Present Tense

In all of our tenses lessons, we will refer to verbs in the following way:
Verb 1: Simple form
Verb 2: Past tense form (irregular or irregular)
Verb 3: Past participle

Simple Present

FORM
Positive: (I, you, we, they) + Verb 1
Negative: (I, you, we, they) + Do Not + Verb 1
Question: (When, Where, Who, What, How) + Do + (I, you, we, they) + Verb 1 ?

Positive: (He, she, it) + Verb 1 + s/es
Negative: (He, she, it) + Does Not + Verb 1
Question: (When, Where, Who, What, How) + Does + (he, she, it) + Verb 1 + ?

Examples:
You speak good English.
They do not speak good English
Do you speak good English?

She speaks good English
He does not speak good English
Does she speak good English?

USE 1 Repeated Actions
Simple Present is used 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 happens repeatedly. It could also be something that people don't 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?

USE 2 Facts or Generalizations
The Simple Present can also be used to talk about facts the speaker believe to be true, and will be true in the future. Whether or not the speaker is right about the fact does not matter. It is also used to make generalizations about people or things.

Examples:
Cats like milk.
Birds do not like milk.
Do pigs like milk?
California is in America.
California is not in the United Kingdom.
Windows are made of glass.
Windows are not made of wood.
New York is a small city. It is not important that this fact is untrue.

USE 3 Scheduled Events in the Near Future
Speakers occasionally use Simple Present to talk about scheduled events in the near future. This is most commonly done when talking about public transportation, but it can be used with other scheduled events as well.

Examples:
The train leaves tonight at 6 PM.
The bus does not arrive at 11 AM, it arrives at 11 PM.
When do we board the plane?
The party starts at 8 o'clock.
When does class begin tomorrow?

USE 4 Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)
Speakers sometimes use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is happening or is not happening now. This can only be done with Non-Continuous Verbs and certain Mixed Verbs.

Examples:
I am here now.
She is not here now.
He needs help right now.
He does not need help now.
He has his passport in his hand.
Do you have your passport with you?