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Simple present
Simple present
Simple present
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The simple present, present simple, or present indefinite is one of the verb forms associated with the present tense in modern English. It is commonly referred to as a tense, although it also encodes certain information about aspect in addition to the present time. The simple present is the most commonly used verb form in English, accounting for more than half of verbs in spoken English.[1]

It is called "simple" because its basic form consists of a single word (like write or writes), in contrast with other present tense forms such as the present progressive (is writing) and present perfect (has written). For nearly all English verbs, the simple present is identical to the base form (dictionary form) of the verb, except when the subject is third-person singular, in which case the ending -(e)s is added. There are a few verbs with irregular forms, the most notable being the copula be, which has the simple present forms of am, is, and are.

Conjugation

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For pronouns I, you, we, they, there is no modification for verbs.

For pronouns he, she, it, a suffix is added following these rules:

For verbs that end in -o, -ch, -sh, -s, -x, or -z, the suffix -es is added.

Examples:

  • Go – Goes
  • Catch – Catches
  • Wash – Washes
  • Kiss – Kisses
  • Fix – Fixes
  • Buzz – Buzzes

For verbs that end in a consonant + y, the letter y is replaced by the suffix -ies.

Examples:

  • Marry – Marries
  • Study – Studies
  • Carry – Carries
  • Worry – Worries

In other cases, the suffix -s is added.

Examples:

  • Play – Plays
  • Enjoy – Enjoys
  • Say – Says

A special situation happens with the verb to have in which the letters ve are omitted before adding s.

Example:

  • Have – Has

Formation

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The basic form of the simple present is the same as the base form of the verb, unless the subject is third person singular, in which case a form with the addition of -(e)s is used.[2] For details of how to make this inflected form, see English verbs § Third person singular present.

The copula verb be has irregular forms: am (first person singular), is (third person singular), and are (second person singular and all persons plural). The modal verbs (can, must, etc.) have only a single form, with no addition of -s for the third person singular.

The above refers to the indicative mood of the simple present; for the formation and use of the subjunctive mood, see English subjunctive. (The defective verb beware has no simple present indicative, although it can be used in the subjunctive.)

The conjugation of the simple present is given below, using the verb to write as an example.


Simple Present Indicative
Singular Plural
First Person I write We write
Second Person You write You write
Third Person He/she/it writes They write

Negative

[edit]

The simple present for lexical verbs has an expanded form that uses do (or does, in the third person indicative) as an auxiliary verb. This is used particularly when forming questions and other clauses requiring inversion, negated clauses with not, and clauses requiring emphasis. For details see do-support. For the verbs (auxiliary and copular) that do not make this form, as well as the formation and use of contracted forms such as 's, isn't, and don't, see English auxiliaries and contractions.

Simple Present Negative
Singular Plural
First Person I do not write We do not write
Second Person You do not write You do not write
Third Person He/she/it does not write They do not write

Simple present subjunctive

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Main article: English subjunctive

Uses

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The simple present is used to refer to an action or event that takes place habitually, to remark habits, facts and general realities, repeated actions or unchanging situations, emotions, and wishes.[3] Such uses are often accompanied by frequency adverbs and adverbial phrases such as always, sometimes, often, usually, from time to time, rarely, and never.

Examples:

  • I always take a shower.
  • I never go to the cinema.
  • I walk to the pool.
  • He writes for a living.
  • She understands English.

This contrasts with the present progressive (present continuous), which is used to refer to something taking place at the present moment: I am walking now; He is writing a letter at the moment.

It is also used with stative verbs in senses that do not use progressive aspect (see Uses of English verb forms § Progressive), to refer to a present or general state, whether temporary, permanent or habitual:

  • You are happy.
  • I know what to do.
  • A child needs its mother.
  • I love you.

The simple present is also used to state facts:

  • The Earth revolves around the Sun.
  • A king beats a jack.
  • Many Americans drink coffee in the morning.

It can similarly be used when quoting someone or something, even if the words were spoken in the past:

  • Mary says she's ready.

It can be used to refer to a single completed action, as in recounting the events of a story in the present tense (see historical present), and in such contexts as newspaper headlines, where it replaces the present perfect:

  • In Hamlet, Ophelia drowns in a stream.
  • 40-year-old wins a gold medal.

Simple present is sometimes used to refer to an arranged future event, usually with a reference to time:

  • We leave for Berlin tomorrow at 1 pm.
  • Our holiday starts on 20 May.

It is used when providing a commentary on events as they occur:

  • I chop the chives and add them to the mixture.
  • Ronaldo dribbles around the defender and shoots.

Similarly, it is also used when describing events in some theoretical or planned situation that is under consideration:

  • According to the manager's new idea, I welcome the guests and you give the presentation.

It is used in many dependent clauses referring to the future, particularly condition clauses, clauses expressing place and time, and many relative clauses (see Uses of English verb forms § Dependent clauses):

  • If he finds your sweets, he will eat them.
  • We will report as soon as we receive any information.

Simple present is also used in zero conditional sentences in both parts of the sentence.[4]

  • Ice melts if you heat it.
  • Plants die if they don't get enough water.

In certain situations, like in a temporal adverbial clause, simple present is used rather than the present continuous:

  • We can see the light improving as we speak.

In colloquial English, it is common to use can see, can hear for the present tense of see, hear, etc., and have got for the present tense of have (denoting possession). See Uses of English verb forms § Have got and can see.

See also

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Simple present

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
The simple present, also known as the present simple or present indefinite, is a tense in used to express habits, general truths, repeated actions, and states that are generally true in the present. It is the most basic way to refer to actions or situations in the present time.

Formation

Affirmative

The affirmative form of the simple present tense in English is used to express facts, habits, or general truths in declarative statements. It consists of the subject followed by the base form of the main , with a specific modification for third-person singular subjects. This structure applies to all persons except the third-person singular, where an ending is added to the . For subjects in the first person (I, we), second person (you), and third person plural (they), the affirmative construction uses the subject plus the plain base form of the verb without any inflection. For example, "I walk to work every day" or "They play football on weekends." In the third-person singular (he, she, it, or singular nouns), the base form of the verb is modified by adding -s or -es to indicate agreement with the subject. Most regular verbs simply add -s, as in "She walks to work" or "The bus leaves at 8 AM." Verbs ending in -s, -sh, -ch, -x, -z, or -o take -es instead, such as "He watches TV" (from watch) or "She goes to the market" (from go). If a verb ends in a consonant followed by -y, the -y changes to -ies, for example, "The baby cries at night" (from cry). These rules ensure morphological consistency in the tense. The pronunciation of the -s or -es ending in third-person singular varies based on the preceding sounds for clarity in spoken English. It is pronounced as /s/ after voiceless (e.g., /k/, /p/, /t/), as in "He likes " (/laɪks/). After voiced sounds (e.g., vowels or /b/, /d/, /g/), it is /z/, such as "She reads books" (/riːdz/). For (e.g., /s/, /ʃ/, /tʃ/, /z/, /ʒ/, /dʒ/), it becomes /ɪz/, for instance, "The cat watches birds" (/wɒtʃɪz/). These phonetic adjustments follow rules.

Negative

The negative form of the simple present tense is formed using the auxiliary verb "do" or "does" followed by "not" and the base form of the main verb. For first person singular and plural (I, we), second person (you), and third person plural (they), use "do not" (contracted as "don't") + base form. For third-person singular (he, she, it), use "does not" (contracted as "doesn't") + base form. Examples include: "I do not (don't) like coffee" and "She does not (doesn't) work here." This structure applies to most main verbs; the verb "to be" forms negatives differently (e.g., "I am not").

Interrogative

The interrogative form of the simple present tense for yes/no questions uses "do" or "does" + subject + base form of the main . For I, you, we, they, use "Do" + subject + base form (e.g., "Do you play ?"). For third-person singular (he, she, it), use "Does" + subject + base form (e.g., "Does he live here?"). Contractions are not typically used in questions, though short answers may use them (e.g., "Yes, I do."). For wh-questions, a question word precedes the auxiliary (e.g., "Where do they go?"). As with negatives, this applies to most main verbs; "to be" uses inversion (e.g., "Are you happy?").

Conjugation

Regular verbs

Regular verbs in the simple present tense follow a predictable pattern of conjugation based on the or . For first person singular (I), second person singular and plural (you), first person plural (we), and third person plural (they), the base form of the is used without any . In contrast, for third person singular subjects (he, she, it, or a singular ), the takes an ending of -s or -es. This distinction applies universally to regular verbs, which are those that form their by adding -ed (or -d) to the base, excluding modal auxiliaries like can or must that do not inflect in the . The full conjugation paradigm for a regular verb such as "walk" is illustrated below:
PronounConjugation
Iwalk
you (singular)walk
he/she/itwalks
wewalk
you (plural)walk
theywalk
This pattern holds for all regular verbs, with the third person singular form modified according to specific spelling rules. Spelling changes occur in the third person singular to maintain phonetic and orthographic consistency. Verbs ending in -o, -ch, -s, -sh, -x, or -z add -es instead of -s; for example, "go" becomes "goes" and "watch" becomes "watches." Verbs ending in a consonant followed by -y change the -y to -ies; for instance, "study" becomes "studies." All other regular verbs simply add -s to the base form, as in "walk" to "walks." These rules ensure the written form aligns with . Phonetically, the third person singular ending exhibits allomorphy, manifesting as three variants: /s/ after voiceless sounds (e.g., "walks" pronounced /wɔːks/), /z/ after voiced sounds (e.g., "runs" pronounced /rʌnz/), and /ɪz/ after like /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/, or /dʒ/ (e.g., "watches" pronounced /ˈwɒtʃɪz/). This variation is conditioned by the final of the stem and applies consistently across regular verbs in the simple present.

Irregular verbs

In the simple present tense, most irregular verbs conjugate similarly to regular verbs by adding -s or -es to the base form for third-person singular subjects (he, she, it), with deviations occurring only in a small number of high-frequency verbs. These exceptions deviate from the standard pattern through stem changes, unique forms, or lack of inflection altogether, making them essential for accurate usage. The verb to be stands out as completely irregular in the simple present, with distinct forms for different subjects: am for I, are for you/we/they, and is for he/she/it. For example, "I am happy," but "She is happy." Similarly, to have uses have for most subjects but has in the third person singular, as in "I have a " versus "He has a ." The verb to do follows suit, changing to does for he/she/it, for instance, "We do exercises" but "She does exercises." Another common example is to go, which becomes goes in the third person singular due to a spelling adjustment, as in "They go home" versus "It goes home." Modal auxiliary verbs represent another category of irregularity, as they do not inflect for or number in the simple present and remain in their base form across all subjects, without adding -s. Common modals include can, may, will, shall, must, could, might, should, would, and ought to. For example, "I can swim" and "He can swim" use the same form. The following table summarizes the simple present conjugation for these key irregular verbs:
Base formI/you/we/theyHe/she/itExample (affirmative)
beam / areisI am / She is a teacher.
havehavehasWe have time / It has ended.
dododoesYou do well / He does well.
gogogoesThey go early / She goes early.
Modal auxiliaries, being defective verbs, lack full conjugation paradigms but are used invariantly in the simple present:
  • Can: I can / He can
  • May: You may / She may
  • Will: We will / It will
  • Shall: They shall / He shall
  • Must: I must / She must
  • Could: You could / It could
  • Might: We might / He might
  • Should: They should / She should
  • Would: I would / He would
  • Ought to: You ought to / It ought to
These forms highlight the limited but significant irregularities in the simple present, contrasting with the more uniform patterns seen in regular verbs.

Uses

Habits and general truths

The simple present tense is commonly employed to describe habits and routines, which are actions that occur regularly or repeatedly in an individual's daily life. For instance, it conveys personal schedules such as "I brush my teeth twice a day" or "She exercises every morning before work." This usage emphasizes the habitual nature of the action rather than its specific occurrence at the moment of speaking. In addition to personal routines, the simple present expresses general truths and universal facts that are considered timeless or always valid. Scientific principles and natural phenomena are often articulated this way, as in " boils at 100°C" or "The revolves ." Proverbs and sayings also rely on this tense to convey enduring wisdom, such as "Birds of a feather flock together" or "Honesty is the best policy." Adverbs of frequency, such as always, usually, often, sometimes, and never, frequently accompany the simple present to indicate the regularity of these habits or truths. These adverbs are typically placed before the main in affirmative sentences (e.g., "He often visits his grandparents") but after the verb to be (e.g., "She is always punctual"). In questions, they follow the subject (e.g., "Do you ever eat spicy food?"). This positioning helps clarify the degree of repetition involved. To illustrate in context, consider a typical daily schedule: "I wake up at 6 a.m., have breakfast, and go to the office by train. On weekends, I usually meet friends for coffee." Such narratives highlight ongoing patterns without implying temporary actions. Unlike the present continuous, which describes actions happening right now or temporary situations (e.g., "I am brushing my teeth at the moment"), the simple present focuses on general habits and unchanging facts, avoiding any sense of ongoing duration. This distinction ensures the tense is used for broad, repeated patterns rather than specific, limited events.

States and permanent situations

The simple present tense is commonly used to describe states and permanent situations in English, referring to conditions that are ongoing, unchanging, or true over an extended period without implying action or change. These uses contrast with dynamic verbs that denote actions, as states typically involve stative verbs, which express situations rather than processes and are generally not used in continuous tenses. Stative verbs fall into several categories, including those related to mental and emotional states, such as know, believe, like, , hate, and think (when expressing an opinion). For example, "I believe in equality" describes a lasting belief, while "She loves " conveys an enduring emotion. Similarly, verbs of possession like have, own, and belong indicate permanent or affiliation, as in "This belongs to me." Verbs of perception and senses, including see, hear, feel, smell, and taste, also function as stative in the simple present to report ongoing sensory experiences, such as "I hear music playing" or "The soup tastes delicious." Permanent situations extend this usage to long-term facts or conditions that are considered stable or factual, often involving verbs like live, work, or general truths with verbs like orbit or consist. Examples include "She lives in ," referring to her established residence, or "The orbits the Sun," stating a scientific constant. Some stative verbs can occasionally adopt a dynamic meaning, allowing limited use in continuous forms, but their default role in the simple present remains for static descriptions; for instance, think as an opinion ("I think so") is stative, whereas "I'm thinking about the problem" implies an active mental process.

Scheduled events and narratives

The simple present tense is commonly employed to describe fixed schedules and timetables, particularly for events that are predetermined and unchangeable, such as departures or class timings. For instance, statements like "The train leaves at 9:00 AM" or "The bus arrives every 30 minutes" convey certainty based on official arrangements. This usage emphasizes the event's inevitability, often applying to near-future occurrences like "Classes start tomorrow" or "The show begins at 8 PM." In instructional contexts, such as recipes, manuals, or directions, the simple present provides clear, sequential guidance without implying ongoing action. Examples include "First, mix the and " in a or "Turn left at the " when giving directions. This tense suits step-by-step processes, as in "Open the packet and pour the contents into hot water," ensuring precise and imperative communication. For narratives and live commentary, the simple present—often termed the —creates immediacy and dramatic tension when recounting past events or describing ongoing action. In , it immerses the , as in "He enters the room and discovers the secret." In sports commentary, it heightens excitement during play-by-play descriptions: "She dribbles past the defender and scores the goal!" This technique is especially prevalent in real-time broadcasts to convey dynamism, such as "The ball hits the net." In , headlines frequently use the simple present to report past or recent events, enhancing urgency and timelessness. Phrases like "President visits " or "Team wins championship" replace past tenses to make the news feel current and engaging. This convention, observed in over 77% of finite headlines in analyzed samples, prioritizes brevity and impact over strict chronological accuracy.

Subjunctive mood

Formation in subjunctive

The simple present subjunctive in English is formed using the base form of the for all , regardless of or number, distinguishing it from the indicative mood where third-person singular verbs typically add an -s or -es ending. This uniform base form applies in clauses introduced by "that" following expressions of necessity, , or , as in "It is essential that she arrive on time," where "arrive" remains unchanged across . For the verb "to be," the subjunctive employs "be" consistently for all subjects in the present, unlike the indicative forms "am," "is," or "are." Examples include "I demand that he be present" or "It is recommended that they be informed," highlighting the lack of subject-verb agreement typical of the indicative. In affirmative constructions, the structure follows the pattern of a main indicative clause plus "that" plus the subject plus the base verb, such as "The insists that everyone attend the meeting." Negative forms insert "not" (or "never") directly before the base verb, without requiring as in indicative negatives; for instance, "It is crucial that she not be late" or "I suggest that he not leave early." This direct negation underscores the subjunctive's archaic retention of pre- morphology, as seen in fixed expressions like "."

Uses in subjunctive

The simple present subjunctive is primarily used to express suggestions, recommendations, demands, or necessities, typically in subordinate clauses following specific verbs or expressions. It appears after mandative verbs such as "suggest," "recommend," "demand," "insist," and "propose," as in "I suggest that she study harder" or "The judge demanded that the witness tell the truth." It is also common in clauses after impersonal expressions of importance or necessity, such as "It is important that," "It is essential that," or "It is crucial that," for example, "It is vital that the team arrive ." Additionally, it occurs in formal contexts like resolutions or motions, e.g., "The committee proposes that the budget be approved." The present subjunctive is less common in everyday spoken English, where the indicative mood or "should" constructions often substitute, but it persists in formal writing and fixed phrases like "be that as it may" or "far be it from me."

References

  1. https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/english-grammar-reference/present-simple
  2. https://www.grammarly.com/blog/grammar/simple-present/
  3. https://www.thoughtco.com/third-person-singular-verb-ending-1692468
  4. http://eoimarbella.es/semi/EOI_IN3_U1_T1_Contenidos_v10/411_pronunciation__spelling_of_third_person_singular.html
  5. https://gallaudet.edu/student-success/tutorial-center/english-center/grammar-and-vocabulary/how-to-use-verbs/forms-of-regular-verbs/
  6. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/grammar/british-grammar/present-simple-i-work
  7. https://americanphonetics.ruhosting.nl/course/2-predictable-pronunciations/2-1-the-plural-third-person-singular-and-genitive-endings/
  8. https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/essentialsoflinguistics2/chapter/allomorphy/
  9. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/verbs-basic-forms
  10. https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/a1-a2-grammar/present-simple
  11. https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/present-simple.html
  12. https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/english-grammar-reference/modal-verbs
  13. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/modality-forms
  14. https://www.ef.edu/english-resources/english-grammar/simple-present-tense/
  15. https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/b1-b2-grammar/stative-verbs
  16. https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/c1-grammar/advanced-present-simple-continuous
  17. https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/b1-b2-grammar/stative-verbs?page=2
  18. https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/english-grammar-reference/present-continuous
  19. https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/grammar/a1-a2-grammar/present-simple
  20. https://www.eslbase.com/grammar/present-simple/
  21. https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/english-grammar-reference/talking-about-future
  22. https://englishlessonsbrighton.co.uk/using-present-simple-storytelling-commentary/
  23. https://slate.com/human-interest/2014/07/historical-present-the-tense-shows-up-in-jokes-dramatic-anecdotes-sportscasting.html
  24. https://www.phil.muni.cz/angl/thepes/thepes_01_09.pdf
  25. https://www.grammarly.com/blog/grammar/subjunctive/
  26. https://quillbot.com/blog/verbs/subjunctive-mood/
  27. https://preply.com/en/blog/english-subjunctive/
  28. https://www.scribbr.com/verbs/subjunctive-mood/
  29. https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/youmeus/learnit/learnitv105.shtml
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