center; font-size: 38px; margin-bottom: 8pt; color: rgb(103, 103, 133); clear: both;">Present tenses
in English
Different
types of present
tense in English
English
uses two
forms of the present, the Present
simple
and the
Present progressive. This page looks at verbs in
the active
voice. See The Passive
for forms of the present tenses in the passive voice.
► Interactive
verb quiz Test
your
tenses: present tense.
1. The present
simple
In short, the Present
Simple is
used to express:
a) permanent states and permanent truths.
b) repetitive actions
c) instant actions.
1.1. The present
simple
affirmative
It is formed using the root
form of the verb : there is only one ending to add, an S
on the
third person singular, or ES
onto
verbs ending in -s, -sh, -x, and - o
| Sample verbs |
1st
sing. |
2nd sing. |
3rd
sing. |
1st
plural |
2nd
plural |
3rd plural |
| Bring |
I
bring |
you
bring |
he,
she, it brings |
we
bring |
you
bring |
they
bring |
| Do |
I
do |
you
do |
he,
she, it does |
we
do |
you
do |
they
do |
| Pass |
I
pass |
you
pass |
he,
she, it passes |
we
pass |
you
pass |
they
pass |
1.2. The present simple negative
For all verbs, the present
simple negative is formed using the root of the verb, and
the auxiliary do
in the negative form: do
not and does
not are normally contracted in spoken English, and may
also be contracted in the written language.
| Sample
verbs |
1st
sing. |
2nd
sing. |
3rd
sing. |
1st
plural |
2nd
plural |
3rd
plural |
| Bring |
I
don't bring |
you
don't bring |
he,
she, it doesn't
bring |
we
don't bring |
you
don't bring |
they
don't bring |
| Speak |
I
don't speak |
you
don't speak |
he,
she, it doesn't
speak |
we
don't speak |
you
don't speak |
they
don't speak |
Examples:
a1) I like
apples,
but I don't like oranges.
a2) I live
in London,
and I work
for a big bank.
a3) Flowers grow
well in a warm sunny climate.
a4)
Tomorrow
never comes
b1) My
brother
often goes
to London.
b2) It snows
in
winter in New York.
b3) I get
up at
6 every morning.
c1) Oh, I understand
what you mean.
c2) And now Beckham gets
the ball, he shoots,
and he scores!
2. The present
progressive
In short, the Present
Progressive is used to express:
a) developing situations.
b) actions that are actually taking place.
c) future
actions.
2.1. The present
progressive
affirmative
This is formed using the present
participle of the verb and the present tense of to be.
The
present participle is formed by adding -ing to the root (or to the root
minus its final -e for verbs ending in e). The auxiliary is usually
contracted in spoken English (as in the second line of examples).
| Sample verbs |
1st
sing. |
2nd
sing. |
3rd
sing. |
1st
plural |
2nd
plural |
3rd
plural |
| Stand |
I
am standing |
you
are standing |
he,
she, it is standing |
we
are standing |
you
are standing |
they
are standing |
| Take |
I'm
taking |
you're
taking |
he,
she, it's taking |
we're
taking |
you're
taking |
they're
taking |
2.2. The present progressive negative
The negative
is formed by adding the particle not
: there are two
different ways of contracting the present
progressive negative, as illustrated by the two lines of examples for
the verb take.
Contracted forms are normally used in spoken English, and may be used
in the written language too.
| Sample verbs |
1st
sing. |
2nd sing. |
3rd
sing. |
1st
plural |
2nd
plural |
3rd plural |
| Stand |
I
am not standing |
you
are not standing |
he,
she, it is not standing |
we
are not standing |
you
are not standing |
they
are not standing |
| Take |
I'm
not taking |
you're
not taking |
he,
she, it's not taking |
we're
not taking |
you're
not taking |
they're
not taking |
| Take |
you
aren't taking |
he,
she, it isn't taking |
we
aren't taking |
you
aren't taking |
they
aren't taking |
► Click here for more on negative
structures
Examples:
a1) John
is
getting better.
a2) The
weather isn't
improving.
b1) This
week I am
working in
New York.
b2) Look!
That man's
stealing my
car!
b3) Slow down, you're going
too fast!
c1) He's
not going on
holiday tomorrow.
c2) He said
he's
retiring next
year.
Verbs that are never used in the progressive form
Note:
some verbs are almost never
used in the present progressive - notably certain verbs of permanent
state,
such as know, be, like,
exist.
We can say: I know the train is arriving
late.
We cannot
say: I am knowing
the train is arriving late.
3. Present simple vs. present
progressive:
A
contrastive example :
This sentence is a clear example of the difference in usage between
the two forms:
I eat
hamburgers, but I'm
not
eating a
hamburger right now.
► Online verb quiz Test your
tenses: present tense.
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index
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