Present simple: the basis for being able to speak English

Let me tell you a little bit about what I do every day, I'll tell you in English so that you can train your ear. Every morning, I wake up at 7, I take a shower and then I have breakfast. At 9, I go to work. My job finishes at 6 and I go home. My wife cooks delicious meals for the family every day. We go to the cinema very often. I usually go to bed at 10.

The daily routine is one of the first things you will be taught in English classes. For this, we use a very simple grammatical tense, the simple present.

Verb tenses in English

When you take online classes with a teacher, I recommend that, in addition to paying attention in the class, you also do a little work on your own so that you can quickly advance in your English language journey. That's why today we'll review some of the most basic grammar of the language.

There are different verb tenses in English; If we divide them into three broad categories, there are the present, the Past and the future. Each of these has different verb tenses that are used in different ways and for different purposes. There are simple, progressive or continuous and perfect in the present, past and Future.

Today, we will focus on the simple present. This time has different uses that I will explain shortly so that you can put it into practice as soon as possible.

We will gradually review the different uses of the present simple tense in English and I will also share with you examples of each of its uses, as well as the structure grammar that you should use.

Uses of the present simple

The first use of the simple present tense is to express what we do day by day, that is, our daily routine or habits. Examples of this use include:

1. My friend plays with me.
2. He regularly eats vegetables.
3. Lucy studies at university every day.
4. I go to bed at 9.
5. We have dinner together.
6. She eats breakfast every morning.
7. They go to school.
8. I drink coffee every morning.
9. They go to the cinema every Friday.
10. He brushes his teeth.

The simple present tense also helps us express situations that don't change over time. Here are some examples for you to understand this use:

1. I live in Italy.
2. She has green eyes.
3. I breathe.
4. Julian never goes to work by bus.
5. My hair is black.

In addition, the present simple tense is also used to talk about general truths or scientific rules:

1. Two plus two makes four.
2. The moon orbits the Earth.
3. France is in Europe.
4. Water boils at 100 degrees.
5. Humans need oxygen to live.

The next use we will review is to give instructions. The simple present tense is the most effective way to ask someone to do something, or follow your instructions. Look, for example, at an instruction manual for a piece of furniture to assemble. Instructions are most likely in the simple present tense, such as these:

1. When your mom tells you to tidy up your room: you clean your room now!
2. Or in cooking recipes: Add eggs to the mixture.
3. On your GPS: Turn left on the next street.
4. Wash your hands after using the toilet.
5. You go straight ahead.

There are also some specific cases in which we will use the simple present tense to indicate an event that will happen in the future. For this, it is crucial that we have the following subordinating conjunctions: after, as soon as, before, when and until. In this type of sentence, we will use a part of the statement in the future and the dependent sentence in the present tense. Let's look at some examples:

1. We'll pick you up from the train station as soon as you arrive.
2. When Sofia goes to Prague, she will go to the Prague Castle.

In addition, we can use the simple present tense to express the future when an event is already planned in advance and repeated constantly.

1. The soccer World Cup happens every 4 years.
2. The game starts at 1:00.
3. My bus leaves at 8.
4. School starts at 7:30.
5. My doctor's appointment is at 12.

Structure of the present simple tense in English

In all verb tenses there are three categories of verbs that help us express different ideas. These categories are: affirmative, negative and interrogative or question.

We use affirmative sentences to explain that something is true or valid. Negative sentences, as the name suggests, are used to deny something or explain that some situation is not true or did not happen.

In the case of interrogative sentences, we use them when we need to ask a question, whether closed or open. In English, verbs are conjugated into these three categories as follows:

For affirmative sentences, the verb in the present tense is very easily conjugated. The persons I, you, we, you (plural) and they use the base form of the verb without "to", that is:

• To play = I play
• To sing = you sing
• To read = we read
• To jump = they jump

And what about the third person singular? It's very simple, to conjugate he, she, it in the present simple tense we only need to add an S to the end of the verb, and in some cases ES (with verbs ending in "s", "sh", "ch", "x", "zz" and "o"). Check out these examples:

• To like = he likes
• To smile = she smiles
• To sleep = it sleeps
• To watch = she watches
• To fish = he fishes
• To wish = she wishes
• To kiss = he kisses
• To think = he thinks

Some verbs are irregularly conjugated with he, she, it. For example:

• To have = has
• To do = does
• To be = is

The verb to be actually has three different conjugations: I am, you, we, they are, he, she, it is.

When making negative and interrogative sentences, we must use an auxiliary verb. This auxiliary verb helps us change the meaning of the sentence to ask a question or deny something. We have two auxiliaries in the present tense in English: do, which is used with I, you, we, you (plural) and they; and does, which always goes with he, she, it.

The negative form uses an auxiliary, the verb C plus not to make the sentence negative; This can be said or written in its entirety: Do not, does not, or with contraction don't, doesn't. In the interrogative form, the auxiliaries are do and does.

Common Present Simple Mistakes

An extremely common mistake when learning the present simple tense in English is that when we write or say negative or interrogative sentences we try to conjugate the verb in the present tense with the third person singular (he, she, it), that is, we add the S or ES to the end of the verb. This is not necessary, since the verb that is conjugated in the present tense is the auxiliary; in this case, does already have the ES.

I will tell you some examples of verbs incorrectly conjugated in negative and interrogative form and their correct form.

• He doesn't plays – incorrect.
• He doesn't play – correct.
• Does she listens to music? – incorrect
• Does she listen to music? – correct
• The dog doesn't runs quickly – incorrect
• The dog doesn't run quickly – correct
• Does the teacher explains well? – incorrect
• Does the teacher explain well? – correct

Adverbs and Expressions of Frequency in the Present Tense

To close this topic, the present tense in English is usually accompanied by adverbs of frequency. These adverbs serve to explain how often an action happens.

In general, we should place them after the verb, with the exception of the verb be, in which case, we should place it after the verb. For negative sentences we will place the frequency adverb after the auxiliary (don't/doesn't), while in the questions we must place it after the subject.

The adverbs of frequency in English are the following, in order of highest to lowest frequency:

Let's review some examples using the adverbs of frequency.

• Is he always early?
• Do they often visit their grandma?
• You don’t often go to the theatre.
• She usually starts a new painting each week.
• They are never late.
• My son hardly ever speaks French.

In addition to frequency adverbs, we also have some frequency expressions that are used in the present simple tense. Some of these phrases are: X number of times a day/ a week, once a day, twice a week, X number of times a month, every day, every week, every month, every year, once in a while, from time to time, every now and then, all the time, most of the time.

• Once in a while, I pick up a new hobby.
• We read horror stories all the time.
• I swim three times a week.
• I brush my teeth three times a day.
• Every month my father buys pizza for dinner.

Keep learning

As I always say, practice makes perfect. Try to use the present simple tense every day to practice its different uses. You can make a diary with your activities in English so that you can practice your writing. Also, with your classmates, try asking them what they do on a daily basis and also tell them a little about your own habits.

Also, you can make some worksheets with scientific data that you know do not change to practice this verb tense. Don't stop practicing and always remember that the present simple tense is the foundation of the English language.

Learn their auxiliaries do and does, and remember that in affirmative sentences you must add an S to the verb with he, she, it. Learn more about the language with the Berlitz Classes!