Tenses: Present Simple
Form:
[Infinitive] + s in third person singular (he, she, it).
Affirmative sentences:
I work in a bank. | My brother works in a farm. |
We sleep at 10 o’clock. | She sleeps at 9 o’clock. |
They play tennis. | Tom plays football. |
Negative sentences:
You must not negate a full verb in English. Always use the auxiliary do for negations.
I | watch | TV. | |
I | don’t | watch | TV at all. |
My sister | uses | a computer. | |
My father | doesn’t | use | computers at all. |
Interrogative sentences:
Use the auxiliary do in questions.
- Do you play basketball?
- Does he play basketball?
Use:
The Simple Present is used to express:
1. Action which happens again and again (habit)
- They go to work by car
- He washes his hair twice a week
2. A fact which is always true.
- Some birds fly south in winter
- The sun sets in the west
3. Scheduled events in the near future
- The train from Brussels arrives at 8.30
- The party starts at 9 o’clock.
The Simple Present is used with the following adverbs of frequency:
0% —————————————-50%————————————————–100%
never rarely not often sometimes often usually always