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Table of contents

1. How to form the present simple tense in English

2. Use of the present simple tense

Talking about routines and habits

Expressing general facts

Talking about schedules or fixed future events

Expressing the frequency of events

3. Rules of the present simple tense

General rules

Exceptions

4. Notes

5. Some tips and tricks

1. How to form the present simple tense in English

For I, you, we, and they: use the base form of the verb to form the present simple tense in English.

  1. I love you.
  2. You look beautiful.
  3. We provide assistance to socially disadvantaged people.
  4. They eat rice every day.

 
For he, she, and it: Add an ‘s’ to the base form of the verb.

  1. She believes in God.
  2. She eats rice every day.
  3. He forgets things easily.
  4. It makes sense.

2. Use of the present simple tense 

Talking about routines and habits

Girl waking up.
A woman making a bed.
A man cleaning a room.
A woman taking a shower.
A woman washing her hair.
A woman drying her hair.
Taking a breakfast.
A woman brushing her teeth.
A woman taking a bus.
  1. She always takes the bus to school. 
  2. We go hiking every Sunday.
  3. How do you go to work? 
  4. What time do you usually go to bed? 
  5. I leave my house at about 8:30 am to go to work. 
  6. She spends about 20 minutes in the bathroom every morning. 
  7. On weekends, I take a nap after lunch. 
  8. I wash my face every morning. 

Expressing general facts

  1. I am British. 
  2. My favourite colour is red. 
  3. He works at the bank. 
  4. The sun generates solar winds. 
  5. The restaurant is closed on Mondays. 

Talking about schedules or fixed future events

  1. The last train to London leaves at 22:00.
  2. I have an appointment at 8:00.
  3. What time is your meeting with the manager?
  4. Our meeting starts at 9:00.
  5. We plan to leave at noon.

Expressing the frequency of events

  1. She never lies to me.
  2. I rarely walk to school.
  3. He sometimes falls asleep during my English class.
  4. The database is updated every three months.
  5. The train to Hamburg passes once an hour.
  6. I practice yoga once a week.
  7. My grandfather goes for a walk once a day.
  8. My father shaves every other day.
  9. British Airways flies from London Heathrow to Wroclaw twice a week.
  10. My son often listens to loud music.
  11. Our hotel is usually fully booked in summer.
  12. The temperature in this region seldom drops below 8°C in the winter. 
  13. My parents always tell me the truth.

3. Rules of the present simple tense

General rules

For most verbs in the present simple tense, we add -s in the 3rd person singular (He/She/It).

  1. work => works: He works at night. 
  2. take  => takes: She takes a short walk every morning. 
  3. give => gives: It gives me pleasure to help other people. 

We add -es for verbs ending in -s, -sh, -ch, and -x in the 3rd person singular (He/She/It). 

  1. fetch => fetches: Sarah fetches her daughter at school at 4:30 pm.
  2. impress => impresses: He always impresses me.
  3. mix => mixes: He often mixes English and Spanish.

For verbs ending in consonant + -y, change -y to -ies in the 3rd person singular (He/She/It). 

  1. study  => studies: He studies English with my daughter.
  2. cry => cries: She cries like a baby.
  3. carry around => carries around: She often carries around a gun.

  For verbs ending in vowel + -y, simply add -s in the 3rd person singular (He/She/It) as normal.

  1. obey => obeys: The dog obeys his master.
  2. pray => prays: Alan prays three times a day.
  3. enjoy => enjoys: She enjoys spending time with her daughter.

Exceptions

❗Watch out for the following exceptions about the present simple tense in the 3rd person singular (He/She/It). 

  1. go => goes: He goes to school by bus.
  2. do => does: She does her job very well.
  3. have => has: She has four siblings.

4. Notes

❗Note that we use every + singular noun: 

  1. Every child needs to feel loved. Every children need to feel loved.  
  2. I shave every day. I shave every days.
  3. Every student has the capacity to learn. Every students have the capacity to learn.

❗We use singular verbs with the indefinite pronouns everyone, everybody, everything and everywhere:

  1. Not everybody wants to be rich. Not everybody want to be rich. 
  2. Everyone needs friendship and love. Everyone needs friendship and love.
  3. Is everything alright? Are everything alright? 
  4. Everywhere is dark when the night comes. Everywhere are dark when the night comes. 

  

5. Some tips and tricks

Time expressions: words like “always”, “sometimes”, “often”, “never”, “every day”, “rarely” and “once a week” are often used with the present simple tense.

  1. I always wake up at 6 a.m.
  2. She sometimes eats ice cream.
  3. I rarely take the train to go to school.
  4. We visit our parents once a week.

 
Verbs “to be” and “to have”: with the verb “to be” and “to have”, the present simple form is a bit different than what we have seen so far. For the verb “to be”, we say:

  1. I am.
  2. You are.
  3. He/She/It is.
  4. We/They are.
  1. I am late.
  2. Are you married?
  3. He is old.
  4. They are my friends.

For the verb “to have”, we say:

  1. I have.
  2. You have.
  3. He/She/It has.
  4. We/They have.
  1. I have a car.
  2. You have a beautiful house.
  3. She has a boyfriend.
  4. We have a few friends in the city.

 
Practice time: Now, try to make your own sentences with the present simple tense. Think about things you do every day or facts you know. The more you practice, the better you will get!

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