How to Use the Present Simple Tense in English

Present Simple examples:

The structure of Present Simple is easy and only touches the verb. To form a sentence, you need to take the base form of the verb (to run, to meet, to walk, to cook).
+ the verb in its -ing form (present participle). This Present Continuous structure helps express actions happening now or planned for the near future.

Then you add   -s , or   -es ending to the verb if it is a third-person singular (he, she, it). The other subjects (I, you, we, they) go with a bare infinitive — the root form without the particle to.

Look at how the verb changes based on the person:

There are many cases of using Present Simple. You can even write a short article using only this tense — it illustrates its usefulness. 

Take a look at the cases and Present Simple tense examples below:

Tense markers for Present Simple:

We discussed the Present Simple definition and the cases of its usage. Now, let’s explore other nuances.

Present Simple: -s and -es form spelling

We said before that the ending can be -s or -es, and now we’ll explain practical tips:

After the verbs that end in these letters: -ch, -ss, -sh, -x, -o we need to add -es:

The spelling for words ending in -y requires to remove the last letter and instead put -ies:

If a word has a vowel at the end, followed by -y, you need to end regular -s:

Present Simple Negative

Creating a negative sentence in the Simple Present tense requires us to add a special auxiliary verb,   do , for I, you, we, they, and   does  for he, she, it.

Examples:

In negative sentences, we can use both long forms and constructions. The short form is constructed by joining the words do not  and does not:

Present Simple questions

To create a question in the Present Simple form, we take the aforesaid verbs (do and does) and put them at the beginning. The subject follows after the auxiliary word, and the main verb comes after the noun.

Yes/no questions in Present Simple

Sentences with WH-question words:

The verb to be

We don’t use the auxiliary words when there are no verbs in the sentence. That’s why when we want to say that we are not happy or ask if another person is tired, we need to know the rules of using the verb to be in Present Simple. 

It has three forms, which we use based on our subject.

Only by using this grammar structure can you tell a lot about yourself.

Present Simple uses with to be:

The Present Simple rules are not complicated. But it is easy to make many mistakes when you use it. We collected the most repetitive errors for you to know what to focus on:

Choosing to be form instead of do and does

Remember, the main difference between these two cases is that we choose do and does when there is a verb in a sentence, an action, or a state (to run, to feel, to know, to study the Present Simple), and we use am, is, are when a subject is followed by adjectives (happy, smart, nervous, hungry, thirsty):

Forgetting about auxiliary verbs

Another wrong way of speaking and writing is forgetting about a tense word. It is very important not to ignore it because it is only one indicator of time we have in a sentence, especially in simple tenses:

Misusing auxiliary verbs by a person

Present Simple grammar entirely depends on the person. We always use do or don’t if it is first person singular or second plural. When it is third person singular, we need to spell does or doesn’t.

So what is the Present Continuous? To wrap it up, this tense is essential for expressing ongoing actions and scheduled events, helping you speak more fluidly in the present moment. With practice, avoiding common mistakes will make it even easier to use.