Compose 3 sentences with present simple. Rules for using Present Simple Tense in English

Learning a foreign language requires constant practice or periodic repetition of acquired knowledge. It is not without reason that many modern methods of increasing vocabulary are tied to cyclicality: repeating the studied material after a certain period of time. The method of repetition and constant alternation of theory and practice is also very effective for mastering grammatical basics. Today we will be convinced of this by again examining the theory of the simple present tense and giving examples of the present simple rules that clearly express grammatical norms. Let's start by analyzing the meaning of the aspect and situations of its application.

The English present tense is divided into several categories. That is, it is important to understand that the present simple in English is not responsible for all actions in the present tense, as it happens in Russian speech, but is used only in the context of certain situations. Let's look at these cases.

1) Regular, everyday, typical actions. For example, lifestyle, occupation, hobbies, professions, interests, habits, desires, daily routine, etc.

• Sheworks as a doctor –Sheworksdoctor.
• Myparentswakeupearly– My parents get up early.
• YouwatchTVeveryday– You watch TV every day.

2) Facts, proverbs, sayings, well-known truths.

• The police protect people –Policeprotectsof people.
• Easycome,easygo- Easy Come Easy Go.
• The Earth is a circle –Earthround.

3) The planned future, occurring according to a plan, schedule, schedule, is also intended to express the present simple tense in English.

• Ourtripstartstomorrow– Our journey begins tomorrow.
• The plane arrives at 9 o’clock –Airplanearrivesat 9hours.
• Wehaveameetingtomorrow– We have a meeting planned for tomorrow.

4) Verbs expressing the processes of feelings, possession, relationships, mental activity are also always used V present simple tense.

• My elder brother understands me –MyseniorBrotherunderstandsme.
• Youlikeheroffer– You like her proposal.
• This cottage belongs to him –Thiscottagebelongsto him.

Having established the boundaries of the scope of use, let’s move on to analyzing the nuances in composing grammatical forms.

Present simple examples of sentence formation

Usually, students' acquaintance with the English tense system begins with this aspect. But this does not mean at all that it is the easiest and simplest to study. Only affirmative sentences in the present simple can be called really easy here, but they also have one small nuance that beginners often overlook. Let's look at all possible types of proposals in order.

Statements

If it is necessary to convey a positive statement about the performance of an action, then in the present tense of a simple type verbs are used in the form of infinitives, i.e. in the initial form given in the dictionary. The only thing we note is that when infinitives of verbs are used as a predicate, they always discard the particle to.

• We speak fourlanguages– We speak four languages.
• You live inNovgorod– You live in Novgorod.
• I pay formyeducationeveryyear– I pay for my education every year.

Everything would have been very easy if the British had not decided to use a special construction for some words. We are talking about pronouns he/she/it and nouns used in the third person singular. With such subjects, the affirmative form present simple adds an additional ending – s (es). The rules of joining are described in detail in the material devoted to the ending –s for different parts of speech, so today we will not dwell on this. Let's look at some examples.

• She play s the piano- She plays piano.
• He do es business- He is engaged in business.
• The Xerox mak es goodphotocopies– This photocopier makes good photocopies.

It is about this small and modest ending that many beginners break their spears. They simply forget to add it, making a gross speech error: in such a situation, a foreigner cannot understand whether the pronoun was used incorrectly, or the form of the verb was formed incorrectly. Therefore, you should write down, remember, memorize and learn once and for all the rule given below.

To consolidate the rules of statements in the present simple tense, we present 10 sentences with translation. Work through each of them carefully.

• Her husband runs inthemornings– Her husband runs in the morning.
• I like rockmusic– I like rock music.
• My parents live in the center of Sydney –MyparentsliveVcenterSydney.
• We watch the Game of Thrones and the Sherlock –Welook "Gamesthrones"And "Sherlock."
• This bus starts in three minutes –Thisbusdrives awaythrough 3 minutes.
• You know everything about animals and plants –Youyou knowAllOanimalsAndplants.
• She helps a lot of people –Shehelpsmanyto people.
• They want to build a castle –Theywantbuildlock.
• It makes mehappy- It makes me happy.
• All my friends go to the clubs –AllmyFriendswalkVclubs.

Once again we urge you to memorize the rule about the letter s in statements of the present simple tense.

Negations

In Russian to express a negative result, i.e. failure to perform an action, it is enough to take a positive statement and add the particle “not” to the verb. In English grammar, such cases are the rarest exceptions to the rules. In most situations, in order to create a negative in English, you need to add auxiliary verbs to the phrase and attach the negative “not” to them. This is precisely the behavior that is characteristic of the simple form of the English present.

In interrogative and negative constructions, present indefinite tense, the helping verb do is used. And this is another pitfall on which 90% of language learners stumble. The fact is that the auxiliary verb in the present simple has two forms: special for the 3rd unit. – does, and the usual one for everyone else – do. Since it takes –s on itself, the infinitives of main verbs will no longer have any additional endings. Nothing will happen to them at all, because the verb do also takes on the negative not, forming the abbreviated forms don’t/doesn’t.

• They don 't read books- They don't read books.
• Theboy doesn't 't go tokindergarten– This boy does not go to kindergarten.

At this stage, confusion often arises, and many begin to add an ending to both the auxiliary and the main verb, resulting in ridiculous constructions. In order not to look like an uneducated foreigner in the eyes of the British, you need to remember one more important rule.

Let's reinforce the theory with practical examples: 10 negatives in a simple presentation with Russian translation. Carefully work out the formation of the compound predicate.

• We don 't speak Chinese- We don't speak Chinese.
• She doesn't 't work inthiscompany– She doesn’t work for this company.
• I don 't know about it – I don’t know about this.
• He doesn't 't play tennis- He doesn't play tennis.
• Many people don 't study foreignlanguages – Many people do not learn foreign languages.
• It doesn't sound like a hit –ThisNotsoundsHowhit.
• You don 't want to stay here-You don't want to stay here.
• They don 't buy meat- They don't buy meat.
• Jack doesn't 't write anynovelsJack doesn't write any novels.
• My sister doesn't go to the theater –MysisterNotwalksVtheater.

So, we fixed it - all endings are attached only to the helping verb.

Questions

As already noted, questions in the present simple are formed with the help of auxiliary do/does. In this case, the interrogative context, like the negative form for the present simple, does not require changing the infinitive of the main verb. But in these constructions the syntactic arrangement of words changes. The auxiliary do/does is put forward at the beginning of the phrase, followed by the subject, in third place is the second part of the predicate (infinitive), and followed by all the remaining members of the sentence.

• Do you cook a pizza? –Youare you cookingpizza?
• Does she go tothegym? – Does she go to the gym?

Such constructions are called general questions, because they can be answered with short “yes” and “no”. In English, for the simple present tense, such combinations look like this: Yes, I do (she does) and No, I don’t (she doesn’t). Please note that short answers do not include action verbs!

To practice general questions and short answers, we provide examples of 10 interrogative sentences in the present simple. Pay attention to grammatical structures.

• Does it make are you happy? Yes , it does . – Does this make you happy? Yes,does.
• Do they write any tests at the lessons? – Yes, they do . – Theywriteonclasseswhich-somedaytests?Yes,write.
• Does she work as an actress? – No, she doesn't . – Sheworksan actress?No, it does not work.
• Do we live in the center of Rome? – No, we don't . – Wewe liveVcenterRome?No.
• Does he study at college? – Yes, he does . – HestudiesVcollege?Yes.
• Do I see you? Yes, you do . – II seeyou?Yes, you see.
• Does her boyfriend understand her? – No, he doesn't . Herboyunderstandsher?No.
• Do you write articles for the National Geographic magazine? No , I don 't – You write articles for the National magazineGeographic"? No.
• Does their bus arrive at half past two? No , it doesn't 't . — Does their bus arrive at half past two? No.
• Do Pamela and Mary go to the dance clubs? No ,they don 't . Do Pamela and Mary go to dance clubs? No.

In addition to general questions, the present simple tense in English allows you to ask extended question phrases. Let's consider them separately.

Special questions

An alternative question will help to add a choice of two options to interrogative sentences constructed in the present simple. In structure it is similar to the general one, only at the end it has an additional part (an alternative option), attached by the conjunction or.

• Does your father work five days a week or six days a week? –Is yoursfatherworks 5 daysVa weekor 6daysVa week?
• Do they go to the swimming pool on Saturdays or on Sundays? –TheywalkVpoolBySaturdaysorBySundays?

Special questions designed to clarify where, when, how and why everything is done have a slightly modified design. They are created With using special question words, which always take first place in the sentence.

• Where do you paint your pictures? –WhereYouyou drawtheirpaintings?
• Why does she drink thissyrupeveryday? Why does she drink this syrup every day?

Questions to the subject are highlighted separately. They never use the auxiliary do.

• Who watches this show in the evenings? –WholooksThisshowByin the evenings?
• What makes youhappy? - What makes you happy?

Particular expression in the present simple is expressed by the interrogative form with negation. Such statements are used in colloquial speech and, depending on intonation, can convey shades of clarification, surprise, ridicule, etc.

• Doesn't 't she realize it? - Doesn't she realize this?
• Don 't we buy vegetablesandfish? – Don’t we buy vegetables and fish?

Verbs to be and have

These verbs are distinguished by their peculiar behavior, but it would be wrong not to mention them, because they are very often used in present simples to express facts, states, and ownership relations. Let's look at their forms With using a table.

The table shows that the verb to be in the present simple forms negative sentences independently, and to have with the help of the auxiliary do. A reservation should be made here, since there is a native British analogue - have got, and this combination forms all forms independently.

Be careful, as it is unacceptable to use the grammatical rules of have got for have, and vice versa.

Let us give various examples to practice these important and very frequently used constructions.

• She is beautiful and clever –ShebeautifulAndsmart.
• You are rich –Yourich.
• My friend has a white cat –My friend has a white cat.
• They aren't teachers –They are not teachers.
• We have got three flats –UusThere isthreeapartments.
• Today isn't 't 09 thofSeptember 2017 – Today is not the ninth of September 2017.
• Does he have this book? –UhimThere isthisbook?
• They haven 't got computers – They don’t have computers.
• Is she a manager? –Shemanager?
• Have we got a new plan? –UusThere isnewplan?
• Are you busy? –Youare you busy?
• I don 't have suchdisks – I don’t have such disks.
  

In addition, the construction to be is one of the elements of the passive voice. The present simple passive is described in detail in a separate article; in this material we will give only a few examples.

• My parents are surprised by the news –Myparentsweresurprisedthesenews.
• English is spoken all over the world –OnEnglishlanguageThey sayineveryoneworld.
• These TV sets are not produced inRussia – These TVs are not produced in Russia.
• Is the house built by Nick? –ThishousebuildsNick?

Good luck in learning English!

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Present Simple Tense is one of the most frequently used tenses in the English language. Therefore, immediately after studying the rules of use, it is important to consolidate the Present Simple with example sentences in Russian.

Affirmative sentences

Positive or affirmative sentences form the basis of all tenses in the English language. Why? Because thanks to such sentences, with translation you can strengthen the skill of constructing negative and interrogative sentences.

In Present Simple Tense, endings are added to the verb -s And -es in the third person singular.

• He works at the factory. - He works at the factory.
• Mary lives in Paris. – Mary lives in Paris.
• It snows a lot in winter. - It's snowing frequently in the winter.
• Tomas and I like playing football. – Thomas and I love to play football.
• Steve always arrives at work in time. - Steve always arrives at work on time.
• They often see Tom because he lives near them. – They often see Tom because he lives next to them.
• Children usually like drinking cocoa. – Children usually like to drink cocoa.
• Julia is an artist. She draws very beautiful pictures. Julia is an artist. She paints beautiful pictures.
• I have got a big family. - I have a big family.
• She can speak three languages: Russian, English and Italian. – She can speak three languages: Russian, English and Italian.

It is important to learn how to work with verbs. Therefore, put the sentences above into interrogative and negative forms.

Interrogative sentences

When studying Present Simple, translation of sentences plays an important role. Why? Because it helps to draw an analogy with your native language, understand the topic and consolidate it in practice. How? Easily! Try putting the question sentences below into affirmative and negative forms.

Do/does An auxiliary verb used to ask a question in the Present Simple. But this rule does not apply to modal verbs and construction have got.

Negative sentences

To consolidate the topic, put the sentences below in the affirmative and interrogative forms.

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What have we learned?

From this article we learned in what cases the Present Simple Tense is used in English. We reinforced this material with examples, and also learned how to construct negative and interrogative sentences in this tense.

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Signal words

As we already know, the Simple Present expresses ordinary actions, events that are characterized by uncertainty and have no connection to a given moment.

Very often this time is marked by signal words - circumstances of the manner of action or time, by which one can determine how often the action is performed.

Most often they stand between the subject and the predicate, although they can be used at the beginning and end of a phrase.

Examples:

• I have never great difficulties with languages. – I never have great difficulties with the language.
• I don'tusually use a dictionary, when translate the texts. – I usually don’t use a dictionary when translating.
• Does she always read English literature in original? – Does she always read English literature in the original?

Repetitive actions

Sometimes in sentences with the Simple Present there is an indication of the exact time, a specific date is called, and a sequence of actions is listed, for example:

I coach in English in weekends at 5p.m.o'clock. – I study with an English tutor on weekends at 5 pm.

Simple facts

Adverbs in the Simple Present may not be used if the action or event expressed by the predicate evaluates the subject at the moment or constantly.

Examples:

• I have a gift for languages. – I have a penchant for languages.
• It’s not difficult for me to understand the foreign language. – It is not difficult for me to understand foreign speech.
• Can she make herself understood in English? – Can she explain herself in English?

Absolute Truths

Adverbs in sentences with the Simple Present can also be freely omitted when we are talking about general provisions or well-known facts, for example:

The winter is colder than summer.– It’s colder in winter than in summer.

With verbs of mental processes and feelings

Simple Present can denote actions and events occurring here and now, if they are indicated by verbs expressing desires, feelings, will, emotions, physical perceptions, thoughts, etc.

Examples:

• I admire people who know some languages. – I admire people who speak several languages.
• I don't doubt that you can learn English yourself. – I have no doubt that you can learn English on your own.
• Does she remember that she must read that article? – Does she remember that she should read this article?

To indicate the near future

The Simple Present can express a future action or event if it is planned or does not depend in any way on the speaker.

These can be translated as both present and future tense, for example:

I go to the USA the next summer. – I will go (go) to America next summer.

In jokes and anecdotes, annotations to books and films

Since the Simple Present always highlights events, this tense is often used in news, newspaper articles and especially headlines, where it is important to present a fait accompli. It appears when we refer to something, for example, when we announce a film or book, present a report or article.

Simple Present is very often used in colloquial speech in order to bring facts that have already happened closer to the moment of conversation.

Simple Present is one of the simplest forms of tenses in the English language, however, there is definitely some work to be done here. Of course, not all cases and nuances of using this tense are described here, but it is recommended to start your course with the basic rules.

Present Simple– one of the basic tenses of English grammar. It is impossible to do without it either in written or especially in oral speech. In many sources you can find a variety of ridiculous phrases that this is one of the simplest tenses in English. Where there! Time is very difficult both in education and in competent use. There are so many nuances and a lot of “buts” here... However, if you don’t be lazy and read this post to the end, you will become familiar with all the intricacies of using Present Simple. Good luck! You can also find it in the Present Simple.

Using the Present Simple.

Present Simple used to denote or express:

• Permanent personality characteristics.

She speaks fluent Japanese. – She speaks Japanese fluently.

• Facta

They live in Kongo. – They live in Congo.

• Repeated action

The Ivanovs go to Turkey every summer. – The Ivanovs go to Turkey every summer.

• Absolute truths or laws of nature

Snow melts at O ​​degrees. – Snow melts at a temperature of 0 degrees.

Special cases of using Present Simple instead of Present Continuous.

• In announcements, expressions of consent

I declare our meeting open. – I declare our meeting open.

• To express a sequence of actions

Now watch: I take some potatoes, peel them and carefully cut them into pieces. - Look, I take the potatoes, peel them and carefully cut them into pieces.

• To denote states, actions and processes expressed by verbs that do not have the Present Continuous form

Who does this truck belong to? – Who owns this truck?

See more details

Special cases of using Present Simple instead of Future Simple.

• To denote an action planned for the future (usually with verbs denoting movement, and if time is indicated)

I fly to Madrid next Friday. - I'm flying to Madrid next Friday.

• In the subordinate part of type I conditional sentences after the conjunctions If, when, after, until, before, unless, provided, etc.

Get me know, if they come. - Let me know if they come.

Special cases of using Present Simple instead of Past Simple.

• In the headlines of periodicals

Little boy saves his mother! — The little boy saved his mother.

• In descriptions of films, books, theatrical productions.

The main hero meets a young lady. They fall in love with each other. – The main character met a young girl. They fell in love with each other.

• In colloquial speech in order to more vividly and vividly convey the events that happened.

Yesterday I came home late. And there – who do you think I see? Mary! My sweetheart! I rush to her and kiss her! And - Yesterday I came home late - and who do you think I saw there? Mary! My dear!

• In colloquial speech with the verbs be told, hear, forget.

I am told he got a driving license last week. “They told me he got his license last week.”

I hear you are leaving for Rome. – I heard you are leaving for Rome.

Education Present Simple.

Present Simple in affirmative sentences.

In affirmative sentences form Present Simple coincides with the stem of the verb in all persons, except for the 3rd person singular, where the ending –s\es is added. Read more about the rules for adding endings here.

Present Simple in negative sentences.

Negative sentences are formed according to the scheme

do not (don’t) + verb stem

does not (doesn’t) + verb stem (for 3rd person singular)

Present Simple in interrogative sentences.

Interrogative sentences are formed according to the scheme

Do + S (subject) + verb stem

Does + S (subject) + verb stem

I suggest you practice using

The Present Simple Tense, or Indefinite, as it is called in English grammar, received its name for a reason. This is one of the main and at the same time the simplest tenses that form the basis of the entire grammatical system. The standard classical explanation for the use of this tense is as follows: Present Indefinite Tense is used to express a regular action that occurs on an ongoing basis. At the same time, the duration of the situation being committed is not emphasized, but only its frequency.

For Present Simple, example sentences with translation can be as follows:

• They go to this shop every day – They go to this store every day
• She buys me presents for every Christmas – She buys me gifts every Christmas
• My fiends regularly come to me in summer - My friends constantly come to me in the summer

Of course, there are other cases of using the Present Simple, which will be discussed in detail below, but first you should find out how the Present Simple is formed, and also study all the features of its constructions in different types of sentences.

Education Present Simple

The Present Indefinite Tense is formed very simply. Affirmative sentences here do not have any special forms or constructions, and the infinitive without the particle to is used as the verb form, that is, the usual first form of the verb.

In addition, the present simple tense in English has another feature, which manifests itself in affirmative sentences.

When using third person singular pronouns (he, she, it), the ending –s (–es) is added to the verb, which indicates this person.

The use of endings will be discussed in more detail below, but here are sentences in the Present Simple that reflect what verbs with such endings look like:

• He often writes to me - He often writes to me
• She never speaks to me in a rude manner - She never speaks rudely to me
• This house looks shabby because of its owners’ indifference – This house looks shabby because of the indifference of its owners

Thus, the Present Simple formula looks like this:
V1 (–s,–es)

If there is no semantic verb in the sentence, the auxiliary verb to be comes to the rescue, used in the present tense form: am (for the pronoun “I”), is (for singular pronouns - “he”, “she”, “it”) or are (plural pronouns “we”, “you”, “they”).

Interrogative sentences

are formed according to the following algorithm: if there is a verb in a sentence, then the auxiliary verbs do or does must appear at the beginning of the sentence. The second is used only for third-person pronouns (he, she, it), and the first for all others:

• Do you prefer black tea to green? – Do you prefer black tea to green?
• Does she call you every day? – Does she call you every day?

Note: if the auxiliary verb is does, then the ending –s (–es) will not be added to the verb, and no explanation is even required here: the verb does is essentially do with the ending –es.

Provided that there is no verb in the sentence, then the verb to be is put in the first place in the required form:

• Is he really as intelligent as people say? – Is he really as smart as people say?
• Are these apples tasty? – Are these apples tasty?

Negations

To express negation, it is enough to use the particle not. In this case, the principle of the appearance of auxiliary verbs in a sentence is the same: if there is a main verb, do not (=don’t) or does not (=doesn’t) appears, and if it is not there, then the negation is added to the verb to be:

• We don’t live in this house in winter - We don’t live in this house in winter
• He doesn’t like any vegetables and eats only fruit – He doesn’t like any vegetables and eats only fruits
• She isn’t so stupid as you suppose - She is not as stupid as you think

Note: in some cases, the companions of interrogative and negative sentences do or does occur even for affirmative sentences. This is especially typical for colloquial speech, when the speaker wants to give his words even more expressiveness and focus on something:

• I do want to come to you - I really want to come to you
• She does know all this material - She really knows all this material

Rules for writing verb endings in the Present Simple

Above, information was given that in the third person, a verb can have either an –s or –es ending. The markers of such time are as follows:

1. A hissing consonant sound at the end of a verb (in writing it is –ss, –s, –ch, –tch, – sch, – z, – x): he pushes, he watches, he teaches, he passes, etc.
2. The vowel sound –o at the end of a verb: he does, he goes,
3. If there is a letter –y at the end of the verb, then it will change to the letter combination –ie if it is preceded by a consonant sound; if the sound before –y is a vowel, then the letter will remain unchanged: to try – he tries, to play – he plays, etc.

The formation of the Present Simple, as it becomes clear, is not very complicated, but it is equally important to study when it is used, to provide its main indicators and cases for which this tense is typical.

Using the Present Simple

The use of the Present Simple is typical for the following situations:

1. Regular, repeated action

and this is the most classic way to use it. The Present Simple has adverbs that indicate that it is likely to be exactly this time - always, usually, often, sometimes, regularly, occasionally, etc.:

• She usually calls me when she is free - She usually calls me when she is free
• We often buy fish from this seller - We often buy fish from this seller

2. States and actions that are characteristics of a certain person:

• He sings and plays the guitar brilliantly - He sings and plays the guitar brilliantly
• He drinks only tea and hates coffee – He drinks only tea and hates coffee

3. Well-Known Facts

Another common use of the present simple is well-known facts, which include, for example, the laws of nature, physical phenomena, etc.:

• Magnet attracts iron – Magnet attracts iron
• Water boils at a temperature of 100 degrees – Water boils at a temperature of 100 degrees

4. With certain verbs (instead of)

Indefinite tense can be used to express an action occurring at the moment, but this characteristic is shared by verbs that cannot form the Continuous form: sensory perception (hear, see, etc.), mental activity (suppose, consider, believe, etc.), desire and intention (want, intend, desire, etc.) and some other groups. In this case, the Indefinite forms are used:

• I hear John’s car, open the gate – I hear John’s car, open the gate
• I see Tom. Ask him to come here – I see Tom. Ask him to come here

5. To express the future tense

The Present Simple Tense can also be used to express the future tense. For this purpose, situations are used that display actions according to a schedule that does not depend on a person’s plans. The main clue that can help in this case is that such use is typical for verbs of the movement category (come, arrive, leave, etc.). These markers will help you understand that in such a sentence the Present Simple tense is possible and desirable, and not the Future or Present Continuous:

• Our bus leaves at 5, don’t be late – Our bus leaves at 5, don’t be late
• The train arrives tomorrow at 7.15 – The train arrives tomorrow at 15

6. In conditional sentences

The Present Simple tense in English is also used in conditional sentences of the first type (). Grammatically, the part in which there is a condition (usually temporary) is called a subordinate clause. It is in it that the Present Simple is used, and the Future is in the main part. The main markers that introduce a temporary condition are the conjunctions till, until, when, after, before, as soon as, as long as, etc. When working with Present Simple, the conditional rule is very important, because here the tenses are different from the Russian language, where both parts contain the future tense:

• She will meet me before I come to you - She will meet me before I come to you
• They will call us as soon as find out anything interesting – They will call us as soon as they find out anything interesting
• When she brings you money, don’t refuse to take it – When she brings you money, don’t refuse to take it

Such cases of using this tense must be taken into account in order to use it for its intended purpose and not make a mistake, thereby putting yourself in an awkward position in front of your interlocutor. Like every tense, it has its own assistants, through which you can identify the present simple tense. In case of any difficulties when working with Present Simple, the rules and examples described above will help you understand the structure of this tense and forever forget about the errors associated with it.