In today's world, learning English is necessary because it is the language of international communication. Given the fact that even when applying for a good job, knowledge of English is almost always required, it is worth seriously considering learning it. Every beginner always wonders where to start. The answer is simple: the first step is to learn the present simple tense. There are many tenses in English, but this is the main and most used.
Verbs in present simple tense
To put the verb in this tense form, you must first decide on the person to whom it will refer.
- For persons I, we, you, they, it is enough to discard the particle to from the impersonal form of the verb, i.e. from the infinitive. For example: I study. - I'm studying.
- For 3 l. units h. to the infinitive without the particle to, you must add the ending -s. For example: He laughs. - He laughs.
- If a verb ends in o, s, x, ss, ch, x or sh, then -es is added to the ending. For example: She washes dishes. - She is washing the dishes.
- If the verb ends with the letter y, then it changes to i, and then the ending -es is added. For example: He tries. - He's trying.
Interrogative and negative forms
To build an interrogative sentence, you must resort to using the modal verb do or does, which must be placed before the main verb of the sentence.
For example:
Do we run? - Are we running?
Does she sing? - Does she sing?
In this case, if it is necessary to use the verb does, then the ending -es of the semantic verb is discarded.
To put a sentence in a negative form, you also need to use a modal verb, after which you need to put a particle not.
For example: I do not meet him. - I don't see him.
Very often the form do not is reduced to the form don't, a does not, respectively, to doesn't.
For example: She doesn't like coffe. - She doesn't like coffee.
Use
Because the present simple tense is one of the most popular in English, it is used to describe various types of actions.
1. Regular, constantly recurring events that occur in the present. For example: I clean my apartment every day. - I clean my apartment every day.
Very often this tense is used to describe bad habits. For example: Don't smokes twice a day. - He smokes twice a day.
2. Descriptionwidely known facts and truths. For example: The Earth is in Solar system. - Earth is in the solar system.
3. Description of actions that occur one after another. For example: After dinner he plays guitar, then he reads books and plays with his sister. - He plays the guitar after dinner and then reads books and plays with his sister.
4. In colloquial speech, the present simple tense in English is often used to express a future action if it is planned or will take place in the near future. For example: His train departs at 2 p. m. - His train leaves at 2pm.
5. Very often, the present simple tense in English is used in headings, proverbs and sayings, even if we are talking about an action that took place in the past or will happen in the future. For example: Smith replaces James on the show. - Smith will replace John on the show.
When a person starts learning English, the present simple tense is one of the first topics to pay attention to and deal with it very carefully, because knowing the basic tenses will help you master the rest of the material.
