PRESENT TENSE

Standard Competency :

• To comprehend and express the meaning of short functional  and simple monolog essay texts in the form of recount text, narrative, and procedure that have contextual in habitual activities to access knowledge

Basic Competency :

• To respond and express the meaning within simple monolog texts that uses the variety of writing accurately, fluently, and used in habitual activities to accesss knowledge in recount text

Indicators:

• Using Simple present tense in positive, negative and interrogative sentences
• Using Simple present tense in verbal and non verbal sentences
• Using the simple present tense In making recipes or procedures

I sing

How do we make the Simple Present Tense?

subject	+	auxiliary verb	+	main verb
		do		base

There are three important exceptions:

1. For positive sentences, we do not normally use the auxiliary.
2. For the 3rd person singular (he, she, it), we add s to the main verb or es to the auxiliary.
3. For the verb to be, we do not use an auxiliary, even for questions and negatives.

Look at these examples with the main verb like:

	subject	auxiliary verb		main verb
+	I, you, we, they			like	coffee.
	He, she, it			likes	coffee.
-	I, you, we, they	do	not	like	coffee.
	He, she, it	does	not	like	coffee.
?	Do	I, you, we, they		like	coffee?
	Does	he, she, it		like	coffee?

Look at these examples with the main verb be. Notice that there is no auxiliary:

	subject	main verb
+	I	am		French.
	You, we, they	are		French.
	He, she, it	is		French.
-	I	am	not	old.
	You, we, they	are	not	old.
	He, she, it	is	not	old.
?	Am	I		late?
	Are	you, we, they		late?
	Is	he, she, it		late?

How do we use the Simple Present Tense?

We use the simple present tense when:

• the action is general
• the action happens all the time, or habitually, in the past, present and future
• the action is not only happening now
• the statement is always true

John drives a taxi.
past	present	future
It is John’s job to drive a taxi. He does it every day. Past, present and future.

Look at these examples:

• I live in New York.
• The Moon goes round the Earth.
• John drives a taxi.
• He does not drive a bus.
• We do not work at night.
• Do you play football?

Note that with the verb to be, we can also use the simple present tense for situations that are not general. We can use the simple present tense to talk about now. Look at these examples of the verb “to be” in the simple present tense – some of them are general, some of them are now:

Am I right? Tara is not at home. You are happy.
past	present	future
The situation is now.

I am not fat. Why are you so beautiful? Ram is tall.
past	present	future
The situation is general. Past, present and future.

The simple present is used:

• to express habits, general truths, repeated actions or unchanging situations, emotions and wishes:
  I smoke (habit); I work in London (unchanging situation); London is a large city (general truth)

• to give instructions or directions:
  You walk for two hundred meters, then you turn left.
• to express fixed arrangements, present or future:
  Your exam starts at 09.00

• For general truths
  The Earth revolves around the Sun.
• For instructions or directions
  Open the packet and pour the contents into hot water.
  You take the No.6 bus to Watney and then the No.10 to Bedford.
• For  fixed arrangements
  His mother arrives tomorrow.
  Our holiday starts on the 26th March

Adverb of Time
q     Always
q     Never
q     Every
q     Often
q     Seldom
q     Usually
q     Sometimes
A. VERBAL SENTENCE
Affirmative Form
S +V1(-s/-es) +Object

Subject	Verb 1	Object
I	buy	some books
You	write	a story
We	study	English
They	play	football
He	goes	to school
She	gives	a present
It	runs	very fast

NEGATIVE FORM
S+ do/does+ not+ V1+ object

Subject	Do/does	Not	Verb 1	Object
I	do	not	buy	some books
You	do	not	write	a story
We	do	not	study	English
They	Do	not	play	football
He	does	not	goes	to school
She	does	not	gives	a present
it	does	not	runs	very fast

INTERROGATIVE FORM
Do/does+ S+ V1+ Object?

Do/does	Subject	Verb 1	Object
Do	I	buy	some books?
Do	you	write	a story?
Do	we	study	English?
Do	they	play	football?
Does	he	go	to school?
Does	she	give	a present?
Does	it	run	very fast?

1.   Verbs ending in –y: the third person changes the –y to –ies :
fly → flies, cry → cries
Exception: if there is a vowel before the –y :
play → plays, pray → prays

1. Add –es to verbs ending in: -ss, -x, -sh, -ch :

he passes, she catches, he fixes, it pushes
B. NON VERBAL SENTENCE
AFFIRMATIVE FORM
S+ to be(am/is/are)+ noun/adjective/adverb
NEGATIVE FORM
S+ to be+ not+ noun/adjective/adverb
INTERROGATIVE FORM
To be+ S+ noun/adjective/adverb

Affirmative	Interrogative	Negative
I am a student	Am I a student?	I am not a student
You are clever	Are you clever?	You are not clever
We are teachers	Are we teachers?	We are not teachers
They are in library	Are they in library?	They are not in library
He is diligent	Is he diligent?	He is not diligent
She is a beautiful girl	Is she a beautiful girl?	She is not a beautiful girl
It is a cat	Is it a cat?	It is not a cat

Use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is repeated or usual. The action can be a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens. It can also be something a person often forgets or usually does not do.

Examples:

• I play tennis.
• She does not play tennis.
• Does he play tennis?
• The train leaves every morning at 8 AM.
• The train does not leave at 9 AM.
• When does the train usually leave?
• She always forgets her purse.
• He never forgets his wallet.
• Every twelve months, the Earth circles the Sun.
• Does the Sun circle the Earth?