Lesson 3.2: Present Simple Tense - Habits, Facts, and General Truths

Lesson 3.2: Present Simple Tense - Habits, Facts, and General Truths

Present Simple Tense: For Habits, Facts, and Things Always True!

The Present Simple tense is one of the most fundamental tenses in English. We use it to talk about things that are generally true, habits, routines, and permanent situations. It expresses actions or states that are true in the present, in general, or repeatedly.

Key Uses of the Present Simple Tense:

  • Habits and Routines: Actions we do regularly, repeatedly. (e.g., daily, weekly, always, often, sometimes, never).
  • General Truths and Facts: Things that are always or generally true. (e.g., scientific facts, universal truths).
  • Permanent Situations and States: Situations that are generally stable or long-lasting.
  • Schedules and Timetables (Future meaning, often): For scheduled future events, especially fixed schedules like public transport or events.
  • Instructions and Directions: Giving step-by-step directions or instructions.
  • Narrating Present Actions (in sports commentary, demonstrations): Describing actions as they happen in real-time (less common in general conversation).

Forming the Present Simple Tense:

The form of the Present Simple is usually very simple!

  • Base form of the verb for most subjects: I, you, we, they. (e.g., I walk, you eat, we sing, they live)
  • Base form + -s or -es for third person singular subjects: he, she, it. (e.g., He walks, she eats, it sings, he lives)

Adding -s or -es for He/She/It: Spelling Rules

  • Most verbs: add -s (e.g., walk -> walks, eat -> eats, sing -> sings)
  • Verbs ending in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -o: add -es (e.g., kiss -> kisses, wash -> washes, watch -> watches, fix -> fixes, go -> goes)
  • Verbs ending in consonant + -y: change -y to -ies (e.g., study -> studies, cry -> cries, fly -> flies)
  • Verbs ending in vowel + -y: just add -s (e.g., play -> plays, enjoy -> enjoys, say -> says)
  • Irregular verb "to have": has (e.g., He has a car)
  • Irregular verb "to be": is, am, are (e.g., He is tall, I am here, They are happy) - forms of "to be" are quite irregular in the present simple.

Examples of Present Simple in Use:

  • Habits and Routines:
    • "I drink coffee every morning." (Daily habit)
    • "She goes to the gym twice a week." (Weekly routine)
    • "They usually eat dinner at 7 pm." (Typical routine)
    • "He never watches TV." (Habitual absence of action)
  • General Truths and Facts:
    • "The sun rises in the east." (Universal truth)
    • "Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius." (Scientific fact)
    • "Dogs bark." (General characteristic of dogs)
    • "Paris is the capital of France." (Geographic fact)
  • Permanent Situations and States:
    • "I live in London." (Current, relatively permanent situation)
    • "She works as a teacher." (Her profession - long-term state)
    • "They have two children." (Their family situation - lasting state)
    • "He is tall." (Describing a permanent characteristic)
  • Schedules and Timetables (Future meaning):
    • "The train leaves at 9 am tomorrow." (Scheduled departure)
    • "The concert starts at 8 pm." (Fixed event timetable)
    • "My flight departs next Monday." (Scheduled travel)
  • Instructions and Directions:
    • "You mix the flour and eggs first." (Instruction - step 1)
    • "Turn left at the next traffic light." (Direction)
    • "First, you open the box, then you take out the contents." (Step-by-step instruction)

Negative and Question Forms of Present Simple: Using "do/does"

To make negative and question forms of the Present Simple (except with the verb "to be"), we usually use the auxiliary verbs "do" and "does":

  • Negative: Subject + do/does + not + base form of verb (e.g., I do not walk, She does not eat) - Contractions: *don't*, *doesn't* (e.g., I don't walk, She doesn't eat)
  • Question: Do/Does + Subject + base form of verb? (e.g., Do you walk? Does she eat?)

Examples of Negative and Question Forms:

  • "I do not like coffee." / "I don't like coffee." (Negative)
  • "She does not work on Sundays." / "She doesn't work on Sundays." (Negative - 3rd person singular)
  • "Do you speak English?" (Question)
  • "Does he play the guitar?" (Question - 3rd person singular)
  • "Where do they live?" (Question with question word "where")
  • "Why does she study so much?" (Question with question word "why" - 3rd person singular)

For the verb "to be", we don't use "do/does" for negatives and questions. We negate with "not" and invert the subject and verb for questions (e.g., "He is not happy." "Is he happy?").

Time Adverbs with Present Simple: Showing Frequency

We often use adverbs of frequency with the Present Simple to show how often something happens. Common adverbs of frequency include:

  • always, usually, often, frequently, sometimes, occasionally, rarely, seldom, hardly ever, never, every day, every week, once a week, twice a month, etc.

These adverbs usually come before the main verb (but after "to be"): (e.g., "I always drink coffee." "She is usually late.")

Key takeaway: The Present Simple tense is used for habits, facts, general truths, permanent situations, schedules, and instructions. It is formed with the base verb (or -s/-es for he/she/it) and uses "do/does" for negatives and questions (except for "to be"). Mastering the Present Simple is essential for talking about routines and general information in English. Next, we will explore the Present Continuous Tense!