Present simple tense English grammar tutorial.
This English grammar lesson shows you how to form a present simple tense and when to use a present simple tense.
Before we get started it's good to know that when I say first person singular I mean 'I'.
When I say second person singular I mean 'you'.When I say third person singular I mean 'he', 'she' and 'it'. When I say first person plural I mean 'we'. When I say second person plural I mean 'you'. When I say third person plural I mean 'they'.
Now let's get started.
Take a look at these sentences:
I walk to school every day.
They play football on Sunday.
Both these sentences are in the present simpe tense.
How to form a present simple tense.
For the first and second person singular forms,
we simply use the infinitive form of the verb.
For example:
I swim in the river.
You read the newspaper.
For all plural forms, we do the same.
We use the infinitive form of the verb.
We walk school.
You ride your bikes.
They study English.
For the third person singular form, 'he', 'she', and 'it', we do something else. We use the infinitive form of the verb but we add a '-s'.
For example:
He walks home.
She plays hockey.
It rains on St. Swithins Day.
We need to pay extra attention when verbs end in a '-s' sound such as kiss and catch. We use the infinitive form of the verb but we add '-es.'
He misses his wife.
She teaches English.
For verbs ending in a 'y', preceded by a consonant, such as spy, fly, envy, worry, and the consonants being a 'p', an 'l', a 'v', and an 'r', the 'y' becomes 'ie'.
He spies on his neighbours.
She envies her cousin.
It worries me a lot.
Now let's take a look at the present simple tense in questions. For the first and second person singular form, we need the auxiliary verb 'to do', and the infinitive form of the verb.
Do I need a ticket?
Do you speak English?
The same goes for all plural forms.
Do we make the beds ourselves?
Do you ride your bicycles?
Do they work on the farm?
For the third person singular form, we also use the auxiliary verb 'to do', but we conjugate it to 'does' and the infinitive form of the verb.
Does he ride his bike often?
Does she cut your hair?
Does it work on batteries?
Now let's take a look at the present simple tense in negations. For the first and second person singular form, we again use the auxiliary verb 'to do' but we add 'not' to it, so it becomes 'don't' and we use the infinitive form of the verb.
I don't need a ticket.
You don't speak English.
For all plural forms, we do the same.
They don't walk to school.
You don't ride your bicycles.
They don't listen to the radio.
For the third person singular form, again we use does, and we add 'not' 'to it, so it becomes doesn't and the infinitive form of the verb.
He doesn't clean the house.
She doesn't cut her hair.
It doesn't work on batteries.
Now let's take a look at when we use the present simple tense. First we use the present simple tense for things that happen always such as:
every day and constantly.
Regularly, such as often and frequently.
Sometimes, such as occasionally and rarely.
And never.
For example:
I play football every Saturday.
He regularly visits his aunt.
We rarely go shopping in London
They never work late on Friday.
We also use the present simple tense for facts.
The sun rises in the east.
Plants need water.
Finally we use the present simple tense for schedules.
The bus leaves at six o'clock.
The train departs from platform two.
The flight arrives at gate three.
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