Present Simple
Present simple – simple (indefinite) present tense in English. It is usually used to talk about everyday life, about regular repetitive actions. It is the most common verb form in the English language, accounting for more than half of the verbs in spoken English.
| Present simple | ||
| Signal words | Use | Form |
| Every day Sometimes Always Often Usually Seldom Occasionally Never Ever (in questions) From time to time Once, twice a week (a month, a year, etc.) | Facts in present Repeated actions in present Something happens repeatedly How often something happens One action follows another Things in general With verbs like (to love, to hate, to think, etc.) Future meaning: timetables, programmes | infinitive he/she/it: infinitive + |
General scheme of using Present simple (OTHER VERBS) using the word work as an example
| Positive | Negative | Question |
| I/You/We/They work | I/You/We /They do not work | Do I/You/We/They work? |
| He/She/It works | He/She/It does not work | Does He/She/It work? |
For convenience, you can use abbreviated forms:
do not – don’t
does not – doesn’t
It is important to know:
- -es (box – boxes) is added to words ending in -s, -ss, -x, -z, -ch, -sh
- in words ending in -th, only -s is added (path – paths).
- in words ending in -y, the ending changes to -ies (to fly – flies).
- Frequently used words: have – has, do – does, go – goes.