Simple Present Tense in English Grammar

Usage

We use the simple present tense for:

• events that take place regularly or habitually with signal words such as: always, never, rarely, often

  Example:

  He plays football every Tuesday.

• events that take place one after the other

  Example:

  After school Colin goes home, packs his bag, puts on his football shirt and then he goes to football training.

• facts, or things that are generally valid

  Example:

  A forward tries to score goals for his team.

• future actions that are planned and predetermined (e.g. by a timetable or programme)

  Example:

  The bus leaves at half past four.

  His training starts at five o’clock.

• stative verbs and verbs of thought/memory

  Example:

  Colin likes football.

  He is a forward.

There are four present tenses in English grammar. Besides the simple present, there is the present progressive, the present perfect and the present perfect progressive.

Learn about the differences between English present tenses on Lingolia’s English Tense Comparison page:

• Tense comparison simple present – present progressive
• Tense comparison simple present – present perfect progressive
• Tense Comparison present perfect – present perfect progressive

Signal Words: English Simple Present Tense

The following is a list of signal words that indicate the simple present tense:

• always, normally, usually
• often, sometimes, seldom
• never
• every day/week/month/…

Conjugation of English Simple Present Tense

The conjugation of English verbs in the simple present is relatively simple. We add an -s/-es to verbs in the third person singular (he/she/it), otherwise the verb does not change. In positive sentences, we use the verb in its present form. In negative sentences and questions, we use the auxiliary verb do. The main verb is used in the infinitive form.

Simple Present – Spelling Rules

To conjugate verbs in the third person singular in English grammar, we simply and an -s to the verb. However, there are a few exceptions to take note of:

• When the verb ends with an -o, -ch, -sh, we add -es.

  Example:

  do – he does

  wash – she washes

• When the verb ends with a consonant + y, we change the y to ie before adding the -s. However, verbs that end in vowel + y simply take -s.

  Example:

  worry – he worries
  (but: play – he plays)

• Modal verbs such as can, may, might, and must never take an -s. They remain the same in all forms.

  Example:

  he can swim

  she must go

The Verbs be and have

be

The verb be is irregular in all its forms. In negative sentences and questions, we do not use it with an auxiliary verb.

have or have got

There are two versions of the verb have in the simple present: have and have got. They are conjugated differently in positive, negative and interrogative senteces.

Contractions

Contractions are a combination of certain pronouns, verbs and the word not. They are mostly used in spoken and informal written English. The table below provides an overview of contractions in the present simple using the verbs be, have and do.