GRAMMAR LESSON TWO: Simple present

Hi everyone,

So today's grammar lesson is the simple present (also called present simple). After the first grammar lesson which I hope most of you already know, here it comes the second one. So here it is, simple present lesson:

When to use the simple present

The simple present expresses an action in the present taking place once, never or several times. It is also used for actions that take place one after another and for actions that are set by a timetable or schedule.It can also be something a person often forgets or usually does not do.


Examples:

I play tennis.
She does not play tennis.
Does he play tennis?
The train leaves every morning at 8 AM.
The train does not leave at 9 AM.
When does the train usually leave?
She always forgets her purse.
He never forgets his wallet.
Every twelve months, the Earth circles the Sun.
Does the Sun circle the Earth?



The affirmative form of the simple present is just formed by the verb in present tense, but it changes depending on the person we're talking about. For I/You/We/They the verb stays without modification, but for She/He/It an -S ending is added to the word. Examples:

They go to school everyday.
He likes ice cream very much.
We have a lot of work today.
I live in London, but my parents don´t.
She cries* every time she fails a test..

*There are times when instead of just an -S at the end of the word, we will have to add an -ES, as in finishes, cries, tries, goes, does, etc... Examples:

She goes to the beach once a week.
He tries to train at least one hour per day.
She always finishes early.

The negative form of the simple present uses the verb "To do" as an auxiliary verb, and it also changes depending on the person we are talking about. So it is "do not" or "don't" for I/You/We/They and "does not" or "doesn't" for She/He/It. Examples:

They don't go to school everyday.
He doesn't like ice cream.
We do not have a lot of work today.
I don't live in London, but my parents do.
She does not cry every time she fails an test.
She doesn't go to the beach once a week.
He does not try to train at least one hour per day.
She doesn't always finish early.


In the interrogative form of the simple present, the verb "To do" is placed as an auxiliary verb at the beginning of the question, and it changes depending on the person we are talking about. So it is "Do" or "Don't" for I/You/We/They and "Does" or "Doesn't" for She/He/It. You use "Do/Does" for affirmative questions and "Don't/Doesn't" for negatives. Examples:

Do they go to school everyday? Affirmative question
Doesn't he like ice cream? Negative question
Do we have a lot of homework today? Affirmative question
Don't we live in London?  Negative question
Does she cry every time she fails a test? Affirmative question
Does she go to the beach once a week? Affirmative question
Doesn't he try to train at least one hour per day? Negative question
Does she always finish early? Affirmative question

For the answer of the questions, we use the auxiliary used in the question. You answer in an affirmative way by saying "Yes, I/You/We/They do" or "Yes, She/He/It does" and in a negative way by saying "No, I/You/We/They don't" or "No, She/He/It doesn't"

Do they go to school everyday? Yes, they do.
Don't we live in London? No, we don't.
Doesn't he try to train at least one hour per day? Yes, he does.

*Remember the -S endings at the end of the verb with She/He/It are always taken away in negative and interrogative forms. So it it wouldn't be "She doesn't always finishes early", but "She doesn't always finish early" and it would be "Does she buy fruits once a week?" instead of "Does she buys fruits once a week?".

Also, we occasionally use the simple present to talk about scheduled events in the near future. This is most commonly done when talking about public transportation, but it can be used with other scheduled events as well. Examples:

The train leaves tonight at 6 PM.

The bus does not arrive at 11 AM, it arrives at 11 PM.

When do we board the plane?

The party starts at 8 o'clock.

When does class begin tomorrow?

Let's see some examples of how to use the simple present in conversations:

Suburgatory, Episode 1x01: ARE YOU CALLING MY BRA UGLY?

DALIA

That's so lame your mom died, beyotch.

TESSA

My mom, heh, didn't die. She's just gone.

DALIA

So you became a lesbian to get back at her.

TESSA

What?

DALLAS

Tessa? If you need any help

or you have any questions or you feel lost

or unattractive in any way just let me know.

TESSA
I know why we're doing all this. It´s because your mom feels sorry for me.
DALIA
No. It's because my mom wants to screw your dad.

TESSA

Doesn't your mom screw your dad?

DALIA

Heh, no.

DALLAS
The suspense is killing me. I'm dying to see how cute you girls look.
DALIA
I'm buying* this
DALLAS
Oh, my godness, Tessa. Look at you. That is a keeper. That top is just off to the chizzy, is it not?
This is going* straight to the register.
Oh dear Lord, Who did this to you?
TESSA
This? I ordered it from a sporting-goods catalogue.
What's the problem?
DALLAS
Well, it's downright orthopedic. It's like a giant ACE bandage.
Like something a burn victim would wear.

TESSA

Are you calling my bra ugly?

DALLAS

Yes, honey, I am because it is ugly. And I would love to find one for you

that isn't. Along with a nice heterosexual dress shoe.

I wanted to put the same video just so you can see how it is all mixed and there is no just one tense in a conversation, but almost all of them.

Let's have a short explanation:

Present simple used as an action happening in the present but not lasting in an exact period of time, UNDERLINED:

DALLAS

Tessa? If you need any help

or you have any questions or you feel lost

or unattractive in any way just let me know. (0:19)

TESSA
I know why we're doing all this. It´s because your mom feels sorry for me.
DALIA
No. It's because my mom wants to screw your dad.

TESSA

Doesn't your mom screw your dad?

DALIA

Heh, no*. (0:29)

*Even when it is not grammatically correct to answer a question with a yes or a no without the auxiliary used to make the question, it is informal and used by everyone in English. So Dalia says "no" instead of "no, she doesn't" because it's SPOKEN ENGLISH, it's a language and it's used different ways, but if you're going for more formal, like an English test, or an essay or something serious, the questions always have to be answered with the auxiliary used in the question. For example, in the question "Does she believe it?" the answer would formally be "Yes, she does" or "No, she doesn't". but informally, you could say "yes" or "no" and there would be no problem!

Suburgatory, Episode 1x08: SO NOW WE DON'T SIT DOWN?

DALLAS
So now we don't sit down?
TESSA
No, we don't sit down,
'cause we have places to go.

DALLAS

And yet we don't hail a cab?

TESSA
No, we don't hail a cab.
As we walk, we fold, drip, and bite.
DALLAS
Oh, that's just filthy.
Is that part of it?
TESSA
That lying son of a....
BOTH
Bitch!

Here you can find again some examples of the simple present. Although here the questions are made as informal questions, changing the question form, as in:


DALLAS
So now we don't sit down? (0:01)

DALLAS

And yet we don't hail a cab? (0:05)

So here, instead of going "So now, don't we sit down?", the question is made with the affirmative form "So now we don't sit down?" but that's very, very informal and I don't recommend you to use it until you reach a high level of English. You can use it in informal situations but never use it in a test or an essay, because it can be seen as wrong.

Hope you like it and see you soon!

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