Tenses :1- Present Simple tense

Tenses

What is a tense ?

it is a grammatical category that helps locate a situation in time and it can be present , past or future .

There are 12 tenses in English :

• Present Tense

1. Simple 
2. Continuous
3. perfect
4. perfect continuous

• Past Tense

1. Simple
2. Continuous
3. perfect
4. perfect continuous

• Future

1. Simple
2. Continuous
3. perfect
4. perfect continuous

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Present Tense

1. The Present Simple Tense:

It encodes information about an aspect in the present time.

➤Form :

• Declarative sentence :

Subject                       +   Verb                                         +  Object

(I, You, We, They )   → (base verb : Play , walk ...etc.) 

                                                                                          ⇘

                                                                                             +( Food , Tv.....etc)

(He, she , it )           →(Base verb + s/es .. walks , eats..)⇗
 

Examples :

• I play Football.
• I like coffee.
• She learns French once a week.
• The student enters the classroom and greets his teacher. 

 

• Negative sentence :

Subject                    + (Don't-Doesn't)  + Verb             + Object

(I , you, they , we) +  Don't    +⇘

                                                       Base verb ( talk, make ..) + Object

(He , she , it )         + Doesn't +⇗

Examples :

• They don't live in France anymore.
• She doesn't like summer.
• He doesn't speak Arabic.
• Spring doesn't start in November.

• Questions:

Do - Does    +     Subject    +   Verb    +   Object

Examples :

• Does she go to school ?
• Do you speak Japanese ?
• Does he play tennis everyday ?
• Do you like apples ?

➧Note:

1. For positive sentences we don't normally use the Auxiliary verbs.
2. we add (s) for singular nouns , and (es) when the verb end with (ss-sh-ch-x-z-o)
3. we don't use an Auxiliary verb with Verb to be even for negative and questions.

Examples:

• I am French.
• They are not French.
• Am I late?
• Are we late ?

➤Usage:

1. Facts , Generalization & universal truths.
2. Habits & Routines.
3. Permanent situations.
4. Events certain to happen.
5. Future arrangements.
6. State verbs
7. Narrations , Instructions or commentaries.

• Facts , Generalization & universal truths :

Examples:

• Water boils at 100 degrees c. (Universal truth)
• It is a big house. (fact)
• The Earth goes around the sun. (universal truth , fact)
• The Dog doesn't fly.(fact) 

• Habits & Routines

actions that happen frequently (tendencies, habits and routines)

Examples:

• I leave for university 7 am every morning. (Routine)
• My parents watch the TV in the evening.(Habit & routine)
• she meets her friends every weekend. (habit)

• Permanent situations:

situations that last a relatively long time

Examples:

• I live in China.
• She works as a teacher.

• Events certain to happen:

Events that are certain to happen in the future.

Examples:

• School starts on Sep. 10.
• My brother turns 21 next week.
• winter starts on Dec. 21.

• State verbs:

Examples:

• I like singing.
• I know this girl.
• he likes playing  the guitar.

• Future arrangements:

Examples:

• the plane takes off at 4 pm.
• the train leaves at the noon.
• when does the meeting start?

• Narrations , instructions or commentaries:

Like telling a story ,  book instructions , sports commentaries....etc.

➱Note:

those adverbs of frequency will always be used with the present simple tense:

(Always , Frequently , often ,usually, seldom, rarely , nowadays , never, every ,sometimes, occasionally , from time to time , every now and then.)

 Examples:

• I usually wake up around 7 am in the morning.
• I go to work everyday.
• I often meet my friends after work.
• I go to the gym frequently.
• I never eat late .