present simple tense

Dublin Business English Language Centre

Grammar summary:

I will be looking at the following grammar elements over the next while and I hope you all learn something.

Any feedback / comments welcome…


Present Simple:

Example: I like Ice Cream
You like ice cream
He/she/ likes ice cream / it tastes nice
We like ice cream
You like cream
They like ice cream

Here we have a simple positive sentence in a SVO structure i.e. Subject, Verb and Object.

Point 1.

Only the 3rd person singular (he, she and it ) change verb ending to s i.e. verb + s.

Negative sentences:
To form a negative sentence in present simple we need to introduce the concept of an auxiliary verb or helping verb. Here we use don’t / doesn’t plus main verb.


I don’t like Ice Cream
You don’t like ice cream
He/she/it doesn’t like ice cream
We don’t like ice cream
You don’t like cream
They don’t like ice cream

So it translates into

Pronoun + auxiliary verb +main verb + noun
I don’t like ice Cream
He doesn’t like ice cream

Point 2.

Be careful not to put an s after 3rd person
He doesn’t likes ice cream
He doesn’t like ice cream


Interrogative sentences:

Once again we need an auxiliary word – we use do / does plus verb to form questions example

Do is used with all persons except 3rd person pronouns which use does + verb.

Example:

Do I like Ireland?
Do you like U2?
Does he / she like Guinness?
Does it taste nice?
Do we/you / they live in Dublin?

So sentence structure is:

Do/does plus subject pronoun + main verb plus noun/object pronoun

Do you like rock music?
Does he like Lady gaga / does he like her?

Point 3.

Be careful not to put an s after 3rd person
Does he likes ice cream
Does he like ice cream


Main uses:

1. Facts: I like ice cream

2. Routines: Everyday I get up at 7.30/ I always go to bed at 11p.

3. Time-tables: the bus leaves at 6pm tomorrow/ the flight arrives at 2pm tomorrow evening/ the meeting starts at 9am on Friday.

4. State verbs: these are non action verbs like verbs of feeling and emotion example like, love, hate, want, sense, desire and feel and are always used in present simple even when referring to now.