Present Simple: table, rules

To be fluent in English is to discover many doors. In the modern world, this skill is highly valued, and therefore it is necessary to devote a lot of time to learning English. You need to develop this ability in yourself from childhood, although an adult can master a new language even if there is no initial knowledge. The main thing is to know the grammar, and the rest will come with practice.

Everyone who is familiar with the basics of the English language has come across its times. It is on them that the whole grammar of English is based, and it is they who cause difficulties and problems in learning for many. The most used among tenses is the Present (Simple). The table, as a rule, greatly simplifies the study process.

When Present Simple is Used

English, like any language, is built on general principles and rules, which often do not allow alternatives in the application of certain grammatical constructions. Some cases oblige to use only Present Simple. The rules, the table of use of this time should be observed for competent speech.

Present Simple is used in the following cases:

1. When it comes to general rules, truths - what everyone knows: a description of laws, natural phenomena, research results and any other generally accepted facts (Mouses love cheese - Mice love cheese).
2. When we show emotions, feelings or a state (I believe in love - I believe in love).
3. When describing everyday or permanent situations (His parents live in Russia - His parents live in Russia).
4. In the context of the future tense after the words if, when, before, until, unless (I'll stay here untill you get back - I will stay here until you return).
5. When it comes to timetables or regular activities, events (I get up at 8:30 - I get up at 8:30).
6. When talking about personal habits, hobbies (I like becon - I like bacon).
7. When we talk about what is happening now (She is here now - She is here now).

Although Present Simple is considered one of the simplest grammar tenses of the English language, but it has several nuances that cannot be ignored, because otherwise written and spoken language will be ridiculous.

Narration in Present Simple

Narrative sentences make up the bulk of our speech. In Present Simple, they are constructed as follows: subject + predicate (if speaking from a third party, then with the ending -s, only for the singular).

For instance:

• I read a newspaper every morning. - I read a newspaper every morning.
• He reads a newspaper every morning. - He reads a newspaper every morning.

This is important: you must not confuse the form that the third person takes in the singular time with the plural! The ending -s should be added only to the pronouns “it,” “he,” “she.”

Question in Present Simple

The basis for building questions in Present Simple are auxiliary and special modal verbs. Such sentences are constructed according to the following scheme: interrogative word + special auxiliary / modal verbs + subject + predicate.

If various forms of the verb to be are used, it should be taken as the basis for constructing the question. For example:

• He is a teacher. - He is a teacher.
• He is a teacher? - Is he a teacher?

In general questions, it is modal verbs that are used, and not auxiliary ones. For instance:

• She knows how to jump into the pool. - She can jump in the pool.
• Can she jump into the pool? - Can she jump in the pool?

The verb to do has special meaning in Present Simple, a table of its main forms is given below. If the sentence has a semantic verb, but does not contain a modal verb, then the following forms of the to do verb are used:

I	do
we	do
they	do
he	does
she	does
it	does
you	do

This is important: when using the does form, the ending -s is not put in the main predicate.

Denial in Present Simple

Auxiliary and special modal verbs in Present Simple, the table of forms to do in the present tense, are also used to form negative sentences.

Scheme: subject + special auxiliary / modal verbs + particle not + predicate. In practice, abbreviations are often used: do not - don't,
does not - doesn't.

For instance:

• He runs every night. - He runs every evening.
• He does not run every night. - He does not (doesn't) run every evening.

English table: Present Simple

It is better to see and understand once, than to read and remain perplexed a thousand times. Visual memory and general perception helps to remember the material better. Especially when it comes to base time in English, such as Present Simple. A table for children, as well as for adults, is a great option for quickly learning grammar.

Affirmative offer (+)	noun + verb in the first form (if speaking from the 3rd person in the singular, then the main predicate with the ending -s or the ending “es” for verbs that end with “x, o, ss, sh, ch, s”)
Negative sentence (-)	noun + auxiliary verb + particle not + verb in the first form (when used, the -s particle is not used)
Interrogative sentence (?)	special interrogative word + auxiliary verb + noun + verb in the first form

Verbs in Present Simple

To build sentences, all verbs are important: modal, auxiliary, and, of course, the main semantic verbs. Together, they create a certain system that makes up the bulk of both this time and the entire English language.

Present Simple uses the first, indefinite form of the verb. At the same time, there are nuances that must be taken into account when building the proposal of this time:

1. In affirmative sentences from the third person singular, the verb acquires the -s particle.
2. In negatives and third-person questions of the singular using the does form, the -s particle is not used.
3. In the interrogative sentence, the auxiliary verb is used before the subject. If the question is of a special type, an interrogative pronoun is used in front of them.
4. If the question is to the proper one, then Who is used instead of the subject and applied before the predicate.

Verbs in Present Simple, the conjugation table of which is given below, is a framework without which it would be impossible to express your thoughts.

Number	Face	Narrative Suggestions	Negative offers	Interrogative sentences
one	1	I draw.	I do not draw.	Do i draw?
	2	You draw.	You do not draw.	Do you draw?
	3	He draws. She draws. It draws.	He does not draw. She does not draw. It does not draw.	Does he draw? Does she draw? Does it draw?
plural	1	You draw.	You do not draw.	Do you draw?
	2	We draw.	We do not draw.	Do we draw?
	3	They draw.	They do not draw.	Do they draw?

Marker words

It is one thing to learn how the Present Simple table looks like, and another to practice the acquired knowledge in practice. Sometimes, looking at a sentence, it is not immediately possible to determine to which grammatical time it belongs. For this, there are words-markers - a kind of indicator of a particular time. They are usually used after the modal / special auxiliary verb or at the end of a sentence. Marker words for Present Simple:

• sometimes - sometimes
• regularly - constantly
• rarely - rarely
• often - often
• at the weekend - at the weekend,
• on Wednesday - on Wednesdays,
• every day - every day
• at weekends - on weekends,
• always - always
• at 9 o'clock - at 9 o’clock,
• usually - usually.