The present simple tense of verbs in English is formed as follows:
| Present Simple Tense |
| Affirmative |
Negative |
Interrogative |
| |
Long Form |
Contracted Form |
|
| I play |
I do not play |
I don't play |
Will I play? |
| You play |
You do not play |
You don't play |
Do you play? |
| He/she/it plays |
He/she/it does not play |
He/she/it doesn't play |
Does he/she/it play? |
| We play |
We do not play |
We don't play |
Do we play? |
| You play |
You do not play |
You don't play |
Do you play? |
| They play |
They do not play |
They don't play |
Do they play? |
The present simple tense is used :
- To talk about regular activities :
- John plays tennis once a week.
- We start work at 9 a.m. every morning.
- Tom has lunch every day with his colleagues.
- Mary goes to visit her parents on Sundays.
- Alex takes the bus every day.
- To talk about tastes :
- Peter likes Chinese food.
- Julie doesn't like classical music.
- Many people dislike snakes and spiders!
- Most children love chocolate.
- Eva hates most sports but she enjoys swimming.
- To talk about facts :
- The sun rises in the east.
- In Europe, the weather is cold in winter.
- Authors write books and articles.
- Horses and cows can sleep while standing up.
- Students go to school or attend college.
- To give instructions or directons:
- You walk up the hill then you turn left at the church.
- First you pour the mixture into a dish then top with grated cheese.
- To talk about fixed arrangements:
- The concert starts at 9 pm.
- Our flight leaves at 11h40 tomorrow.