Grammar - Simple Present Tense

The PRESENT TENSE 

uses the verb's base form (write, work), or, for third-person singular subjects, the base form plus an -s ending (he writes, she works).

The PRESENT TENSE indicates that an action is present, now, relative to the speaker or writer. Generally, it is used to describe actions that are factual or habitual -- things that occur in the present but that are not necessarily happening right now: "It rains a lot in Portland" is a kind of timeless statement. Compare that to the present progressive -- "It is raining in Portland" -- which means that something is, in fact, going on right now. "I use my bike to get around town." is in the present, but I'm not actually on my bike right now. An instantaneous sense of the present can be conveyed with either the simple present or the progressive: "Watch him now: he holds [is holding] down the control key at the same time that he presses [is pressing] the letter d."

The present tense is used to describe events that are scheduled (by nature or by people): "High tide is at 3:15 p.m. The Super Bowl starts at 6:15 p.m."

The present tense can be used to suggest the past with what is sometimes called the fictional (or historic) present: "We were watching the back door when, all of a sudden, in walks Dierdre." With verbs of communicating, the present tense can also suggest a past action: "Dierdre tells me that she took her brother to the dentist." Most oddly, the present tense can convey a sense of the future, especially with verbs such as arrive, come, and leave that suggest a kind of plan or schedule: "The train from Boston arrives this afternoon at two o'clock."

Authority for this section: A University Grammar of English by Randolph Quirk and Sidney Greenbaum. Longman Group: Essex, England. 1993. Used with permission.

Present tense habitual activities are frequently signaled by time expressions such as the following:
all the time
always
every class
every day
every holiday
every hour
every month
every semester
every week
every year
most of the time
never
often
rarely
sometimes
usually

Singular Plural
I walk we walk
you walk you walk
he/she/it walks they walk

Singular Plural
I sleep we sleep
you sleep you sleep
he/she/it sleeps they sleep

Singular Plural
I am we are
you are you are
he/she/it is they are

Simple Present Tense
English Grammar Rules

The simple present tense in English is used to describe an action that is regular, true or normal.

We use the present tense:

1. For repeated or regular actions in the present time period.

    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.

    The President of The USA lives in The White House.
    A dog has four legs.
    We come from Switzerland.

3. For habits.

    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.


Verb Conjugation & Spelling

We form the present tense using the base form of the infinitive (without the TO).

In general, in the third person we add 'S' in the third person.
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.

    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.

    marry – marries
    study – studies
    carry – carries
    worry – worries

NOTE: For verbs that end in a vowel + Y, we just add -S.

    play – plays
    enjoy – enjoys
    say – says


Negative Sentences in the Simple Present Tense

To make a negative sentence in English we normally use Don't or Doesn't with all verbs EXCEPT To Be and Modal verbs (can, might, should etc.).

    Affirmative: You speak French.
    Negative: You don't speak French.

You will see that we add don't between the subject and the verb. We use Don't when the subject is I, you, we or they.

    Affirmative: He speaks German.
    Negative: He doesn't speak German.

When the subject is he, she or it, we add doesn't between the subject and the verb to make a negative sentence. Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb in the affirmative sentence (because it is in third person) disappears in the negative sentence. We will see the reason why below.

Negative Contractions

Don't = Do not
Doesn't = Does not

I don't like meat = I do not like meat.

There is no difference in meaning though we normally use contractions in spoken English.

Word Order of Negative Sentences

The following is the word order to construct a basic negative sentence in English in the Present Tense using Don't or Doesn't.
Subject  don't/doesn't Verb*  The Rest of the sentence
I / you / we / they  don't  have / buy
eat / like etc.  cereal for breakfast
he / she / it  doesn't

* Verb: The verb that goes here is the base form of the infinitive = The infinitive without TO before the verb. Instead of the infinitive To have it is just the have part.

Remember that the infinitive is the verb before it is conjugated (changed) and it begins with TO. For example: to have, to eat, to go, to live, to speak etc.

Examples of Negative Sentences with Don't and Doesn't:

    You don't speak Arabic.
    John doesn't speak Italian.
    We don't have time for a rest.
    It doesn't move.
    They don't want to go to the party.
    She doesn't like fish.



Questions in the Simple Present Tense

To make a question in English we normally use Do or Does. It has no translation in Spanish though it is essential to show we are making a question. It is normally put at the beginning of the question.

    Affirmative: You speak English.
    Question: Do you speak English?

You will see that we add DO at the beginning of the affirmative sentence to make it a question. We use Do when the subject is I, you, we or they.

    Affirmative: He speaks French.
    Question: Does he speak French?

When the subject is he, she or it, we add DOES at the beginning to make the affirmative sentence a question. Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb in the affirmative sentence (because it is in third person) disappears in the question. We will see the reason why below.

We DON'T use Do or Does in questions that have the verb To Be or Modal Verbs (can, must, might, should etc.)

Word Order of Questions with Do and Does

The following is the word order to construct a basic question in English using Do or Does.
Do/Does  Subject  Verb*  The Rest of the sentence
Do  I / you / we / they  have / need
want etc. a new bike?
Does  he / she / it

*Verb: The verb that goes here is the base form of the infinitive = The infinitive without TO before the verb. Instead of the infinitive To have it is just the have part.

Remember that the infinitive is the verb before it is conjugated (changed) and it begins with TO. For example: to have, to eat, to go, to live, to speak etc.

Examples of Questions with Do and Does:

    Do you need a dictionary?
    Does Mary need a dictionary?
    Do we have a meeting now?
    Does it rain a lot in winter?
    Do they want to go to the party?
    Does he like pizza?


Short Answers with Do and Does

In questions that use do/does it is possible to give short answers to direct questions as follows:
Sample Questions  Short Answer
(Affirmative)  Short Answer
(Negative)
Do you like chocolate?  Yes, I do.  No, I don't.
Do I need a pencil?  Yes, you do.  No, you don't.
Do you both like chocolate?  Yes, we do.  No, we don't.
Do they like chocolate?  Yes, they do.  No, they don't.
Does he like chocolate?  Yes, he does.  No, he doesn't.
Does she like chocolate?  Yes, she does.  No, she doesn't.
Does it have four wheels?  Yes, it does.  No, it doesn't.

However, if a question word such as who, when, where, why, which or how is used in the question, you can not use the short answers above to respond to the question.

I walk to work every day.
The Chicago Bulls sometimes practice in this gymnasium.
Dr. Espinoza operates according to her own schedule.
Coach Calhoun recruits from countries outside the U.S.A.
Tashonda tells me she has committed to UConn.
We work really hard to make this a success, and then look what happens.
Every time that kid finishes a sandcastle, the waves come in and wash it away.
The shipment arrives tomorrow at 2 p.m.

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/tenses/simple_present.htm