Regular, regular, constant, daily ... The list of definitions can be continued if desired. But not necessary. Better deal with him, as they say, face to face. But not for an unpleasant conversation, but rather - in order to learn better, and in case of an unexpected meeting, no longer be afraid. So get to know: Present Simple time!
Number of times
English, as you know, has a special love for the times. There are three of them: past (Past), present (Present), future (Future). We cannot get used to such a balance of power, since the same picture is observed in Russian. But the language of foggy Albion went further, and each of the above times has its own subcategories. Their task is to determine not when the action occurred, but how. We decided that there would be four of them: simple (Present / Simple), long (Continuous), perfect (Perfect), perfect long (Perfect Continous). What do we have in the end? There are twelve in total, but with one caveat - excluding passive voice. However, decently it turns out! But today, fortunately, or vice versa - unfortunately, we will speak only on one topic: "Present Simple: use in English, rules, examples."
What is it and what does it eat with
Present Simple time (another name - Present Indefinite) in translation from Russian means simple present, or present indefinite time. We can say that it is one of the most important of all existing time-forms in the English language. It helps to tell about ourselves, other people, and about everything that is around us. And yet - using it even for other purposes will not distort the meaning of what was said, and you will always be understood. But is this not the most important thing? Therefore, to begin the study of the language spoken by the English queen, it follows precisely from the present indefinite time.
What does it mean? According to the above - action in the present, in the broad sense of the term. At first, it seems that Present Simple as two drops of water is similar to its counterpart in Russian. On the one hand - yes, in most cases their functions coincide. But on the other hand, everything is much more complicated, and you have to tinker with it, if, of course, you want to know the language at a high level.
So, the most common actions, regularly repeated, constant - this is the scope of Present Simple. Examples of use: when we talk about our or others' habits, schedule, daily routine. To emphasize the frequency of action in sentences, as a rule, the following circumstances of the time are present: seldom (rarely), sometimes (sometimes), often (often), usually (usually), occasionally (from time to time), always (always), and others. Their stable place in the sentence is before the main verb, and only sometimes, occasionally they can run over to the beginning or the end of a phrase.
Positive form
The form of the verb (English) Present Simple is almost always identical to its initial form - the infinitive - without the particle to. Exclusively in the singular, the 3rd person in the verb appears endings -s, -es. For example: I usually go shopping on Sunday. - She usually goes shopping on Sunday.
Rules for using the ending -es:
- The –es ending is appended if the word ends with -sh, -ch, -o, -x, –s, -ss,: wish - wishes, wash - washes, cross - crosses, go - goes, do - does.
- If the word ends with –y with the preceding consonant, -y changes to -i, the result is the ending –ies: cry - cries, try - tries, dry - dries.
To be or not to be
As you know, the verb to be (to be, is) in the English language stands apart. And there are many reasons for this. Firstly, it has three forms am (I), is (he, she, it), are (you, we, they). In other words, this is the only English verb that changes in persons and numbers, that is, it is conjugated.
Secondly, the verb to be dispenses with the auxiliary verb. He himself is both the main and auxiliary verb. Therefore, in Present Simple in negative sentences, the negative particle not is attached to it (I am not a pupil, I am a student), and in the question it is put first after question words, but always before the subject (Are you a student? What is your name?).
negative form
How to build a negative sentence in the present tense Present Simple? The use of auxiliary verbs will certainly help. They do not have their own meaning and are used only in conjunction with semantic (basic) verbs: do and does for the 3rd person in the singular. In cases of negation, they deal with the negative particle not before the verb-predicate. Do / does with a negative particle not can shorten to don't (doesn't). For example: I don't like sugar in black coffee (I don’t like sugar in black coffee) - She doesn't like sugar in black coffee (She does not like sugar in black coffee); You don't smoke - He doesn't smoke.
Question
When constructing interrogative sentences (Present Simple), the auxiliary verb do is also used for the 3rd person in the singular - does. The only difference is that he constantly strives to take a dominant position. In general matters, he always comes first in front of the subject. For example: Do you like traveling abroad? (Do you like traveling abroad?) - Does she like traveling abroad? (Does she like traveling abroad?) In special matters, he always follows the question word (what, where, why, when, how), but always before the subject: What do you like? (What do you like?) - What does she likes? (What does she like?).
We draw attention to one interesting nuance: if a general question begins with an auxiliary verb in a negative form, then when translating a sentence takes on a hue of surprise, amazement. For example: Don’t you go to the cinema on Sunday? “Don't you go to the cinema on Sunday?” ; Doesn't she like ice-cream? “Doesn't she like ice cream?”
Present Simple: Use
Back to practice again. With Present Simple (examples follow) it’s better to sort it out slowly, as they say, once and for all. A detailed analysis of this topic will help in the future not to confuse the time considered in the article with others, for example, in such common test tasks as “Open brackets: Present Simple Tense or Present Continues Tense”.
The first case is a usual, repeated action, a constant state in the present: We play tennis every summer - We play tennis every summer; She often reads books - She often reads books.
The second is a statement of scientific facts, laws of nature, generally accepted statements: Kangaroos live in Australia - Kangaroos live in Australia; It rains in autumn - It rains in autumn; Earth is not flat, it is round - the Earth is not flat, it is round.
Third, when listing several consecutive actions (recipes, user manual, instructions): We mix sugar and eggs. We add flour. We add a pinch of salt and bake at 180 degrees - Mix sugar with eggs, add flour, a pinch of salt and bake at 180 degrees.
Fourth - when referring to future action in the schedules of buses, trains, planes, as well as classes at the school, cinema sessions, etc.: The bus leaves at 8 o'clock. Don't miss it - The bus leaves at 8 o’clock. Look don't be late.
Fifth, when retelling stories, when the action actually takes place in the past: I met my old friend last week. She comes to me and asks, “Hi, how are you?” - I met my old girlfriend last week. She came up to me and asked: “Hello! How are you?"; A big airplane crashes in Canada. - A large plane crashed in Canada.
We've covered the simplest cases of using Present Simple. The use of other, more complex, usually studied at other levels of training.