The Simple Present Tense: Useful Usage and Example Sentences

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In this lesson, you will learn the simple present or present simple tense in English verb tenses chart.

Simple Present Tense | Usage & Examples

The simple present tense is used to describe habits, unchanging situations, general truths, and fixed arrangements.

Structure

• Affirmative (+):           S + V(s/es) + O.
• Negative (-):           S+ don/t/doesn/t + V (base form) + O.
• Interrogative (?):        Do/does + S + V(base form) + O ?

Usage

• To express habits, general truths, repeated actions or unchanging situations, emotions and wishes:
  I study (habit); I work in Newyork (unchanging situation); London is a large city (general truth)
• To give instructions or directions:
  You open the door and you see a red umbrella.
• To express fixed arrangements, present or future:
  Your flight starts at 09.00
• To express future time, after some conjunctions: after, when, before, as soon as, until:
  I will finish the task before this afternoon.

Examples with the verb RUN

Affirmative (+) 

• I run fast.
• You run fast.
• He runs fast.
• She runs fast.
• It runs fast.
• They run fast.
• We run fast.

Negative (-)

• I don’t run fast.
• You don’t run fast.
• He doesn’t run fast.
• She doesn’t run fast.
• It doesn’t run fast.
• They don’t run fast.
• We don’t run fast.

Interrogative (?)

• Do I run fast?
• Do you run fast?
• Does he run fast?
• Does she run fast?
• Does it run fast?
• Do they run fast?
• Do we run fast?

Present Simple| Infographic