Grammar Glow

Present Simple Tense

The Present Simple Tense is one of the basic tenses in English that describes actions, facts, or conditions that are general, habitual, or true at the present moment. It is often used to talk about things that happen regularly or things that are always true.

Key characteristics

Base form of the verb is used with all subjects except third-person singular (he, she, it).
For third-person singular, an -s or -es is added to the verb (e.g., "He runs," "She watches")
Helping verbs like do and does are used to form questions and negatives.

When to Use the Present Simple Tense

1. Stating Facts and General Truths:

Used to express facts that are universally true or permanent conditions.
Example: "The Earth orbits the Sun."
Example: "Water boils at 100°C."

2. Expressing Habits and Routines:

Describes actions that happen regularly or repeatedly.
Example: "I go to the gym every morning."
Example: "She always drinks coffee in the afternoon."

3. Describing Permanent Situations:

Refers to situations that are constant or not expected to change.
Example: "They live in New York."
Example: "He works as a teacher."

4. Expressing Feelings, Opinions, and Preferences:

Used to talk about emotions, likes, dislikes, or opinions.
Example: "I love pizza."
Example: "She thinks this movie is great."

Forming Present Simple Tense

1. Affirmative Form

Structure:

Subject + Base Verb (for I/you/we/they)

Subject + Base Verb + -s/-es (for he/she/it)

Explanation:

For subjects I, you, we, they, use the base form of the verb.

For he, she, it, add -s or -es to the base verb.

Examples

"I eat breakfast every morning."
"They play football on Saturdays."
"He drinks coffee in the morning."
"She watches TV at night."

2. Negative Form

Structure:

Subject + Do/Does + Not + Base Verb

For I, you, we, they, use do not (don’t).

For he, she, it, use does not (doesn’t).

Explanation:

To form negatives, use do not or does not before the base verb.

With he, she, it, the -s or -es drops, and you use does not.

Examples

"I don’t like spicy food."
"They don’t go to the gym regularly."
"He doesn’t eat meat."
"She doesn’t drive to work."

3. Question Form

Structure:

Do/Does + Subject + Base Verb?

For I, you, we, they, use do.

For he, she, it, use does.

Explanation:

To ask questions, begin with do or does, followed by the subject and the base verb.

For he, she, it, use does and drop the -s from the verb.

Examples

"Do you like pizza?"
"Do they work on weekends?"
"Does she read novels?"
"Does it snow in winter?"
"Where do you live?"
"What time does she wake up?"
"How does it work?"

Spelling Rules

Rule

Example

Examples

Add -s to most verbs

Add -s to the base form for regular verbs.

"He plays football every day."

Add -es to verbs ending in -ch, -sh, -ss, -x, -o

Verbs ending in these sounds take -es for smoother pronunciation.

"He watches TV after work."

Change -y to -ies for verbs ending in consonant + -y

Change the -y to -ies when a consonant precedes the -y.

"He studies English."

Keep -y and add -s for verbs ending in vowel + -y

Keep the -y and just add -s if a vowel precedes the -y.

"She plays the piano."

Irregular verbs

Some verbs have irregular forms in the third person.

"He has two cats."

Common Time Expressions:

Always
Usually
Often
Sometimes
Never
Every day/week/month/year
On Mondays/Tuesdays/etc.
In the morning/afternoon/evening
Once a day/week/month
Twice a year
Rarely
Seldom

Present Simple Tense Key characteristics When to Use the Present Simple Tense Forming Present Simple Tense Spelling Rules Common Time Expressions: