The present simple
Introduction
I love my dog!
Definition
The present simple is one of the two present tenses used in modern English. The other one is the present continuous.
Construction
Affirmative: Subject + verb/verb with s or es I like cheese. We add s or es to the end of regular verbs with he, she or it. It is important to pronounce the s or es. Anne loves chocolate. Thierry misses his old job. The train arrives at 10 o'clock. Negative: Subject + do + not + bare infinitive I don't like cheese. Interrogative: Do + subject + bare infinitive Do you like cheese? Negative Interrogative I don't work You don't work He doesn't work She doesn't work It doesn't work We don't work They don't work Do I work? Do you work? Does he work? Does she work? Does it work? Do we work? Do they work?
Does sounds like dʌz.
Doesn't sounds like dʌzənt.
Examples
He doesn't like his job.
I don't work on Fridays.
He doesn't drink coffee in the evening.
He doesn't play tennis.
They don't live in London.
Does he work in this office?
Do Bill and Ted drink tea or coffee?
Do Mexicans speak Spanish?
Does she have an appointment?
Do you wash your hair every day?
Irregular verbs
There are some irregular verbs, including 'do', 'go' and 'have'.
| Regular verbs | Do | Go | Have |
|
I work You work He works She works It works We work They work
|
I do You do He does She does It does We do They do |
I go You go He goes She goes It goes We go They go |
I have You have He has She has It has We have They have |
For more irregular verbs please see the table common irregular verbs.
Uses
| Uses | Examples |
|
To state general facts |
The sun rises in the east. Australians speak English.
|
|
To give information
| I like coffee. She lives in London. He plays tennis. This plane flies to Paris.
|
| To talk about repeated actions, habits or routines
| I leave work at 5pm. I go to the gym on Fridays.
|
Time phrases
We use time expressions with the present simple: We have a team meeting twice a week. I take the children to school every morning. I go to the dentist once a year. She does the shopping on Saturdays.
Adverbs of frequency
We often use adverbs of frequency with the present simple:
I always visit my parents at the weekend.
He often goes to the cinema.
They sometimes meet for lunch.
I rarely eat meat.
She never arrives early.
Stative and active verbs
We usually use the present simple with stative verbs. These are different from active verbs because they describe a state, feelings or emotions. They are also used to refer to the senses or to talk about weights and measurements etc.
I know a lot of Japanese people. [not 'I'm knowing']
He believes in God. [not 'He's believing']
I'm a teacher. [not 'I'm being']
It tastes lovely. [not 'It's tasting]
It weighs 3kg. [not 'It's weighing]
However, there are exceptions. See stative and active verbs for more detail.
Unusual or temporary behaviour
We usually use the stative verb 'to be' in the present simple, but we can use it in the present continuous if we're talking about unusual or temporary behaviour:
She's usually very selfish and difficult to work with but, today, she's being really kind and considerate - I don't know why!
Note that we can only do this if we are talking about behaviour or pretence: He's being polite.
Compare
She is impatient. (in general) She is being impatient. (at the moment)
They are generous. They are being generous.
She is usually very flexible, but she's being very stubborn about this!
Paul is being unprofessional; he is usually prepared and on time.
My daughter's being very rude today; My son's being a cowboy in the school play.
it isn't like her at all.
The senses
Verbs like taste, see, hear, smell, sound etc. are more commonly used with simple tenses:
It tastes delicious.
It smells good.
It sounds lovely.
It feels soft.
It looks wonderful.
However we can also use the continuous as in the examples below:
You look nice today. = You're looking nice today
Do you feel better today? = Are you feeling better today?
The garden is looking lovely now that spring is here.
It is feeling much softer now I have washed it with Lenor.
Pronunciation of present tense regular verbs
| /s/ sound after soft consonants
(no extra syllable) | /z/ sound after hard consonants and vowel sounds
(no extra syllable)
| /Iz/ sound after /s/, /ʃ/, /tʃ/, z, /ks/ and /dʒ/
(this adds an extra syllable) | Change y to i and add es when verb ends in a consonant and y
(no extra syllable) |
|
likes shops talks stops walks laughs works wants waits sits drinks eats
|
orders plays ends listens loves needs lives arrives learns
|
misses watches finishes manages fixes washes
|
hurry hurr fly flies study studies
|
Examples
Xavier goes to work at 8am but he sometimes misses the bus. On Friday afternoons, he does the shopping and he watches TV in the evenings. He washes his car every Sunday and fixes any problems. He has a son. He helps his father.
"What do you do?" "I work in a bank."
"Do you enjoy your job?" "Yes, but I sometimes work very late."
"Do you travel to other countries on business?" "No, but I visit clients in this country."
Stories and jokes
In informal, spoken English, we sometimes use the present simple (and present continuous) to tell a joke or relate something that happened in the past because it sounds more interesting or dramatic:
You won't believe what happened last night! Well, I hear his car screech to a halt and I drop everything and wait. He comes in the door with a bunch of flowers in his hand. He says...
A dog walks into a bar and orders a bottle of wine. The barman says...
Sports commentaries
Similarly, sports commentators often use the present tense to describe the action - it sounds more dramatic and exciting.
The goalkeeper kicks it down the pitch. Kuyt gets on the end of it. He passes to Gerrard who takes it past two defenders. He looks up, shoots and scores!
