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The present simple, simple present or present indefinite is one of the verb forms associated with the present tense in modern English. It is commonly referred to as a tense, although it also encodes certain information about aspect in addition to the present time. The present simple is the most commonly used verb form in English, accounting for more than half of verbs in spoken English.[1]
It is called "simple" because its basic form consists of a single word (like write or writes), in contrast with other present tense forms such as the present progressive (is writing) and present perfect (has written). For nearly all English verbs, the present simple is identical to the base form (dictionary form) of the verb, except when the subject is third-person singular, in which case the ending -(e)s is added. There are a few verbs with irregular forms, the most notable being the copula be, which has the present simple forms of am, is, and are.
Conjugation[edit]For pronouns I, you, we, they, there is no modification for verbs.
For pronouns he, she, it, a suffix is added following these rules:
For verbs that end in -o, -ch, -sh, -s, -x, or -z, the suffix -es is added.
Examples:
Go – Goes Catch – Catches Wash – Washes Kiss – Kisses Fix – Fixes Buzz – BuzzesFor verbs that end in a consonant + y, the letter y is replaced by the suffix -ies.
Examples:
Marry – Marries Study – Studies Carry – Carries Worry – WorriesIn other cases, the suffix -s is added.
Examples:
Play – Plays Enjoy – Enjoys Say – SaysA special situation happens with the verb to he in which the letters ve are omitted before adding s.
Example:
Have – Has Formation[edit]The basic form of the present simple is the same as the base form of the verb, unless the subject is third person singular, in which case a form with the addition of -(e)s is used.[2] For details of how to make this inflected form, see English verbs § Third person singular present.
The copula verb be has irregular forms: am (first person singular), is (third person singular), and are (second person singular and all persons plural). The modal verbs (can, must, etc.) he only a single form, with no addition of -s for the third person singular.
The above refers to the indicative mood of the present simple; for the formation and use of the subjunctive mood, see English subjunctive. (The defective verb beware has no present simple indicative, although it can be used in the subjunctive.)
The conjugation of the present simple is given below, using the verb to write as an example.
Present Simple Indicative Singular Plural First Person I write We write Second Person You write You write Third Person He/she/it writes They write Negative[edit]
The present simple for lexical verbs has an expanded form that uses do (or does, in the third person indicative) as an auxiliary verb. This is used particularly when forming questions and other clauses requiring inversion, negated clauses with not, and clauses requiring emphasis. For details see do-support. For the verbs (auxiliary and copular) that do not make this form, as well as the formation and use of contracted forms such as 's, isn't, and don't, see English auxiliaries and contractions.
Present Simple Negative Singular Plural First Person I do not write We do not write Second Person You do not write You do not write Third Person He/she/it does not write They do not write Present simple subjunctive[edit] Main article: English subjunctive Uses[edit]The present simple is used to refer to an action or event that takes place habitually, to remark habits, facts and general realities, repeated actions or unchanging situations, emotions, and wishes.[3] Such uses are often accompanied by frequency adverbs and adverbial phrases such as always, sometimes, often, usually, from time to time, rarely, and never.
Examples:
I always take a shower. I never go to the cinema. I walk to the pool. He writes for a living. She understands English.This contrasts with the present progressive (present continuous), which is used to refer to something taking place at the present moment: I am walking now; He is writing a letter at the moment.
It is also used with stative verbs in senses that do not use progressive aspect (see Uses of English verb forms § Progressive), to refer to a present or general state, whether temporary, permanent or habitual:
You are happy. I know what to do. A child needs its mother. I love you.The present simple is also used to state facts:
The Earth revolves around the Sun. A king beats a jack. Many Americans drink coffee in the morning.It can similarly be used when quoting someone or something, even if the words were spoken in the past:
Mary says she's ready.It can be used to refer to a single completed action, as in recounting the events of a story in the present tense (see historical present), and in such contexts as newspaper headlines, where it replaces the present perfect:
In Hamlet, Ophelia drowns in a stream. 40-year-old wins a gold medal.Present simple is sometimes used to refer to an arranged future event, usually with a reference to time:
We lee for Berlin tomorrow at 1 pm. Our holiday starts on 20 May.It is used when providing a commentary on events as they occur:
I chop the chives and add them to the mixture. Ronaldo dribbles around the defender and shoots.Similarly, it is also used when describing events in some theoretical or planned situation that is under consideration:
According to the manager's new idea, I welcome the guests and you give the presentation.It is used in many dependent clauses referring to the future, particularly condition clauses, clauses expressing place and time, and many relative clauses (see Uses of English verb forms § Dependent clauses):
If he finds your sweets, he will eat them. We will report as soon as we receive any information.Present simple is also used in zero conditional sentences in both parts of the sentence.[4]
Ice melts if you heat it. Plants die if they don't get enough water.In certain situations, like in a temporal adverbial clause, present simple is used rather than the present progressive:
We can see the light improving as we speak.In colloquial English, it is common to use can see, can hear for the present tense of see, hear, etc., and he got for the present tense of he (denoting possession). See Uses of English verb forms § He got and can see.
See also[edit] Present continuous Past simple Uses of English verb forms References[edit] ^ Alzuhairy, Uthman (2016). "The Frequency of The Twelve Verb Tenses in Academic Papers Written by Native Speakers". University of Central Florida. p. 41. ^ Using the Third Person Singular (he, she, it) in the Present Tense nextgenenglish.com ^ Verb Tenses: Simple Present edufind.com ^ Zero Conditional | English Grammar Guide | EF Education First External links[edit] The dictionary definition of simple present at Wiktionary