Meaning
The Present Simple tense, as basic as this sounds, expresses how things are. And it often does so without qualifications. Verbs in the Present Simple tense usually aren’t circumstantial or conditional. Instead, they simply communicate realities as they are understood by the speaker.
This may come in the form of general truths about our world or of identity statements. It may come in the form of events that are set in stone (like appointments). Regardless of how it’s used, the Present Simple tense is the foundation upon which we build all other tenses.
Structure
The Present Simple verb comes in two forms depending on the subject:
- For 1st-person, 2nd-person, and plural subjects, the Present Basic verb form is identical to any verb’s base form, or the Bare Infinitive (i.e., the same form seen in dictionaries).
- The exception to this is with BE, which takes the form of ‘am’ for 1st-person subjects, but takes the form ‘are’ for 2nd-person and plural subjects.
- For 3rd-person singular subjects, the -s form is the verb’s base form with an -s suffix. Verbs whose base form ends with ‘ch’, ‘s’, ‘sh’, ‘x’, ‘z’, and sometimes ‘o’ should add an ‘es’ to the end for this form; all other verbs don’t need the ‘e’, but merely add the ‘s’.
- The exceptions to this are with BE, which takes the form of ‘is’; and with HAVE, which takes the form of ‘has’.
Here are some example sentences:
| I am strong. | I run. | I wish upon a star. |
| Natasha is strong. | Natasha runs. | Natasha wishes upon a star. |
| My horses are strong. | My horses run. | My horses wish upon a star. |
When the clause is in an interrogative or negative format, we use DO: ‘do’ for 1st-person, 2nd-person, and plural subjects, and ‘does’ for 3rd-person singular subjects. For most question types, the DO comes before the subject. For negatives, DO plus the negator not (sometimes in contracted form) comes just before the main verb.
We can also use Modal Verbs like can, might, should, etc. Whenever an auxiliary verb is included in the Present Simple tense — whether it’s DO or a modal — the main verb should be in its base form; the main verb should not take on the -s form when following an auxiliary.
- as a question: “Do you run often?”
- as negative: “Brandon doesn’t run often.”
- with modality: “Sandra might run often.”
As an exception, when BE is the main verb, it can also be the auxiliary verb (instead of DO) needed for questions and negative structures. The same is true of HAVE in some British English dialects.
Usage
General Truths
The Present Simple tense is the best way to communicate general truths, whether they are laws of nature, identity statements, or other realities that have proven themselves true with perfect consistency (this is called the alethic mood). For example:
- “The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.”
- “When water reaches 100°C, it begins to boil.”
- “Elinor is an engineer.”
Habits
Present Simple verbs can also be used for habits and other recurring actions or events that seemingly have no end, or at least there is no end relevant to the context at hand. (Temporary reoccurrences should instead be a continuous tense.) We sometimes, but not necessarily, use Adverbs of Frequency for reoccurring actions or events. For example:
- “Kendra practices piano almost every day.”
- “On Saturdays, Wallace visits his grandmother.”
- “It often storms whenever we go to the beach.”
Current States
Current actions or events are expressed through the Present Progressive tense, but not current states, which should instead be Present Simple. Stative Verbs convey what the subject is, has, or means. While we can use the Present Perfect to show how states have persisted across time, the Present Simple focuses on the reality of those states in the current moment. For example:
- “Carl owns an impressive stamp collection.”
- “My shoulder hurts.”
- “Your rhubarb pie smells delicious!”
Anachronistic Usage
Appointments
We use the Present Simple for future appointments. For example, “The train departs at 10:10AM,” or “My doctor’s appointment is at 3:00 tomorrow afternoon.” Most forms of future tenses take some level of uncertainty into account. By using the Present Simple tense instead, we indicate that the event is definitely going to happen as specified.
Narratives
The Present Simple can be used in telling stories, regardless of when they take place. In fact, one reason a storyteller might use the Present Simple instead of the more popular Past Simple is to make the story feel as if it’s happening in the moment (whether that’s true or not) to make it feel more immersive. While Present Simple isn’t common in prose — such as with novels or biographies — it’s used in screenplays. It’s also featured in stories told in casual conversations, especially those given to hyperbole, ones told as jokes, or sometimes in Reported Speech if the content remains relevant. News headlines also tend toward the Present Simple.
Advanced Concepts
In Modifier Clauses
Certain Adverbial Clauses apply the Present Simple tense to their verbs, regardless of when they would actually take place. These include Clauses of Time and cause-and-effect indicators like Condition Clauses or Clauses of Purpose. For example:
- “You may begin whenever you are ready.”
- “If I don’t make it out of here alive, tell my family I love them.”
- “Kendra will call her family tonight so that they know she’s alright.”
The same is true for Relative Clauses after terms like ‘first’ or ‘next’, and Relative Clauses in imperative sentences (unless they refer to the past). For instance:
- “The next person that you meet may be your soulmate!”
- “Tell me the moment you begin to feel pressure.”
vs. Present Continuous
Though it may seem surprising, the Present Simple tense is rarely used for actions that happen in the moment. That’s what Present Continuous is for. For example:
- “I‘m emailing my landlord right now.”
- “The rocket is launching as we speak.”
- “Do you hear that? The babies are crying again.”
The Present Continuous is great for actions in the moment. The Present Simple, on the other hand, is for states that occur in the moment or for broader applications that are not confined to this precise moment in time.
Negators
The most common negator is the adverb not, which needs to follow the leading auxiliary. Since the Present Simple tense does not include an auxiliary verb by default, use ‘do’ or ‘does’ whenever an auxiliary is needed. However, some verb expressions in the Present Simple might include a modal verb, as in “I can juggle up to five balls.” When a modal verb is included, a negator should come with the modal (and therefore no forms of DO are needed).
Not can be contracted as n’t and affixed to DO, can, could, must, should, or would.
Other options for negator adverbs are:
- never and no longer;
- neither — when paired with the conjunction nor;
- hardly and scarcely — soft negators which toe the line between positive and negative.
These negators should follow the leading auxiliary (a modal verb). However, if modal verbs are not included, these negators should simply come before the main verb; DO should not be added. (eg: “I can never remember her name.” “He no longer cares about winning that game.”)
Teaching Tips
Balance BE with Other Verbs
Often, the first sentences that students learn feature BE. The makes sense since it’s very used for introductions. However, if sentences with BE are not balanced with basic sentences featuring other verbs, some learners may get the ideas that ‘am’ always follows ‘I’, that ‘is’ always follows ‘she’, etc. Early on, learners might repeatedly make mistakes like “I am go to the store.” To avoid these mistakes, introduce other verbs shortly after BE, or perhaps even before, if possible.
The 1 Red ‘S’ Rule
Insights to English has developed the One Red ‘S’ Rule to help learners know when to use the -s form of a verb, and when not to. Here’s the grammar behind our rule:
- Verbs that follow singular subjects should take on the -s form. The singular subjects themselves do not end with the ‘s’ suffix. Therefore, the verb has a special ‘s’ at the end, but the subject does not.
- Verbs that follow plural subjects should not take on the -s form. Most plural nouns take on an -s ending. Therefore, the plural subject has a special ‘s’ at the end, but the verb does not.
- Either way, there should only be one -s suffix between the subject and the verb.
To communicate this idea, write the special ‘s’ (or ‘es’) in red, and ask students to do the same. Sentences should either have a red ‘s’ at the end of a plural noun, OR a red ‘s’ at the end of a verb, but not both. If a student notices two red ‘s’s for any subject-verb pairing, then something is wrong. Similarly, if the student notices zero red ‘s’, then they need to take a closer look (either something is wrong, or the subject is an irregular plural like ‘children’ or ‘teeth’).
Click the button below to view a video with demonstrations and more details.
Insider Access
Visit our How to Teach The 1 Red ‘S’ Rule page on www.insightstoEnglish.com for a demonstrational video, bonus notes, printouts, a slideshow for your class, practice activities, and more.
Further Reading
Encyclopedia Pages
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RUDIMENTARY Topics
CEFR Levels A1-A2: Beginner/Starter to Pre-Intermediate courses
