1. What is the present tense?
The present tense is used to describe things that are true:
a) things that are true now
b) things that are always or generally true
c) schedules
d) opinions
2. How do you make the present tense?
To make the present tense:
subject + verb (in present simple form)
*objects, times etc. can be added if needed
The present simple form must conjugate with the subject. This means adding an ‘s’ when using ‘he’, ‘she’ or ‘it’:
I/you/it/we/they + verb (no s)
He/she/it + verb (+ s)
3. Examples of present simple verb forms
no s
| I am* | You are* | We are* | They are* |
| I like | You like | We like | They like |
| I eat | You eat | We eat | They eat |
| I want | You want | We want | They want |
| I take | You take | We take | They take |
| I buy | You buy | We buy | They buy |
| I use | You use | We use | They use |
| I do | You do | We do | They do |
| I go | You go | We go | They go |
| I have | You have | We have | They have |
+ s
| He is* | She is* | It is* |
| He likes | She likes | It likes |
| He eats | She eats | It eats |
| He wants | She wants | It wants |
| He takes | She takes | It takes |
| He buys | She buys | Itbuys |
| He uses | She uses | It uses |
| He does | She does | It does |
| He goes | She goes | It goes |
| He has | She has | It has |
*Note: ‘be’ is a special verb that uses ‘am’/ ‘is’ / ‘are’
4. Examples of the present simple tense
| things that are true now | things that are always or generally true | schedules | opinions |
|---|---|---|---|
| I am 22 years old. | Bananas are yellow. | English class is on Tuesday afternoons. | That is not right. |
| I like chicken. | Ice melts in the sun. | I have a meeting tomorrow. | I believe you. |
| She has long, red hair. | Cats like to sleep. | I wake up at 7 30. | He is an idiot. |
| The chair is in the kitchen. | Berlin is the capital of Germany. | He brushes his teeth every night. | I think bears are cuter than dogs. |

