Simple Present Tense – English Grammar

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The simple present tense is one of the most commonly used tenses in English grammar. It describes actions that happen regularly, facts that are always true, and situations that are fixed or scheduled. This tense is essential for talking about daily routines, habits, scientific facts, instructions, and timetables.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use the simple present in positive and negative sentences, form questions, understand its structure, and apply third-person verb rules—all with clear examples.

Table of Contents

When to Use the Simple Present Tense

The simple present tense is used to describe actions, situations, or facts that are regular, general, or always true. It covers a range of uses such as stating facts, habits, routines, scheduled events, and instructions. Each use depends on context, but the structure remains consistent.

1. General Truths & Facts

Used when stating objective facts or scientific truths:

Water boils at 100 °C.
The earth revolves around the sun.
A week has seven days.

2. Habits & Daily Routines

Describes actions regularly occurring:

I wake up at 6 a.m. every day.
She takes the bus to school.
They eat dinner together each night.

3. Scheduled Events & Timetables

Used for planned events in the future (especially with public schedules):

The train leaves at 8 p.m.
The store opens at 9 a.m. every Monday.

4. Permanent Situations & Lasting Conditions

Describes long-term truths, lifestyles, or locations:

He works as a teacher.
They live in Spain.
That store sells furniture.

5. Instructions, Directions & Commentary

Common in guides, recipes, or broadcasting:

First, turn left at the traffic light.
Add two cups of flour.
Smith passes to Adams, Adams shoots—he scores!

6. Stative Verbs

The Simple Present also works with stative verbs. These verbs typically aren’t used in continuous forms (e.g., “I know” not “I am knowing”).

She knows the answer.
I believe you.
He smells smoke.

Simple Present Tense Structure

The Simple Present Tense has a fixed structure that changes based on sentence type: affirmative, negative, or question. It also depends on the subject—especially when using he, she, or it (third person singular). The base form of the verb is used, with -s or -es added in some cases, and do/does used for negatives and questions.

Affirmative Form

To form a positive sentence in the simple present, use the base form of the verb. For he, she, it, add -s or -es to the verb.

Subject + base verb (add -s or -es for he/she/it)

Verb Ending	Third Person Singular	Examples
most verbs	add –s	work → works, run → runs
-ch/-sh/-x/-ss/-o	add –es	go → goes, watch → watches
consonant + y	y → ies	study → studies
have	has	have → has

Examples:

I walk to school.
She plays the piano.
It rains a lot here.

Negative Form

For negative sentences, use do not (don’t) or does not (doesn’t) + the base verb. Don’t add -s to the verb, even for he/she/it.

Subject + do/does + not + base verb

Examples:

I don’t eat meat.
He doesn’t watch TV.
They don’t like cold weather.

Question Form

To form questions, start with do or does, then add the subject and the base verb. Use does for he/she/it.

Do/Does + subject + base verb?

Examples:

Do you play football?
Does she work here?
Do they live nearby?

Short Answers

Use “do/does” for yes or no replies. These are common in spoken English.

Examples:

Yes, I do. / No, I don’t.
Yes, he does. / No, he doesn’t.

Summary Table

Type	Structure	Example
Affirmative	S + V / V‑s/es	He reads the newspaper every morning.
Negative	S + do/does + not + V	They don’t watch TV on weekdays.
Question	Do/Does + S + V?	Does she play guitar?
Short Answer	Yes/No + S + do/does	Yes, she does. / No, they don’t.

Time Expressions in the Simple Present Tense

The simple present tense is often used with specific time expressions that show how often something happens. These words and phrases help clarify whether an action is habitual, repeated, or part of a routine.

Time expressions in the simple present usually answer the question:
“How often?”, “When?”, or “On which days?”

Common Time Adverbs

These words describe frequency — how often something happens:

Adverb	Example Sentence
always	She always drinks tea in the morning.
usually	I usually walk to work.
often	They often go hiking.
sometimes	We sometimes eat out on Fridays.
rarely	He rarely watches TV.
never	She never eats fast food.

Regular Time Phrases

These phrases talk about routines tied to specific times or days:

Time Phrase	Example Sentence
every day	He runs every day.
every week	They meet every week.
on Mondays	I clean the house on Mondays.
in the morning	She reads in the morning.
at night	We study at night.
once a week	He visits his grandparents once a week.
twice a month	I go to the dentist twice a month.