Simple Present Tense

The verb in the simple present tense is the same as the base form of the verb. If the subject of a sentence is a singular noun (a man, an apple) or singular pronoun (he, she, it), and the main verb that follows it is in the simple present tense, it (main verb) has an –s added to it: the man/he/she/it eats.

We use the� simple present tense :�

to show a fact or something that is always� true .

Examples:

The heart pumps blood through the body.
A dentist treats people's teeth.
Some birds sleep by day and hunt by night.
Her parents like to listen to owls’ hoot, but she hates it.
He does not speak a word of English.

for� daily routines or something done� regularly or� habitually . �

Examples:

Some people go to church every Sunday.
He smokes two packets of cigarettes a day.
Every night, she goes to bed and reads for a while.
Farmers sell their produce at the open-air markets in the weekends.

for an action that is� planned to happen in the future.

Examples:

The train for Birmingham departs at seven o'clock.
The meeting begins in an hour's time.
The new supermarket opens next week.
The match starts in exactly ten minutes.

to express� beliefs , feelings , opinions and� states .

Examples:

He believes everything he reads.
They feel a lot of loyalty to the company..
Jill doubts the truth of his statement.
She deeply regrets saying those nasty things about him.

with adverbs such as always, never, often, rarely, seldom, sometimes, and usually to indicate the way that something often happens.

Examples:

We never eat at that expensive restaurant.
The beach is a bit far, but� sometimes we walk all the way there.
She� rarely talks about her husband.
They usually hold the meeting in the conference room. �

for� timetable ,� schedule ,� plan , and� programs .

Examples:

The zoo opens daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The first flight for London leaves at 6:30 a.m.
There’s a weekly television program at six o'clock about cooking.
According to the timetable, the bus arrives at 7:00.

in newspaper� headlines .

Examples:

PRESIDENT DUNNO RESIGNS.
POLICE DISCOVER MORE DEAD BODIES.

for� instructions ,� directions .

Examples:

Mix the flour and water together, then add sugar.
Go straight on and when you come to the first traffic lights, turn left.

in " I declare ,� I promise ,� I assure , etc.

Examples:

I declare this pet show open.
I promise you, I won't do anything stupid.
I assure you everything will be all right.

with the following� time expressions : all the time, at night/the weekend, every day/week/month/year, in the morning/afternoon/evening, on Mondays/Tuesday, etc., once/twice a day/week, etc.

Examples:

He picks his nose all the time.
Tom often goes to the library in the evening.
My father works part-time at night at weekends..
The flight to Timbuktu takes off twice a week.

To ask a question in the simple present tense using the auxiliary verb do (plural) or does (singular).

Examples:

Do they know they are behaving like idiots?
Does it bark only in the daytime?
Does she always talk for hours on the phone?