Present Simple Tense

What is the present simple tense?

The present simple tense is used to describe actions or states that are currently or always true. It is formed with the base form of the verb (e.g. “talk,” “walk,” “be”). Here are some examples of sentences in the present simple tense:

• I walk to work every day. (This describes a daily action.)
• She talks to her friends on the phone every evening. (This describes an action that happens regularly.)
• The sun rises in the east. (This describes a natural event that always happens.)
• He is a teacher. (This describes a current occupation or state.)

It is also used to describe habits, general truths, future plans, or schedules and when it is used in the third person singular, it adds -s or -es to the base form.

• He always eats breakfast at 6 am. (This describes a habit)
• Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. (This describes a general truth)
• I am going to the store later. (This describes a future plan)
• The train leaves at 8:00 pm. (This describes a schedule)

Positive sentences

Simply put, positive sentences indicate what is the case, as opposed to what is not. In the present simple tense, they look like this:

• “I jog every day.”
• “He lives in Chicago.”
• “Dogs bark, while cats meow.” (Third-person plural.)
• “Janet writes songs for a living.”

Negative sentences

A negative sentence describes something that is not true or no longer the case, which is the opposite of a positive sentence. We create these sentences by including the auxiliary verb “do” or “does” (depending on the subject) and the word “not” after the subject. These can also be shortened to “don’t” or “doesn’t.” For example:

• “I don’t jog every day.”
• “He doesn’t live in Chicago anymore.”
• “Dogs do not meow, and cats do not bark.”
• “Janet does not write many songs these days.”

Interrogative sentences

Interrogative sentences are used to ask a question and are distinguished by a question mark (“?”) at the end, instead of a period. Simple interrogative sentences use the auxiliary verb “do” or “does” (depending on the subject) before the subject, instead of after. It is not common to use a first-person subject in an interrogative sentence in the present simple.

• “Do you jog every day?”
• “Does he still live in Chicago?”
• “Do dogs bark, or do cats?” (The second “bark” is implied.)
• “Does Janet write songs anymore?”

Negative interrogative sentences

Negative interrogative sentences, like other interrogative sentences, ask a question, but with an implication that the speaker expects the answer to be affirmative. They are created by including the auxiliary verb “do” or “does” (depending on the subject) before the subject and the word “not” after the subject. Like other negative sentences, these can also be shortened to “don’t” or “doesn’t” and in this case, it comes before the subject.:

• “Do you not jog every day?”
• “Does he not still live in Chicago?”
• “Don’t dogs normally bark?”
• “Doesn’t Janet write songs for a living?”

Unlike the interrogative sentences, negative interrogative sentences are much more likely to be used in the first-person, with do and not typically contracted:

• “Don’t I look good in this dress?”

(For more information about different types of sentences, go to the chapter about Sentences in the part of the guide on Syntax.)