|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Present SimpleUse
Note: Apart from all the above uses, this tense is also used in :
- Zero Conditional- If it rains, I go play football. - First Conditional - We won't get our pocket money, if we don't pass this exam. - In sentences after "when", "before", "till", "after", "as soon as" ("Before you leave, please take the keys").
The Present Simple is also used in narrations. For example, while telling a joke or story:
A man goes to visit a friend and is amazed to find him playing chess with his dog. He watches the game in astonishment for a while [...]
Some of the verbs used in the Simple can be used in the Continuous as well. That's typically when they have an active meaning or emphasize change... read more. Form
The tables below show how to create a sentence in the Present Simple. As I mentioned above it's quite easy: you just have to know the base form of the verb and the performer of the action. We need to know this because we have to add "s" to the base form of the verb in the 3rd person singular. Attention! We're talking about positive sentences now.The table below shows a couple of examples:
As you can see, an suffix is added every time that we create the 3rd person singular. There are 3 main suffixes:
However, some verbs are irregular, like have or be.
So what about questions and negative sentences? There are even easier to understand because the base verb stays the same. However, as always inversion takes place in interrogative sentences (questions). If you scroll down this page a bit, you'll find some examples. In negative sentences we add "not" to the auxiliary verb (does, do), in this way getting contracted forms like doesn't or don't. Again, there are some nice examples below. Positive sentences:
Sharks have sharp teeth (Use 1)
Questions (interrogative sentences):
Questions require the auxiliary verb "to do" or, in the 3rd person singular, "does". Keep in mind that when you ask a question you don't need an "s" anymore. Compare these examples: A:Does she like going to the mountains? A:Does John have a dog?
Negative sentences:
To describe how often an action that takes place, you can use adverbs of frequency. For example :
Here are a few examples of how to use them in sentences:
read more about adverbs of frequency Check your understanding!Present Simple ExercisePresent Simple 1 (forming; all) Present Simple 2 (forming; positive and negative sentences) Present Simple 3 (forming; all) Present Simple vs Present Continuous 4 Present Simple vs Present Continuous 5 Present Simple - conjugation of the verb "to be"
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
