grammatical tenses

The simple present is a verb tense with two main uses. We use the simple present tense when an action is happening right now, or when it happens regularly (or unceasingly, which is why it’s sometimes called present indefinite). Depending on the person, the simple present tense is formed by using the root form or by adding ‑s or ‑es to the end.

Simple Present

Example

I feel great! Pauline loves pie. I’m sorry to hear that you’re sick.  

The other is to talk about habitual actions or occurrences.   Pauline practices the piano every day. Ms. Jackson travels during the summer. Hamsters run all night.  

Typically, when we want to describe a temporary action that is currently in progress, we use the present continuous: Pauline can’t come to the phone right now because she is brushing her teeth.

How to Form the Simple Present

In the simple present, most regular verbs use the root form, except in the third-person singular (which ends in -s). First-person singular: I write Second-person singular: You write Third-person singular: He/she/it writes (note the ‑s) First-person plural: We write Second-person plural: You write Third-person plural: They write

For a few verbs, the third-person singular ends with -es instead of -s. Typically, these are verbs whose root form ends in o, ch, sh, th, ss, gh, or z. First-person singular: I go Second-person singular: You go Third-person singular: He/she/it goes (note the ‑es) First-person plural: We go Second-person plural: You go Third-person plural: They go

For most regular verbs, you put the negation of the verb before the verb, e.g. “She won’t go” or “I don’t smell anything.” The verb to be is irregular: First-person singular: I am Second-person singular: You are Third-person singular: He/she/it is First-person plural: We are Second-person plural: You are Third-person plural: They are

How to Make the Simple Present Negative

The formula for making a simple present verb negative is do/does + not + [root form of verb]. You can also use the contraction don’t or doesn’t instead of do not or does not. EXAMPLE:   Pauline does not want to share the pie. She doesn’t think there is enough to go around. Her friends do not agree. I don’t want pie anyway.    

To make the verb to be negative, the formula is [to be] + not. EXAMPLE:  I am not a pie lover, but Pauline sure is. You aren’t ready for such delicious pie.  

How to Ask a Question

The formula for asking a question in the simple present is do/does + [subject] + [root form of verb].

Do you know how to bake a pie? How much does Pauline love pie?  

  InfinitiveI, You, We, They, He, She, It to ask ask / do not ask asks / does not ask to work work / do not work works / does not work to call call / do not call calls / does not call to use use / do not use uses / does not use to have have / do not have has / does not have  

Common Verbs in the Simple Present

The Verb to Be in the Simple Present

Infinitive I,You, We, They,He, She, It to be  am / am not are / are not is / is not

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

The present continuous verb tense indicates that an action or condition is happening now, frequently, and may continue into the future. The Present Continuous Formula: to be [am, is, are] + verb [present participle] EXAMPLE: Aunt Christine is warming up the car while Scott looks for his new leather coat. They are eating at Scott’s favorite restaurant today, Polly’s Pancake Diner.

The Present Continuous Formula

To form the present continuous, follow this formula: To Be [Am, Is, Are] + Verb [Present Participle]

Use the present continuous tense with the appropriate “to be” verb and a dynamicverb. A dynamic verb shows action and/or process. For example: Scott’s little sister is arriving at the diner two hours late because her roller-derby team, Chicks Ahoy, won the national championships early today. As she is walking into Polly’s Pancake Diner, she is yelling goodbye to her friends outside, and Scott hopes she doesn’t cause a scene since she is always embarrassing him in public.

Use the Present Continuous Tense

Do not use the present continuous tense with stative verbs. Stative verbs show a state of being that does not show qualities of change. These verbs can stay in the simple present. For example: iNCORRECT: Aunt Christine is preferring the maple walnut pancakes over the banana peanut butter ones that Scott loves. CORRECT: Aunt Christine prefers the maple walnut pancakes over the banana peanut butter ones that Scott loves. Here, the stative verb to prefer shows opinion, and therefore should not be conjugated into the present continuous. Stative verb categories include emotion (to love), possession (to belong), and thoughts (to recognize), and none of these should use the present continuous form.

When Not to Use the Present Continuous

Some verbs can be both dynamic and stative! Think about the verbs to be and to think. In its dynamic form, the verb to be can show action: Sarah, Scott’s little sister, is being bold by ordering the jalapeno-chipotle pancakes.   But in its stative form, the verb to be is awkward if conjugated in the present continuous. INCORRECT: Sarah is being a tall teenager, who loves her food spicy and her sports dangerous. CORRECT: Sarah is a tall teenageer, who loves her food spicy and her sports dangerous.  

The Exception to the Rule

Simple Past Tense

The simple past is a verb tense that is used to talk about things that happened or existed before now. Imagine someone asks what your brother Wolfgang did while he was in town last weekend. Example: Wolfgang entered a hula hoop contest. He won the silver medal.  

The simple past tense shows that you are talking about something that has already happened. Unlike the past continuous tense, which is used to talk about past events that happened over a period of time, the simple past tense emphasizes that the action is finished. Example: Wolfgang admired the way the light glinted off his silver medal.  

You can also use the simple past to talk about a past state of being, such as the way someone felt about something. This is often expressed with the simple past tense of the verb to be and an adjective, noun, or prepositional phrase. Example: Wolfgang was proud of his hula hoop victory. The contest was the highlight of his week.  

For regular verbs, add -ed to the root form of the verb (or just -d if the root form already ends in an e): Play→Played Type→Typed Listen→Listened Push→Pushed Love→Loved For irregular verbs, things get more complicated. The simple past tense of some irregular verbs looks exactly like the root form: Put→Put Cut→Cut Set→Set Cost→Cost Hit→Hit For other irregular verbs, including the verb to be, the simple past forms are more erratic: See→Saw Build→Built Go→Went Do→Did Rise→Rose Am/Is/Are→Was/Were The good news is that verbs in the simple past tense (except for the verb to be) don’t need to agree in number with their subjects. Example: Wolfgang polished his medal. The other winners polished their medals too.  

How to Formulate the Simple Past

Fortunately, there is a formula for making simple past verbs negative, and it’s the same for both regular and irregular verbs (except for the verb to be). The formula is did not + [root form of verb]. You can also use the contraction didn’t instead of did not. Example: Wolfgang did not brag too much about his hula hoop skills. Wolfgang’s girlfriend didn’t see the contest. For the verb to be, you don’t need the auxiliary did. When the subject of the sentence is singular, use was not or wasn’t. When the subject is plural, use were not or weren’t. Example:   The third-place winner was not as happy as Wolfgang. The fourth-place winner wasn’t happy at all. The onlookers were not ready to leave after the contest ended. The contestants weren’t ready to leave either.

Simple Past Negative

The formula for asking a question in the simple past tense is did + [subject] + [root form of verb]. Example: Did Wolfgang win the gold medal or the silver medal? Where did Wolfgang goto celebrate? Did the judges decide fairly, in your opinion?   When asking a question with the verb to be, you don’t need the auxiliary did. The formula is was/were + [subject]. Example: Was Wolfgang in a good mood after the contest? Were people taking lots of pictures?    

How to Ask a Question