Simple present: the uses of this verb tense and sentences

The simple present tense is a verb tense used for habits, routines, general truths, facts, and scheduled events. Think of it as describing actions that happen regularly or are always true.   

Here's a breakdown of its key features:

• Base Form: For most subjects (I, you, we, they), you use the base form of the verb.

  • I eat breakfast every day.
  • They play soccer on weekends.
  • We live in São Paulo.

• Third Person Singular (he, she, it): For the third person singular, you usually add an -s or -es to the base form of the verb.  

  • He eats breakfast every day.
  • She plays the piano beautifully.
  • It rains a lot in the summer here.

• Negative Form: You usually use "do not" (don't) or "does not" (doesn't) with the base form of the verb.  

  • I do not (don't) like spicy food.
  • They do not (don't) go to the gym on Mondays.
  • She does not (doesn't) speak Portuguese.
  • It does not (doesn't) snow in São Paulo.

• Question Form: You usually start questions with "Do" or "Does" followed by the subject and the base form of the verb.  

  • Do you like coffee?  
  • Do they live nearby?  
  • Does he work downtown?
  • Does it often rain in May?

Here are some common uses of the simple present:

• Habits and Routines: Actions that you do regularly.  

  • I wake up at 7 am every morning.
  • She takes the bus to work.
  • We go to the movies on Fridays.

• General Truths and Facts: Things that are always true.  

  • The sun rises in the east.
  • Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.  
  • São Paulo is a big city.  

• Scheduled Events: Things that are planned for the future and have a fixed time.  

• The train leaves at 6 pm.
• The movie starts at 8:30 pm.
• My flight arrives tomorrow morning.

• The affirmative conjugation of the simple present tense in English varies depending on the subject. Here's a breakdown:

  For most verbs:

  • I + base form of the verb (e.g., I eat)
  • You + base form of the verb (e.g., You eat)
  • He/She/It + base form of the verb + -s (e.g., He eats, She eats, It eats)
  • We + base form of the verb (e.g., We eat)
  • They + base form of the verb (e.g., They eat)

  Special cases for the third person singular (he/she/it):

  • For verbs ending in -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -o, add -es:
    • pass -> passes
    • wash -> washes
    • watch -> watches
    • fix -> fixes
    • go -> goes
  • For verbs ending in a consonant + -y, change the -y to -ies:
    • study -> studies
    • cry -> cries
  • For verbs ending in a vowel + -y, just add -s:
    • play -> plays
    • say -> says
  • The verb have becomes has in the third person singular.
  • The verb be has irregular forms:
    • I am
    • You are
    • He/She/It is
    • We are
    • They are
  • The verb do becomes does in the third person singular.

  In summary, for affirmative sentences in the simple present, you generally use the base form of the verb, adding an "-s" or "-es" to the third-person singular (he, she, it), with a few irregular verbs to remember.

  We usually use "do not" or "does not" (or their contractions "don't" and "doesn't") with the base form of the verb.

  Here's the breakdown:

  • For I, you, we, and they: Use "do not" (don't) + the base form of the verb.

    • Example: I do not like coffee. (or I don't like coffee.)
    • Example: They do not play soccer on Sundays. (or They don't play soccer on Sundays.)

  • For he, she, and it: Use "does not" (doesn't) + the base form of the verb. Notice that the '-s' ending on the verb in the affirmative form disappears in the negative.

    • Example: She does not speak French. (or She doesn't speak French.)
    • Example: He does not want to go. (or He doesn't want to go.)
    • Example: It does not rain much in the desert. (or It doesn't rain much in the desert.)

  The verb "to be" is an exception. For "to be" in the simple present (am, is, are), you simply add "not" after the verb:

  • I am not tired.
  • You are not late. (or You aren't late.)
  • He is not here. (or He isn't here.)
  • She is not a doctor. (or She isn't a doctor.)
  • It is not cold today. (or It isn't cold today.)
  • We are not going. (or We aren't going.)
  • They are not happy. (or They aren't happy.)

• To form interrogative sentences (questions) in the simple present tense, you typically use the auxiliary verbs "do" or "does" before the subject. Here's the basic structure:

  Do/Does + Subject + Base Form of Verb + ?

  Here's how it conjugates for different subjects:

  Subject	Interrogative Form	Example
  I	Do I + base verb?	Do I need help?
  You (singular)	Do you + base verb?	Do you like pizza?
  He	Does he + base verb?	Does he play soccer?
  She	Does she + base verb?	Does she speak French?
  It	Does it + base verb?	Does it rain often here?
  We	Do we + base verb?	Do we have homework?
  You (plural)	Do you + base verb?	Do you all understand?
  They	Do they + base verb?	Do they live nearby?

  Key Points:

  • "Does" is used for the third-person singular (he, she, it).
  • "Do" is used for all other subjects (I, you, we, they).
  • The main verb always stays in its base form (the infinitive without "to").
  • Don't forget the question mark at the end of the sentence.

  Examples:

  • Affirmative: You speak Spanish. Interrogative: Do you speak Spanish?
  • Affirmative: She works at the bank. Interrogative: Does she work at the bank?
  • Affirmative: They like to dance. Interrogative: Do they like to dance?

  This structure allows you to ask questions about habits, routines, general truths, and states in the present.

Here are some examples of affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences in the simple present tense:

Affirmative:

• I eat breakfast every morning.
• She works at a hospital.
• They play soccer on weekends.
• The sun rises in the east.
• My cat sleeps a lot.

Negative:

• I do not eat breakfast every morning. (or I don't eat breakfast every morning.)
• She does not work at a hospital. (or She doesn't work at a hospital.)
• They do not play soccer on weekends. (or They don't play soccer on weekends.)
• The sun does not rise in the west. (or The sun doesn't rise in the west.)
• My cat does not sleep all the time. (or My cat doesn't sleep all the time.)

Interrogative:

• Do you eat breakfast every morning?
• Does she work at a hospital?
• Do they play soccer on weekends?
• Does the sun rise in the east?
• Does your cat sleep a lot?