SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

Ø      Base Formula : Subject + [Verb or Verb+s/es (in third person)] + Object or Complement

Examples :

1. You speak English
2. Do you speak English?
3. You do not speak English

I. List of Simple Present Tense

A. Habitual or Repeated Actions

            Use the Simple Present Tense to express the idea that an action is repeated or usual. The action can be a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens. It can also be something a person often forgets or usually does not do.

Examples :

1. I play tennis
2. She does not play tennis
3. Does he play tennis?
4. The rain leaves every morning at 8 AM
5. The rain does not leave at 9 AM
6. When does the train usually leave?
7. She always forgets her purse
8. He never forgets his wallet
9. Every twelve months, the earth circles the sun
10. Does the sun circle the earth

B. Facts or Generalizations

            The Simple Present can also indicate the speaker believes that a fact was true before, is true now, and will be true in the future. It is not important if the speakers is correct about the fact. It is also used to make generalizations about people or things.

Examples :

1. Cats like milk
2. Birds do not like milk
3. Do pigs like milk?
4. California is in America?
5. California is not in the United Kingdom
6. Windowa are not made of wood
7. New York is a small city. It is not important that this fact is untrue

C. Scheduled Events in the Near Future

            Speakers occasionally use Simple Present to talk about scheduled events in the near future. This is most commonly done when talking about public transportation, but it can be used with other scheduled events as well.

Examples :

1. The train leaves tonight at 6 PM
2. The bus does not arrive at 11 AM, it arrives at 11 PM
3. When do we board the plane?
4. The party starts at 8 o’clock
5. When does class begin tomorrow?

D. Now (Non-Continous Verbs)

            Speakers sometimes use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is happening or is not happening now. This can only be done with Non-Continuous Verbs and certain Mixed Verbs.

Examples :

1. I am here right now
2. She is not here right now
3. He needs help right now
4. He does not need help right now
5. He has his passport in his hand
6. Do you have your passport with you?

II. Adverb Placement

            The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples :

1. You only speak English
2. Do you only speak English?

III. Active and Passive

            Sentences can be active or passive. Therefore, tenses also have “active forms” and “passive form”. You must learn recognize the difference to successfully speak English.

a. Active Form

            In active sentences, the thing doing the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing receiving the action is the object. Most sentences are active.

[Thing doing action] + [Verb+s/es] + [Thing receiving action]

Examples :

1. Tom cleans the car
2. John washes dishes
3. The teacher teaches the students

b. Passive Form

            In passive sentences, the thing receiving the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing doing the action is optionally included near the end of the sentence. You can use the passive form if you think that the thing receiving the action is more important or should be amphasized. You can also use the passive form if you do not know who is doing the action or if you do not want to mention who is doing the action.

[Thing receiving action] + [be] + [Past participle of Verb] + [by] + [Thing doing action]

Examples :

1. The car is cleaned by Tom
2. The dishes are washed by John
3. The students are taught by the teacher