In the afternoon, Lisa does not come home immediately; sometimes she stays at her friend's house. She does not do her homework right away; she takes a break and watches TV first. Finally, she does not go to bed early; she often stays up until midnight reading."
The present simple tense
Diego Niño
Created on August 10, 2023
Start designing with a free template
Discover more than 1500 professional designs like these:
View
Blackboard Presentation
View
Genial Storytale Presentation
View
Historical Presentation
View
Psychedelic Presentation
View
Memories Presentation
View
Animated Chalkboard Presentation
View
Chalkboard Presentation
Explore all templates
Transcript
The present simple tense
Am - is - are
The present simple tense is a verb tense used in English to describe actions or states that are habitual, regular, or generally true. It's often used to talk about routines, facts, general truths, and permanent situations. The present simple tense is one of the most basic and fundamental tenses in English.
1. Usage: The present simple tense is used for several purposes: Habits and Routines: To describe actions that are repeated regularly or habits. I go for a run every morning. She brushes her teeth before bed. General Truths and Facts: To state facts or things that are generally true. The sun rises in the east. Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. Permanent Situations: To describe states or conditions that are generally true and not likely to change. They live in London. The Earth revolves around the sun.
1. Scheduled Events: To indicate future events that are part of a fixed schedule or timetable. The train departs at 6:00 PM. Instructions and Directions: To give instructions, directions, or recipes. First, you mix the ingredients. Narrative Present: To narrate stories or events in literature and storytelling. Once upon a time, there is a little cottage in the woods.
The third person in the present simple tense
Habit/Routine: She wakes up early every morning. He eats cereal for breakfast. The cat sleeps on the windowsill. General Truth/Fact: The sun rises in the east. Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. The Earth revolves around the sun. Permanent Situation: She works at a bank. The company produces high-quality goods. The mountain stands tall and majestic.
Daily Routine Writing: Write a short paragraph describing your daily routine or the daily routine of someone you know. Use the present simple tense to describe habitual actions and routines. Include at least five sentences in your paragraph. Here's an example using a fictional character named Lisa: "Lisa is a student. She wakes up at 7 AM every morning. She brushes her teeth and takes a quick shower. Then, she eats cereal for breakfast and drinks a glass of orange juice. After breakfast, she goes to school. She walks to the bus stop and waits for the bus. School starts at 8:30 AM. In the afternoon, Lisa comes home, does her homework, and helps her mom with chores. After dinner, she relaxes by reading a book or watching TV. Finally, she goes to bed around 10 PM." By writing about daily routines, you can practice using the present simple tense to describe habits, routines, and regular activities. This activity will help reinforce your understanding of how to form and use sentences in the present simple tense.
The construction "verb + verb-ing"
Is known as a gerund or a gerund phrase. It is used in various ways in English grammar. Here are some common scenarios where this construction is used: As the subject of a sentence: Swimming is good exercise. Cooking requires patience and skill. After certain verbs: I enjoy swimming. They dislike studying. She suggested going to the movies. After prepositions: He's interested in learning new languages. She's afraid of flying.
In continuous tenses: She is studying for her exams. They were playing basketball when it started raining. After certain verbs of perception: I saw him running down the street. She heard the birds singing in the morning. After verbs of liking and disliking: He loves reading mystery novels. She hates doing chores.
Here are some examples of verbs that are commonly followed by gerunds (verbs + -ing form): Enjoy: I enjoy swimming. Dislike: They dislike studying. Suggest: She suggested going to the movies. Admit: He admitted making a mistake. Avoid: I try to avoid eating fast food. Consider: We are considering buying a new car. Mind: Do you mind helping me with this task? Finish: They finished cleaning the house. Practice: She practices playing the piano every day. Imagine: Can you imagine living in a foreign country?
Here are some poorly written sentences using gerunds in the present simple tense: "He enjoy play soccer every weekend." "I'm usually cooking dinner around 7 PM." "They're loving read mystery novels." "We watch movies on Fridays, preferring action films." "The cat always chases its tail, amusing us." "He dances really good at parties." "She never studies, always procrastinating." "They're often playing video games instead of doing homework." "We goes for a walk in the park, enjoying the nature."
Here are the correct versions of the sentences: "He enjoys playing soccer every weekend." "I usually cook dinner around 7 PM." "They love reading mystery novels." "We watch movies on Fridays, preferring action films." "The cat always chases its tail, amusing us." "He dances really well at parties." "She never studies, always procrastinating." "They often play video games instead of doing homework." "We go for a walk in the park, enjoying the nature."
The present simple tense in the negative form
The present simple tense in the negative form is used to indicate that an action or state doesn't occur regularly, is not a habit, or is not generally true. In English, to create negative sentences in the present simple tense, you usually use the auxiliary verb "do" (or "does" for the third person singular) in combination with "not" before the base form of the main verb. For Regular Verbs: Use the auxiliary verb "do" for all subjects except for the third person singular (he/she/it). Use "does" as the auxiliary verb for the third person singular. Add "not" after "do" or "does." Use the base form of the main verb after "not." For Irregular Verbs: Use "do not" or "does not" (contracted as "don't" or "doesn't") followed by the base form of the main verb.
Irregular Verb (not contracted): I do not have a car. You do not know the answer. We do not go to that restaurant. Irregular Verb (contracted): She doesn't understand the instructions. He doesn't go to the gym. It doesn't make sense.
Regular Verb (not contracted): I do not like coffee. You do not play the guitar. We do not watch horror movies. They do not travel often. Regular Verb (contracted): She doesn't eat meat. He doesn't drink soda. It doesn't rain much here.
"Lisa is a student, but she does not wake up early every morning. She usually stays in bed until 9 AM. She does not eat cereal for breakfast; she prefers to have a sandwich instead. She does not go to school today because it's a weekend. In the afternoon, Lisa does not come home immediately; sometimes she stays at her friend's house. She does not do her homework right away; she takes a break and watches TV first. Finally, she does not go to bed early; she often stays up until midnight reading."