The simple present tense is one of several forms of present tense in English. It is used to describe habits, unchanging situations, general truths, and fixed arrangements. The simple present tense is simple to form. Just use the base form of the verb: (I take, you take, we take, they take) The 3rd person singular takes an -s at the end. (he takes, she takes).
present simple
by maryam
Copyright © 2020
Simple present tense
The simple present tense is used:
- To express habits, general truths, repeated actions or unchanging situations, emotions and wishes:
I smoke (habit); I work in London (unchanging situation); London is a large city (general truth) - To give instructions or directions:
You walk for two hundred meters, then you turn left. - To express fixed arrangements, present or future:
Your exam starts at 09.00 - To express future time, after some conjunctions: after, when, before, as soon as, until:
He’ll give it to you when you come next Saturday.
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Notes on the simple present, third person singular
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In the third person singular the verb always ends in -s:
he wants, she needs, he gives, she thinks.
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Negative and question forms use DOES (= the third person of the auxiliary ‘DO’) + the infinitive of the verb.
He wants ice cream. Does he want strawberry? He does not want vanilla.
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Verbs ending in -y : the third person changes the -y to -ies:
fly –> flies, cry –> cries
Exception: if there is a vowel before the –y:
play –> plays, pray –> prays
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Add -es to verbs ending in:-ss, -x, -sh, -ch:
he passes, she catches, he fixes, it pushes
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Forming the simple present tense: to think
Affirmative | Interrogative | Negative |
---|---|---|
I think | Do I think? | I do not think |
You think | Do you think? | You do not think |
He thinks | Does he think? | He does not think |
She thinks | Does she think? | She does not think |
It thinks | Does it think? | It does not think |
We think | Do we think? | We do not think. |
They think | Do they think? | They do not think. |
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An explanation video:
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Published: Nov 23, 2020
Latest Revision: Nov 23, 2020
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Copyright © 2020