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This document shows the use of the simple present.

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variety of manners on the phone

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Forming the Present Simple tense in English

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by Craig Shrives

Simple Present Tense
The simple present tense is used:

To describe facts and habits. For example:

To describe scheduled events in the future. For example:

The plane lands in 5 minutes.

To tell stories (particularly jokes). For example:

He asks the policeman for directions. (This use of the simple present tense is quite rare.)

The simple present tense is quite easy to form, but it quite difficult to use. In fact, it's complicated. (There's more on this below.)
A Video Summary
Here is a short video summarizing the simple present tense:

Infographic for the Simple Present Tense
Here is an infographic explaining the simple present tense:

More Examples of the Simple Present Tense
The simple present tense is used:

(1) To describe facts and habits:

I like chocolate. (Fact)

Angela runs a youth club full of glue-sniffers. (Fact)

I ride horses in the summer. (Fact and habit)

It always snows here in January. (Fact and habit)

Dawn plays chess in the evenings. (Fact and habit)

(NB: These activities do not have to be happening right now.)

This type of sentence, especially if it's describing a habit, will usually include a time expression like "always," "every year," "never," "often," "on Mondays," "rarely," "sometimes," or "usually."

(2) To describe scheduled events in the future

The train arrives at 5 o'clock.

It is low tide at 0234.

(Yes, we know! It's supposed to be the present tense!)

(3) To tell stories (particularly jokes) to make your listener or reader feel more engaged with the story.

A horse walks into a bar, and the barman says, "why the long face?"

We heard the helicopter overhead. Suddenly, the radio bursts into life.

(This is sometimes called the fictional present or the historic present.)
Forming the Simple Present Tense
The simple present tense is quite easy to form.

or
+

Let's look at the verbto run (whose base form is run). In the simple present tense, run looks like this:

Person

Example

First person singular

I run

Second person singular

You run

Third person singular

He/She/It runs

First person plural

We run

Second person plural

You run

Third person plural

They run

In other words, it only changes in the third person singular (he / she / it). It adds eithers, es or ies.
The Negative Version
To create a negative sentence, use "do not" + [base form of the verb]. (Use "does not" with third person singular (he / she / it).)
+

I do not like chocolate.

Angela does not run a youth club full of glue-sniffers.

I do not ride horses in the summer.

It does not always snow here in January.

Dawn does not play chess in the evenings.

In speech and writing (especially informal writing), "do not" is often shortened to "don't," and "does not" is often shortened to "doesn't." If you want to add some emphasis, use one of the long versions (i.e., "do not" or "does not"), and emphasize the word "not."

The Question Version
If you need to ask a question, you can use the following word order for a yes/no question:
+ +

Do you like chocolate?

Does Angela run the youth club?

You can use the following word order for a question-word question:
+ + +

Why does Tony talk so quickly?

When do the farmers plant the corn?

You can use the following word order for a choice question:
+ + + + +

Does Mark sing or dance?

Do they want hamburger or sausages?

The Spelling Rules
For regular verbs, just add s:

talk > talks

improve > improves

For verbs that end in s, ss, sh, ch, x and o, add es:

guess > guesses

mash > mashes

fix > fixes

go > goes

For verbs ending [consonant]-y, change the y to i and add es:

fly > flies

study > studies

Verb Tense Widget
Use this widget to learn about the different tenses. How do you use this widget? Well, if there's a button, a drop-down menu, or a , you can click it!
The Other Present Tenses
The simple present tense is one of four present tenses. They are:

Slider Showing All the Tenses
The following slider shows all 12 tenses. The simple present tense is highlighted with a yellow background.

Technical Help

Download Grammarly's app to help with eliminating grammar errors and finding the right words. Download a Free Grammar Checker

(The Grammarly app works with webmail, social media, and texting apps as well as online forms and Microsoft Office documents like Word.)

Self Help: Buy Our Book

Written by Vocational rather than academic, "Grammar for Grown-ups" is packed with real-life examples and keeps you engaged with a wealth of great quotations from Homer the Greek to Homer the Simpson. Straight talking and methodical, "Smashing Grammar" (2019)
the founder of Grammar Monster, "Smashing Grammar" includes a glossary of grammar essentials (from apostrophes to zeugma) and a chapter on easily confused words (from affect/effect to whether/if). Each entry starts with a simple explanation and basic examples before moving to real-life, entertaining examples. All entries conclude with a section highlighting why the grammar point is relevant for a writer and top-level bullet points summarizing the entry. [More]Craig Shrives draws on his years compiling Grammar Monster and as an army officer to present a comprehensive but light-hearted and easily digestible grammar reference guide. [More] "Grammar for Grown-ups" (2011)

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Simple Present Tense | What Is the Simple Present Tense?

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The simple present tense is used to describe facts and habits, to tell stories, and to describe scheduled events in the future (e.g., The train arrives at 5 o'clock.) This page has lots of examples of the simple present tense, explains how to form it, and has an interactive and printable exercise worksheet.