Present Simple Tense Theory
The Simple Present Tense in English is used to describe an action that is regular, true or normal. We use it:
1. For repeated or regular actions in the present time period. Examples:
- I take the train to the office.
- The train to Berlin leaves every hour.
- John sleeps eight hours every night during the week.
2. For facts. Examples:
- The President of The USA lives in The White House.
- A dog has four legs.
- We come from Switzerland.
3. For habits. Examples:
- I get up early every day.
- Carol brushes her teeth twice a day.
- They travel to their country house every weekend.
4. For things that are always / generally true.
- It rains a lot in winter.
- The Queen of England lives in Buckingham Palace.
- They speak English at work.
We form the Present Simple Tense using the base form of the infinitive (without the TO). In general, in the third person we add -S. Examples:
Subject
|
Verb
|
The Rest of the sentence
|
|---|---|---|
I / You / We / They
|
speak / learn
|
English at home
|
He / She / It
|
speaks / learns
|
English at home
|
The spelling for the verb in the third person differs depending on the ending of that verb:
1. For verbs that end in -O, -CH, -SH, -SS, -X, or -Z we add -ES in the third person. Examples:
- Go – goes
- Catch – catches
- Wash – washes
- Kiss – kisses
- Fix – fixes
- Buzz – buzzes
2. For verbs that end in a consonant + Y, we remove the Y and add -IES. Examples:
- Marry – marries
- Study – studies
- Carry – carries
- Worry – worries
NOTE: For verbs that end in a vowel + Y, we just add -S. Examples:
- Play – plays
- Enjoy – enjoys
- Say – says
