Categories: Grammar

Structure of Simple Present Tense

SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
This post includes detailed expressions about simple present tense and its structures in english. Please follow the list about Structure of Simple Present Tense;

The tenses simply show the time of an action.

Simple Present Tense indicates an action which happens in the present, but it isn’t necessary for actions to happen right now. Simple present tense indicates, unchanging situations, general truths, scientific facts, habits, fixed arrangements and frequently occuring events.

The Structures of Simple Present Tense

POSITIVE FORMS (+) :

Subject ( I, You, We, They ) + V₁( First Form of Verb )
Subject ( He, She, It ) + VERB – S / ES / IES

NEGATIVE FORMS (-) :

Subject ( I, You, We, They ) + do not / don’t + V₁( First Form of Verb )
Subject ( He, She, It ) + does not / doesn’t + V₁( First Form of Verb )

QUESTION FORMS (?) :

Do + Subject ( I, You, We, They ) + V₁( First Form of Verb )
Does + Subject ( He, She, It ) + V₁( First Form of Verb )

SHORT ANSWER FORMS ( + / – ) :

YES / NO + Subject ( I, You, We, They )+ do / do not (don’t)
YES / NO + Subject ( He, She, It ) + does / does not (doesn’t)

POSITIVE (+)	NEGATIVE (-)	QUESTION (?)
I start	I do not (don’t) start	Do I start
You start	You do not (don’t) start	Do you start
He starts	He does not (doesn’t) start	Does he start
She starts	She does not (doesn’t) start	Does she start
It starts	It does not (doesn’t) start	Does it start
We start	We do not (don’t) start	Do we start
You start	You do not (don’t) start	Do you start
They start	They do not (don’t) start	Do they start

ATTENTION:

1. In Simple Present Tense, we add the suffix -s at the end of the verbs for the third singular subjects ( He, She, It ) . On the other hand, we use first forms of the verbs for other subjects ( I, You, We, You, They).

2. Although we add the suffix -s at the end of the verb for the third singular subjects in possitive sentences, we remove the suffix -s at the end of the verb in questions and negative sentences because of being used ‘does’ or ‘doesn’t’ as an auxillary verb.

Positive Sentences ( Sbj + V1 /V(-s,-es,-ies) )

Examples:

My mother lets me go out with my friends.
I prefer my coffee black.
She puts the keys on the table.
The teacher shouts at us all the time.
I have two brothers.
Coffee grows in Brazil.

Negative Sentences ( Sbj + do/does not + V1)

Examples:

My mother does not (doesn’t) let me go out with my friends.
I do not (don’t) prefer my coffee black.
She does not (doesn’t) put the keys on the table.
The teacher does not (doesn’t) shout at us all the time.
I do not (don’t) have two brothers.
Coffee does not (doesn’t) grow in Brazil.

Question Sentences ( Do/Does + Sbj + V1)

Examples:

Does your mother let you go out with your friends?
Do you prefer your coffee black?
Does she put the keys on the table?
Does the teacher shout at us all the time?
Do I have two brothers?
Does coffee grow in Brazil?

NOTES:

We use other question words ( Like Who, What, Why , How much / many, How often etc.) in present tense.

Question Words (who, what, why, how much / many, how often etc.) + do / does + subject pronoun ( he, she, it, I, you, we, they) + V₁ ( First Form of Verb )

Examples: