Examples of Simple Present Tense

The simple present tense, a crucial topic in English grammar, signifies the regularity of an action. Our content will provide the necessary information about this tense.

The simple present tense in English, known as "geniş zaman" in Turkish, is a fundamental aspect of English grammar. This tense is used to express the regularity of actions.

Understanding the simple present tense is crucial, especially for beginners at the A1 and A2 levels, and is expected to be mastered by those at the B1 and B2 levels. The verb conjugations in this tense are divided into forms for different subjects such as 'he', 'she', 'it', 'I', 'you', and 'they'. The construction of sentences varies between affirmative, negative, and interrogative forms. For 'he', 'she', and 'it', the structure involves adding 's' or 'es' to the base form of the verb in affirmative sentences, using 'does not' for negatives, and 'do' for questions. For 'I', 'you', and 'they', the verb's base form is used without an additional 's' in affirmative sentences, 'do not' for negatives, and 'do' for questions. The article provides a comprehensive guide on using simple present tense with examples to enhance understanding.

What is Simple Present Tense?

Known as the simple present or present simple in English, this tense is a fundamental topic at the A1 and A2 English levels, and mastery is expected at the B1 and B2 levels. Learning this basic tense allows you to construct simple sentences. The verb forms in simple present tense follow V1, V2, and V3 patterns based on tense. In simple present tense, V1 is used, leading to different formulations for affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences.

For "he, she, it":

• Negative: Does + not + V1 – Verb base form.
• Affirmative: V1 – Verb base form + (s) or (es).
• Question: Does + subject + V1 – Verb base form.

For "I, you, they":

• Negative: Do + not + V1 – Verb base form.
• Affirmative: V1 – Verb base form.
• Question: Do + subject + V1 – Verb base form.

These formulas might seem complex, but the upcoming explanation of simple present tense will clarify them further.

Detailed Explanation of Present Simple Tense:

The Simple Present Tense is used to describe actions that are always performed. In Turkish, it's called "Geniş Zaman" (General Time). It implies that if an action is always done, it's expressed in the simple present tense. Let's explain this with affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentence examples:

Question Sentences:

• "Do I work?" 
• "Do you work?" 
• "Does he/she/it work?" 
• "Do we work?" 
• "Do they work?" 

Negative Sentences:

• "I do not work." 
• "You do not work." 
• "He/She/It does not work." 
• "We do not work."
• "They do not work." 

Affirmative Sentences:

• "I work." 
• "You work." 
• "He/She/It works."
• "We work."
• "They work." 

Important Points About Simple Present Tense:

• In the third person singular (he, she, it), an 's' is added to the end of the verb. However, this 's' is not added for other subjects or in the plural form.
• For verbs ending in -ch, -o, -ss, -sh, -z, and -x, '-es' is added. For example, 'go' becomes 'goes', and 'wash' becomes 'washes'.
• If a verb ends in 'y' preceded by a vowel, only 's' is added.
• If a verb ends in 'y' preceded by a consonant, the 'y' is dropped and replaced with '-ies' (e.g., 'study' becomes 'studies').

You can explore examples of simple present tense to understand how these rules apply in different sentence structures.

Simple Present Tense Positive Sentence Examples:

Auxiliary verbs are not used in positive sentences. For this reason, we do not need to use do and does. For example:
1. They go to school by bus. 
2. We live in Istanbul. 
3. He gets up early. 
4. Ali enjoys playing with a ball. 
5. She loves me. 
6. You go on holiday every summer. 
7. I go to work every day.
8. It loves drinking milk.

Negative Present Simple Tense Examples:

To make the sentence negative, you must add the negative suffix 'Not'. But the suffix 'Not' cannot appear on its own, so it is used with the auxiliary verb. Therefore, you should know the use of 'do' and 'does' well.
Here are some sentence examples in the present tense:
1. They do not speak English fluently. 
2. I can't play the guitar well. 
3. He doesn't eat vegetables. 
4. We don't like eating chocolate.
5. He doesn't wake up late on weekends. 

Present Simple Tense Question Sentence Examples:

Auxiliary verbs, namely 'do and do', are used to turn sentences into questions. These expressions are placed at the beginning of the sentence.
We can give the following examples of positive interrogative sentences:
1. Does she prefer to live in a big city like Istanbul? (Would she prefer to live in a big city like Istanbul?)
2. Do they have to leave? (Do they have to go?)
3. Does Ali always watch cartoons? (Does Ali always watch cartoons?)
4. Does he always go to the gym after school? (Does he go to the gym every day after school?)
When making a negative interrogative sentence, it is necessary to place the auxiliary verbs do and does at the beginning and add the negative suffix 'not' next to them. Namely:
1. Doesn't Ali have homework to do? (Doesn't Ali have homework to do?)
2. Don't I speak Turkish well? (Don't I speak Turkish well?)
3. Doesn't she need to work? (Shouldn't he be working?)

If you want to learn this subject in the best way with Simple Present tense examples, lectures, and trial tests, you can examine the resources offered on the Sculin.com platform and progress from A1 level to C2 level with the support of our professional educators.