Using the verb to be in Present Simple and Present Continious

It’s no secret to anyone that when learning English, the most difficult thing is to figure out the times. In Russian, everything is simple. There is present, past and future. In English, there are 4 present tenses, 4 past and 4 future. And this is only an active guarantee! In order to understand the use of these times, it takes months, and sometimes even years to carefully study this issue. The best way is to compile a summary table of all times to see them all at the same time when doing the exercises. This article discusses two real tenses, from the study of which the knowledge of the entire cycle of active voice times begins.

Using Present Simple in English

Learning English tenses always starts with Present Simple (Indefinite) - this is a real simple tense. The action at this time occurs usually, regularly (for example, every day, every year, every hour, etc.). Also included here are well-known facts and the permanent state of a person.

For instance:

1. Moscow is the capital of Russia. Moscow is the capital of Russia.
2. My father lives in Italy. My father lives in Italy.

To form an affirmative sentence, Present Simple uses a verb in the first form or adds the ending -s to it (only in the 3rd person singular).

1. I walk in the park every day. I walk in the park every day.
2. My brother goes to gym three times a week. My brother goes to the gym three times a week (3rd person, singular).

Auxiliary verbs are used to form negative and interrogative sentences. In the present simple tense these are the verbs Do and Does. The auxiliary verb Does is used only with the pronouns he (he), she (she), it (inanimate objects, animals, small children), that is, only in the 3rd person, singular. In the formation of interrogative sentences, the auxiliary word is put in first place, then the subject, then the predicate (verb in the first form, regardless of person and number).

1. Does she play the guitar? She plays the guitar?
2. Do you live in London? Do you live in London?

To form a negative sentence, the particle not is added to the auxiliary verb. Word order in a negative sentence: subject - auxiliary verb - particle not - verb in the first form (regardless of person and number).

1. I do not live in the USA. I do not live in America.
2. He does not play the piano. She does not play the piano.

The use of verbs

Present Simple verbs are formed by adding the ending -s, but remember that in some cases, instead of -s, you must use -es. The -es ending is appended if the word ends with x, sh, ch, ss, se.

For instance:

• do - does - do;
• watch - watches - watch;
• wash - washes - wash.

Using the verb to be in Present Simple

The verb to be in simple present tense has 3 forms: am, is, are. Each form is used depending on the person and number. The conjugation of the verb by persons and numbers is presented in the table below:

Examples:

1. My sister is a teacher. My sister is a teacher.
2. Emily is from Washington DC Emily from Washington.
3. I am a student. I am a student.

Practical task

Below are exercises for using the verb to be in Present Simple.

Put the verb to be in the correct form and translate into Russian:

1. I (to be) from Russia.
2. He (to be) Italian.
3. My mother works in a hospital. She (to be) a doctor.
4. You (to be) an engineer?
5. My father speaks French fluently. His grandfather (to be) from Paris.

Translate into English using to be in Present Simple:

1. My brother is in school. He is a student.
2. My sister speaks English very well. Her fiance is from America.
3. My brother is 15 years old. He is still in school.

Using Present Continious Tense

The present long time is used when the action takes place at a given moment in time, now. Signposts of this time: now (right now), at that moment (at the moment).

Present Continuous Tense is formed using the to be verb in Present Simple and the main verb with the addition of the -ing ending. For clarity, take a look at the table.

A negative sentence of time is formed by adding the particle not to the verb to be. In this case, the word order in the sentence does not change.

1. I am not playing football now. I do not play football now.
2. He is not watching TV at that moment. He is not watching TV at the moment.

To form an interrogative sentence, it is necessary to put the verb to be in the correct form in the first place.

1. Am I playing football now? Am I playing football now?
2. Is she playing the piano at that moment? Is she playing the piano now?

Exercises

These times are best worked out in pairs for a better understanding of the situation of use. Below are present exercises on present simple and present continuous, which will help you better understand the topic.

1. Expand the brackets using Present Continuous or Present Simple Tenses: My mother (to work) in a school. She (to be) a teacher. She (teach) English language for children. She (to love) her job very much. At that moment she (plan) a visit to English-speaking countries to improve her skills.
2. Translate into English using Present Continious or Present Simple Tenses: My day starts at 6 o’clock. I wake up, take a shower and go to breakfast. Then I go to school. My classes start at 8 o’clock, and usually I go to school on foot. But today the weather is terrible, and so now I am going by bus. Every day I have 6 lessons. My favorite subject is the history of Russia. Now I am reading a very fascinating book about Catherine the Great. Classes end at 2 o’clock, and I'm going to the gym. I love sports and can do it all day. In the evenings I watch TV or read a book. What does your ordinary day look like?

Below is a beginner translation for testing knowledge.

My day starts at 6 o'clock. I wake up, take a shower and go to breakfast. Then I go to school. My classes start at 8 o'clock, and usually I walk to school. But today the weather is terrible and therefore I am going by bus now. Every day I have 6 lessons. My favorite subject is the history of Russia. Now I am reading a very exciting book about Catherine the Great. Classes end at 2 o'clock and go to the gym. I love sports and can do it all day long. In the evenings I watch TV or read a book. What does your usual day look like?