Simple present (indicative)

The simple present is used to express actions which take place in the present or which occur regularly. It also serves to express general or absolute statements not anchored in a particular time frame.

• I work at home.
• Politics are a dirty business.
• Jill speaks four languages fluently.
• On Sundays, we like to fish.

In the interrogative, the present is generally introduced by a form of the verb "to do" ("do / does"):

• Does your father like to cook?
• Do you have time to stop by my place?

The appropriate form of the verb "to do" will also be used for the negative:

• I do not (don't) work at home.
• No, he does not (doesn't) like to cook.

After the conjunctions "when," "as soon as," etc., the present is used, even though actions expressed may refer to the future:

• She'll come when she can.
• He'll pay us as soon as we finish.

   

Forming the simple present

The present is extremely regular in its conjugation. As a general rule, one uses the base form of the infinitive (minus the preposition "to"). For the third person singular ("he," "she," "it"), an "-s" is added if the verb ends in a consonant, or "-es" if the verb ends with a vowel:

To work

• I work
• you work
• he / she / it works
• we work
• they work

To go

• I go
• you go
• he / she / it goes
• we go
• they go

However: verbs ending with "consonant + y" (for example, "to try," "to cry," "to bury," etc.) will end in "-ies" in the third person singular:

To bury

• I bury
• you bury
• he / she buries
• we bury
• they bury

"To have", "to be"

The only irregular verbs in the present are "to have," "to be," and the modal verbs.

To have

• I have
• you have
• he / she has
• we have
• they have

To be

• I am
• you are
• he / she is
• we are
• they are

Related topics

• Negatives
• Questions
• Near future
• Prepositional verbs

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