Present Simple: use in English, rule, examples

Regular, regular, permanent, daily ... The list of definitions can be continued if desired. But it is not necessary. It is better to deal with it, as they say, face to face. But not for an unpleasant conversation, but on the contrary - to find out better, and at an unexpected meeting do not be afraid anymore. So, get acquainted: the time is Present Simple!

Number of times

English, as we know, has a special love for the times. There are only three of them: Past, Present, Future. We are not accustomed to such an arrangement of forces, since the same picture is observed in Russian. But the language of the foggy Albion went further, and each of the above-mentioned times had their subcategories. Their task - to determine not when the action occurred, but how. We decided that there will be four of them: simple (Present / Simple), continuous (Perfect), Perfect Continuous. What do we have in the end? In total, there are twelve, but with a single reservation - without taking into account the passive voice. However it turns out decently! But today, fortunately, or vice versa - unfortunately, we will only talk about one topic: "Present Simple: use in English, rules, examples."

What is it and what does it eat?

Time Present Simple (another name - Present Indefinite) in translation from Russian means simple present, or present indefinite time. We can say that it is one of the most important of all existing time-and-time forms in the English language. It helps to tell about yourself, other people, and everything that is around us. And yet - using it not even for its intended purpose will not distort the meaning of what has been said, and you will always be understood. Is this not the most important thing? Therefore, to begin learning the language spoken by an English queen, it follows from the present indefinite time.

What does it mean? According to the above - the action in the present, in the broadest sense of the term. At first it seems that Present Simple as two drops of water is similar to its analogue in Russian. On the one hand - yes, in most cases their functions coincide. But on the other hand - everything is much more complicated, and with this you have to tinker, if, of course, you want to master the language at a high level.

So, the most common actions, regularly recurring, permanent - that's the sphere of use of Present Simple. Examples of use: when talking about their own or others' habits, schedule, mode of the day. To emphasize the periodicity of the action in the sentences, as a rule, the following circumstances of the time are present: seldom, sometimes, often, usually, occasionally, always, and others. Their stable place in the sentence - before the main verb, and only sometimes, occasionally can run to the beginning or end of the phrase.

Positive form

The form of the verb (English) Present Simple is almost always identical to its initial form - the infinitive - without the particle to. Exceptionally in the singular, the 3 faces of the verb have the endings -s, -es. For example: I usually go shopping on Sunday. - She usually goes shopping on Sunday.

Rules for using the ending -es:

1. The ending -es is appended if the word ends in -sh, -ch, -o, -x, -s, -ss,: wish-wishes, wash-washes, cross-crosses, go-go, do-does.
2. If the word ends with -y with the preceding consonant, -y changes to -i, the result is -ies: cry-cries, try-tries, dry-dries.

To be or not to be

As you know, the verb to be (be, is) in English stands apart. And for that there are many reasons. First, he has three forms of am (I), is (he, she, it), are (you, we, they). In other words, this is the only English verb that varies in persons and numbers, that is, conjugates.

Second, the verb to be is dispensed with without the auxiliary verb. He himself is both a basic and auxiliary verb. Therefore, in Present Simple, in the negative sentences, the negative particle not (I am not a pupil, I am a student) is attached to it, and in the question it is put on the first place after the interrogative words, but always before the subject (Are you a student? Your name?).

negative form

How to construct a negative sentence in the present Present Simple? The use of auxiliary verbs is sure to help. They do not have their own meaning and are used only in conjunction with the semantic (basic) verbs: do and does for the 3rd person in the singular. In cases of negation, they go into dealing with the negative particle not in front of the verb-predicate. Do / does with a negative particle not can be shortened to do not (does not). For example: I do not like sugar in black coffee (She does not like sugar in black coffee) - She does not like sugar in black coffee (She does not like sugar in black coffee); You do not smoke - He does not smoke.

Question

When constructing interrogative sentences (Present Simple), the auxiliary verb do is also used and for the 3rd person in the singular - does. The only difference is that he constantly strives to take the leading position. In general questions, he always stands first in front of the subject. For example: Do you like traveling abroad? (Do you like traveling abroad?) - Does she like traveling abroad? (Does she like traveling abroad?) In special questions, he always follows the question word (what, where, why, when, how), but invariably before the subject: What do you like? (What do you like?) - What does she like? (What does she like?).

We pay attention to one interesting nuance: if the general question begins with an auxiliary verb in a negative form, then the sentence gets a tinge of surprise and amazement in the translation. For example: Do not you go to the cinema on Sunday? "Do not you go to the cinema on Sunday?" ; Does not she like ice-cream? "Does not she like ice cream?"

Present Simple: use

Again we return to practice. With Present Simple (examples follow further) it is better to understand slowly, as they say, once and for all. A detailed analysis of this topic will help in the future not to confuse the time considered in the article with others, for example, in such frequently encountered test tasks as "Open the brackets: Present Simple Tense or Present Continue Tense".

The first case is a usual, repetitive action, a constant state in the present: We play tennis every summer - We play tennis every summer; She often reads books - She often reads books.

Second - the statement of scientific facts, laws of nature, generally accepted statements: Kangaroos live in Australia - Kangaroo live in Australia; It rains in autumn - In the autumn it rains; Earth is not flat, it is round. The earth is not flat, it is round.

The third - when listing several follow-up actions (recipes, instruction manual, instructions): We mix sugar and eggs. We add flour. We add a pinch of salt and bake at 180 degrees - Mix sugar with eggs, add flour, pinch of salt and bake at 180 degrees.

The fourth - when indicating the future action in the schedules of buses, trains, planes, as well as classes at the school, sessions at the cinema, etc.: The bus leaves at 8 o'clock. Do not miss it - The bus departs at 8 o'clock. Look, do not be late.

The fifth is when you recount stories, when the action actually takes place in the past: I met my old friend last week. She came to me and asks, "Hi, how are you?" - I met my old friend last week. She came up to me and asked: "Hello! How are you?"; A big airplane crashes in Canada. - A large plane crashed in Canada.

We have considered the simplest cases of using the present Present Simple. The use of other, more complex, is usually studied at other levels of preparation.