Simple Present Tense | Examples, Uses, Rules, Exercises.

Ever wondered why the sentence "The Earth revolves around the sun" uses the present tense even though it describes an event that has been happening for millions of years? Well, this is the case of the simple present tense, and the sentence given is one of the classic simple present tense examples.

Simple Present Tense, a verb tense, is the basic form of the present tense in English that helps to express present actions, habits, daily routine or universally established facts. In general, the simple present tense is used to describe actions happening in the present moment or those that happen regularly. The simple present tense sentences are created either by using the base form of the verb or adding s/es to them depending on the person/subject in the sentence.

In this article, we will discuss the simple present tense definition, simple present tense formula and examples, simple present tense sentences and exercises, and some common mistakes. But first, we will learn about the simple present tense definition and examples (Present Indefinite Tense definition).  

Learn all about the tenses in English grammar with examples here.

What is a Simple Present Tense?

Simple Present tense (also known as the Present Indefinite Tense), the base form of the verb, is used to express general truths/facts (such as - “the sun rises in the east.”), habits (I wake up in the morning) and planned events in the near future (Ram’s birthday comes next week). 

Where is Simple Present Tense Used? | Conditions and Situations

The Present Indefinite Tense is used in various cases. The various instances where the Simple Present tense is used to construct the sentence structure are given below. 

• To Express Habits/Daily Routine: the things you usually do, routined habits/activities are described by using the present indefinite tense rules. For example -
  
  • I wake up at 6 am. 
  • I go to school. 
• General Truths: (also the permanent truths) are the universal truths and facts that can be described using the Present Indefinite tense. The general truth-related examples of the Simple present tense are-
  
  • Delhi stands on the bank of river Yamuna.
  • The sun rises in east. 
• Near Future Events- The scheduled events that are going to be performed/happened in the near future are expressed using the Simple Present tense. 
  
  • They leave at 9 am tomorrow. 
  • My birthday comes next week. 
• Present Time: the activity that is ongoing in the present time. For example -
  
  • Rohit lives in Delhi.
  • I study in class 5. 
• Exclamatory Sentences that start with “see”, “here” and “there”: These are some powerful expressions that indicate an action in the present moment. Present indefinite tense examples of this kind are given below.
  
  • See, how it rains.
  • Here comes the principal.
• To Repeat a Quotation: The quotations from famous personalities can be repeated as such by making use of the Present Simple Tense. For example-
  
  • Keats says, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.”
  • Browning says, “Who knows the world may end tonight.”
• To Express a Past Event in a Narrative: Past events in a narrative can be expressed by making use of the simple present tense, for example - 
  
  • Sher Singh takes his sister and leaves for Holland.
  • Laxmi Bai now rides her horse and leads her army.
• Imperative Sentences: used to start “imperative sentences” as given below.
  
  • Obey your elders.
  • Do not speak a lie. 

Simple Present Tense Rules and Examples

It must be noted that there are three types of sentences in Simple Present Tense - affirmative, negative and interrogative. The rules of Simple Present Tense differ for all these three types of sentences and their singular and plural nouns as well. So, below, we have covered the rules on how simple present tense sentences are created when describing your daily activities in an affirmative, negative and interrogative manner using the simple present tense structure to make the sentences. Check out the rules for making present simple tense sentences below.

Where: V1 denotes the first form of Verb. 

Note- The singular noun rules apply to “he, she and it”, and for "I, we, you, they", plural subject rules apply. 

Rules for Adding -s/es and -ies to Verbs in Simple Present Tenses 

There are two rules that will help you understand where and when to add “s”, “es” and “ies” as suffixes to the first form of the verbs in sentences while using the simple present tense (or Present Indefinite Tense formula). The correct use of s/es and ies are given below. 

• When the first form of the verb ends in -o, -ss, -sh, -ch, and -x.

When the verb in simple tense ends in -o, -ss, -sh, -ch, and -x, the suffix “es” is added. In the rest of the cases, add “s” to the verb. For example, “go” becomes “goes”, “search” becomes “searches” and “run” becomes “runs”.

• When the first form of the verb ends in a consonant followed by -y. 

When the verb in a simple present tense sentence ends in a -y and there is a consonant before -y, “ies” is added as a suffix to the verb. For example, “carry” becomes “carries” and “copy” becomes “copies”.

Note:- Alternatively, it can be understood that the base form of the verb is used in the simple present tense sentences with first and second person singular while s/es is used with third person singular. However, with all the plural forms, only the base form is used. 

Common Verbs Used in the Simple Present Tenses

Here is the list of the most commonly used verb forms in most of the simple present tense examples. 

Simple Present Tense Examples (for each Case)

Examples of the present indefinite tense for every case/situation are- 

Simple Present Tense Exercises

Let us see some present indefinite tense exercises below. You can use these practice questions as simple present tense examples worksheets to practice later.  

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

1. The mother …….. (cook) the food.
2. Rita …….. (call) me every morning. 
3. She …….. (read) in tenth class.
4. The cat …… (kill) rats. 
5. The sun …… (rise) in the east. 
6. The train …….. (depart) at 7 am tomorrow.
7. Sarah …….. (go) to yoga classes every day. 
8. The gardener ……. (take care) of the plants
9. Here …….. (come) the train. 
10. I go to …….. (play) every evening.
11. …… (do/does) he ……… (play) tennis?
12. When …….. (do/does) the bus ……. (leave)?
13. We …….. (achieve) great things when we work together. 
14. Most people ………. (believe) in the importance of education. 
15. The children …….. (play) in the garden every afternoon after school.

Answers:

1. cooks
2. calls
3. reads
4. Kills
5. rises 
6. Departs
7. Goes
8. takes care
9. Comes
10. play
11. Does, play
12. Does, leave
13. achieve
14. believe
15. play

Exercise 2: Transform the Sentences

Rewrite the sentences given below in simple present tense form.

1. She was preparing dinner.​
2. They visited the art gallery.​
3. He is listening to music.​
4. We were jogging in the park.​

Answers:

1. She prepares dinner.​
2. They visit the art gallery.​
3. He listens to music.​
4. We jog in the park.​

Note how the above sentence transformations bring a sense of daily habits or the present time in the sentences after conversion. 

Exercise 3: Correct the Errors

Identify the errors in the sentences below and correct these errors as per the rules of the simple present tense.

1. The concert start at 9 PM.​
2. He don't enjoy spicy food.​
3. I enjoys painting landscapes.​

Answers-

1. The concert starts at 9 PM.
2. He doesn't enjoy spicy food.​
3. I enjoy painting landscapes.​

Importance of Simple Present Tenses in English Language Exams 

The present indefinite tense is the base form of the verb tense and forms the foundation of learning the sentence structure in English. Thus, the learning of the Simple Present Tense plays a good role in preparation for the standardised English language tests to study abroad, like IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, and Duolingo. Let us read about the benefits of learning the Simple Present Tense for success in any of these English exams: 

1. Foundation of other tenses: The simple present tense forms the base for understanding other tenses like the present continuous tense, future simple tense, and past simple tense. 
2. Expresses Daily Routines and Habits: You will likely encounter prompts or questions that ask about your daily routines, study habits, or background in any of the English exams and since the simple present tense specifies how you can describe your daily routines, facts or general truths in its rules, it will be way lot easier for you to anwer these questions in the exam.  
3. Indirectly Tested in Other Sections: Even if a specific question does not directly ask about the simple present tense, understanding it can help you eliminate other incorrect answer choices.

Read More:

• Prepositions
• Personal Pronouns

Are you willing to take the first move towards realising your dream of studying abroad? Prepare for your next English language exam to study abroad with Shiksha’s Free IELTS Classes. 

This was all about the simple present tense definition, simple present tense formula, present indefinite tenses sentences and examples. We studied the basic verb form of the English grammar tenses, i.e. the simple present tense (also known as the Present Indefinite tense), simple present tense definitions, simple present tense sentences, do/does use, simple present tense examples and simple present tense questions. You can download the simple present tense examples PDF by clicking on the “Download Guide” button. 

Related Reads:

1. Present Continuous Tense
2. Present Perfect Tense
3. Present Perfect Continuous Tense
4. Past Perfect Tense
5. Future Plans