Simple Present Tense Rules, Examples and Structures (Present Indefinite)

Simple Present Tense Rules and Examples with Structure (Present Indefinite Tense). Simple Present Tense is used to express general actions at present. The examples of simple present tense are given here to get complete knowledge of this tense.

The simple present tense is used to precise simple statements of fact, to speak about things that happen repeatedly, and to explain things that are always true or permanent.

What is a Simple Present Tense?

Simple Present Tense is used to express general time actions which may be habits, universal truths or facts, permanent actions which are usually true. It is also called the Present Indefinite Tense.

Examples:

1. She usually cooks in the morning.
2. The sun shines in the day.
3. We take exercise in the park daily.
4. The boys play hockey in the garden at 3 pm.
5. I want to start a new company.

Explanation: In the above sentences, the main verbs are the base form (Verb^I) which express present time actions or statements.

Simple Present Tense Rules and Examples

Simple Present Tense Examples (Present Indefinite Tense) can give you an idea of how to make simple present tense sentences correctly. We know that this tense is also called Present Indefinite Tense. The rules and structures of simple or positive sentences are given below:

How to make affirmative sentences of Simple Present Tense

Rule – 1 If the subject is I, you, we, they, or any plural noun, use the base form of the verb. Don’t add ‘s’ or ‘es’ to the main verb.
Examples:

• I open my store at 7.00 am.
• You come to the office late daily.
• We go to bed at 10:00.
• Jack and Jim often visit the farmhouse.
• I usually reach the college on time.
• The girls study in this college.

Rule – 2 If the subject is he, she, it, or any singular noun, add – s or – es to the base form of the verb.
Examples:

• He plays cricket at 5 pm.
• She goes to bed at 1:00.
• It rains here in July.
• Alan usually runs at 5 am.

Orders of words: First of all, we put the subject at the beginning of a sentence. After the subject, we put verb and object. If there are other words, put them after the object. Check the sentence Structure or formula of Simple Present Tense below:

Structure: – Subject + Verb + Object + Other words

Simple Present Tense – Examples of Statements
Person	Singular	Plural
First	I drink.	We drink
Second	You drink.	You drink.
Third	He/She/It drinks	They drink.
Nouns	Jack runs	Jack and Beth run.

According to the above rules, now observe the examples of present indefinite tense below:

Examples of Simple Present Tense (Affirmative Sentences)

1. He plays hockey in the park.
2. She cooks food for us.
3. It rains in June in India.
4. They wash their clothes.
5. You drive your car fast.
6. We bring vegetables from the mall.
7. I walk on the street.
8. The sun shines during the day.
9. The boy makes a noise.
10. Jack gets up at 5 o’clock every day.
11. Mr. Sharma always takes his coffee without sugar.
12. Our classes begin at 9 o’clock.
13. They go to a movie in a month.
14. Her sister writes and an essay every day.
15. Wheat costs 15 rupees 1 kilo in my town.
16. All trains stop at this station.
17. Mr. Nick teaches in a women’s college.
18. He never goes to the office late.
19. My brother rarely sleeps in the afternoon.
20. We usually why our milk at the milk depot but occasionally we buy it from a milkman.
21. He sometimes goes to see a play.
22. My teacher teaches me the simple present tense.
23. They go to the movies on Saturdays.
24. We often meet each other on our way to the office.
25. Shyam always comes to school regularly.
26. They always help the poor.
27. That intelligent girl works in your office.
28. He often goes swimming.
29. If you go out, take an umbrella. (Conditional)
30. He does work with me. (Emphatic)
31. My friend travels to Bombay tomorrow.
32. On my way to work I generally meet many children who go to school.
33. A man runs after the bus to catch it.
34. It is very cold now. (verb to be)
35. She is very busy today. (verb to be)
36. The sun warms the air and gives us light.
37. I listen hard but I can’t hear anything.
38. I read the examples of present indefinite tense.
39. The man who knows you is an engineer.
40. Seema is very clever. I know her very well.

Note: We add ‘s or es’ to the main verb of singular subject and singular nouns. We don’t add ‘s or es’ to the main verb of plural subjects.

Before learning this, you may also read the tense with definition and examples of the present, past, and future. You may also read ‘Tense Exercises‘ with Answers.

Affirmative Sentences of Verb ‘To Be’

The verb ‘to be in the simple present tense is used to make simple, negative statements and questions. It is not used directly in the sentences. We use its forms ‘is, am, and are’ to make simple present tense. The structure of the verb to be is given below.

How to make Present Indefinite Tense Sentence with ‘Verb To Be’

Rule -1 If the subject is he, she, it, or any singular noun, use ‘is’.

Rule – 2 If the subject is you, we, they, or plural noun, use ‘are’.

Rule – 3 ‘Am’ is used with the subject I.

Person	Singular	Plural
First	I am	We are
Second	You are	You are
Third	He is She is It is Jim is	They are

Examples:

1. I am a blogger.
2. We are players.
3. He is Canadian.
4. You are not French.
5. She is my teacher.
6. These are red flowers.
7. Those are beautiful butterflies.
8. The girls are young.

Read also;

• Present Perfect Continuous Tense Examples and Rules
• Past Perfect Continuous Tense Rules and Examples
• Use of Was and Were
• What are the Examples of nouns?

Negative Sentences

To form negative sentences, we write ‘does not‘ or ‘doesn’t‘ with singular subjects and ‘do not‘ and ‘don’t‘ with plural subjects. We do not add s or es to the main verb in the negative sentences.

Person	Singular	Plural
First	I do not sing	We do not
Second	You do not sing.	You do not sing.
Third	He does not, She does not, It does not sing.	They do not sing.
Noun	Mony does not sing.	Mony and Rony do not sing.

Steps:

• First of all, write the subject.
• Put the helping verb ‘do or does’ according to subject.
• Now write ‘not’ after do or does. We can also write ‘don’t or doesn’t’
• Write the main verb (base form of the verb.
• Write the object after the main verb.
• Write the other words in there are any.
• At the end of sentence, put a full stop.

Structure: Subject + do/does + not + main verb I + object + other words

Examples:

1. He does not like you.
2. She does not phone her.
3. It doesn’t take two hours to reach
New Delhi.
4. I do not hesitate to contact you.
5. They never go to the movies on Monday.
6. My friend does not want to join this school.
7. George doesn’t take medicine on time.
8. He does not like your language.
9. They don’t beat their child.
10. They do not study in town high School.
11. Our brother does not want to make an appointment with him.
12. My students don’t understand Present Indefinite Tense Examples.
13. This girl does not make a kite for his brother.
14. She does not go swimming on Sundays.
15. You don’t talk to her.
16. The sun doesn’t set in the east.
17. We don’t know those children who come here.
18. Tom does not steel gems from her aunt’s cupboard.
19. They never scold their workers.
20. The woman doesn’t wash her clothes.

Note: Some adverbs have a negative meaning. Never is also one of them. While using ‘never‘,  don’t use do not/does not with it.

Examples:

• She does not never visit our village. (Wrong)
• She never visits our village. (Right)

Other examples

The structure of the sentences given below is like affirmative sentences but the meaning is negative.

• The man knows nothing.
• Nobody is there.
• No one kills the animals.
• Nothing happens here.
• This boy does nothing.

Read also:

• Rules of Do and Does
• Use of Had
• Noun definition and examples 

The verb to be – Negative Sentences

To make negative sentences by using the forms of the verb to be, we write ‘is not, am not, and are not.’

Examples:

1. This girl is not lazy.
2. The server of the bank is not down.
3. We are not American.
4. They are not pilots.
5. Jim is not present in the class.
6. I am not sure about it.
7. This message is not wrong.
8. I am not fully prepared for the test.

Read also;

• Parts of Speech Exercises
• Collective Noun Exercises
• Grammar Exercises

Interrogative Sentences of Simple Present Tense with Examples

There are two types of Interrogative Sentence structures of Present Indefinite Tense. To make Interrogative Sentences, follow the following structures.

• Yes-No Type Questions – begin with auxiliary verbs or helping verbs
• Wh-words Type Questions – begin with question words

Yes-No Type Questions

Now learn how to make yes-no type interrogative sentences.

Rule – 1 If you are making Yes-No Type Questions, Put Do or does at the beginning of the sentence (before the subject).

Rule – 2 Use Do with I, We, You, They, or plural nouns.

Rule – 3 Use Does with He, She, It, or singular nouns.

Person	Singular	Plural
First	Do I sing?	Do we sing?
Second	Do you sing?	Do you sing?
Third	Does he/she/it sing?	Do they sing?
Noun	Does Mony sing?	Do Mony and Rony sing?

Structure – Do/Does + Subject + Verb I + Object + Other Words +?

Examples:

1. Does he need your help?
2. Does she take a bath in the morning?
3. Does it rain here in May?
4. Do you think it is right?
5. Do I need your assistance?
6. Do you want to join campus?
7. Do they make a plan to attack their enemy?
8. Do we know how to use this machine?
9. Do you clean your store every day?
10. Does the shepherd graze his sheep?
11. Does that old man slowly on the floor?
12. Does Mr. Mick teach at the university?
13. Do you know that clever man?
14. Do the men open their store at 8 am?
15. Does the fisherman sell fish?
16. Do you get up at 5 o’clock?
17. Does he like to speak French and German?
18. Do you guide the foreigners in your country?
19. Does Tom know how to swim in water?
20. Do the visitors from London come to India?
21. Do you take a rest after the office work?

• Present Perfect Tense Rules and Examples
• Future Indefinite Tense (Simple Future Tense)
• Future Continuous Tense Rules and Examples

Wh-words Type Questions

The sentences which start with an interrogative word is called Wh-words type question. The interrogative words are used to ask questions or seek information. The structure of these types of sentences are given below:

Structure:

Wh-word – do/does + Subject + Verb I + Object + Other Words + ?

Examples:

1. What does Dick do in the garden?
2. What does he do at the weekend?
3. What does your father like?
4. Where do you live?
5. What does your niece do at the station?
6. Where do your parents work in the USA?
7. When do you wake up in the morning?
8. Where do you go no on holiday?
9. Why do you want to learn Spanish?
10. When do you take a doctor’s prescription?
11. Where do the police look for the criminals?
12. What does the government want to give people?
13. Who manages this company?
14. Where do you want to study?
15. How many doctors do work in this hospital?
16. How many words do you write in an article?
17. Home do you want to give this chance?
18. Who works hard to earn money?
19. When do you notice that little boy?
20. Who brings our letters from the post office?
21. Whom does this man want to meet?
22. How do you want to cross the street?

Interrogative Negative Sentences

In the interrogative negative sentences, we put ‘not‘ after the subjects.

First Type – Yes-No Type Negative Questions

Structure – Do/Does + Subject + Verb I + Object + Other Words + ?

Examples:

1. Does that child not sing well?
2. Don’t I follow the traffic rules of my city?
3. Doesn’t she remember her childhood vividly?
4. Does it not rain here in December?
5. Do we not tell you the truth?
6. Don’t they dine out on Sundays?
7. Do the birds of your garden not fly there?.
8. Does this girl not fly a kite with boys?

Second Type – Wh-words Type Negative Questions

Structure – Question word + do/does + subject + verb I + object + other words +?

Examples:

1. What does he not like?
2. Why do you not obey your parents?
3. Why don’t you think about it?
4. Why doesn’t he come to the office?
5. Who doesn’t like the Japanese language?
6. Where do we not go through the forest?
7. Why don’t they dine with us?

Verb ‘To be’ in  Interrogative Sentences

To make the interrogative sentences of the ‘verb be –is, am and are‘, you can use the sentence structure with examples given below;

Yes-No Type Questions

Structure – Is/am/are + subject + noun/adjective or other words +?

 Examples:

1. Is he your boyfriend?
2. Are these flowers fresh?
3. Am I rude?
4. Are you crazy?
5. Is Eden Park big?

Wh-word Types Questions

Structure – Question word + is/am/are + noun/adjective or other words + ?

Examples:

1. Why are you still there?
2. Who is your manager?
3. Where is he now?
4. How are you?
5. Who am I?
6. What is your responsibility?

Read also:

• Simple Past Tense (Past Indefinite Tense)
• Past Continuous Tense Rules and Examples
• Past Perfect Tense Rules and Examples

Use of Simple Present Tense with Rules and Examples

Simple Tense describes the actions of Present Time. These actions happen from time to time. Here are some rules of this tense. Study these rules carefully. First of all, look at the picture below.

In the above picture, there is a school bus. Read the examples below:

• A driver drives a school bus.
• Children go to school by bus.
• A school carries children to the school
• Children come back from school by bus.
• They travel on a bus daily.

Now it is clear that we use the simple present tense to express daily routine, story, and regular actions.

Habitual Actions

Simple Present Tense is used to express habitual or repeated actions. These actions take place regularly.

Examples:

• Mother cooks at 8 am daily.
• Jim goes to the office by bus.
• They visit the farmhouse every Sunday.
• You go to the office daily.
• I get up at 5 a.m. every day.
• We visit our village every month.

Note – Some Time expressing adverbs are used to express habitual or repeated actions.

For example:

• She always goes to the office at nine a.m.
• She often visits us.
• He usually comes here in the morning.
• He never tells a lie.
• He rarely meets me.

General Truths

This tense is used to express Universal Truths, Principles, or Permanent Activities.

Examples:

• Fortune favors the brave.
• The earth moves around the sun.
• The sun rises in the morning.
• Two and two and make four.
• The moon goes around the earth.
• Water freezes at 0°C.
• Milk is white.

In the exclamatory sentences

In the exclamatory sentences, the simple present tense is used to make sentences that start with ‘Here’ or ‘There’.

Examples:

• Here comes the best player!
• Here comes my smart son!
• Here comes the queen of the UK!
• There goes the bell!
• There goes the balloon!

To express Possession –

The simple present tense is used to express possession. It means when someone belongs to something.

Examples:

• He has a black Skoda.
• I have two smartphones.
• It has a broken leg.
• This shopping mall belongs to me.
• David has an apartment located in New York.

Read Also:

• Use of Has and Have
• Noun definition and kinds

To express mental activities

The simple present tense is used to express feelings, emotions, and mental activities.

Examples:

• We think she is a good girl.
• Do you believe in God?
• I like apples.
• He knows nothing about it.
• I hate bad habits.
• She loves her parents very much.

Note: The verbs used in the above sentences are the stative verbs. These verbs are used in the simple present tense. Don’t use them in the present continuous tense.

To express live commentary

It is used to express live commentary of the match or any other event which is going in front of our eyes.

• Ronald runs after the ball, catches it, and throws it on the stumps.
• The wicket-keeper throws the ball on the stump.

To express fixed program or event

It is used to express fixed programs or events. It means that the actions that will happen in the future.

Examples:

• Today’s match starts at 3 pm.
• The president of the USA comes at 8 a.m.
• The chief executive officer visits on Monday.
• High schools in our country reopen in January.
• The manager of the bank leaves at 4.30 p.m.
• Johnny comes with his family the next day.
• The train to Wall Street leaves tomorrow.

In the conditional sentences

The simple present tense is used in the principal clause of the first conditional sentences.

Examples:

• If you work hard, you will succeed.
• If she prepares tea, she will bring it for me.
• When I come to your house, you will welcome me with great pleasure.
• Unless you work hard, you will not succeed in your life.
• He will invite her to the party if she talks to him.

To describe past events

It is used to express the Past Events; Historic or Graphic present.

Examples:

• Napoleon attacks the enemies with all his army.
• The soldiers swing their swords and attack.

Statement or quotation

It is used to express the statement or quotation of an author.

Examples:

• William Shakespeare says, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.”
• GB Shaw says – “Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”

To discuss literature

It is used as the main tense to discuss the literature. It is used to tell a story of a novel, a play, or a short story.

Examples:

Used with Stative Verbs

The stative verbs like know, love, understand, feel, think to use the simple present tense, not the present continuous tense.

Examples:

1. She thinks is thinking that there is something.
2. I understand am understanding everything that you mean.
3. I feel am feeling it is not very hot.
4. We know am knowing where he went yesterday.
5. He loves is loving her wife.

Note: You can read the use of stative verbs in the present continuous tense.

In if-clause with simple future tense

The simple present tense is used to talk about the future in the sentences of if-clause (first conditional) with simple future tense.

Examples:

1. If you meet her, she will tell you the whole truth.
2. If you work hard, you will get success.
3. If he plays with your toys, you will not stop him.
4. If it rains tonight, Jack will not go to the cinema.

Here is a video on the simple present tense;

Conclusion

The simple present tense is the most important tense for an English learner because he/she starts learning the basics of tenses. It is the first part of the present tense as we know that there are four parts of present tense. If you are learning English Grammar, you should learn the simple present tense with examples and rules. We hope you will understand the rules, examples, and sentence structures given in this post. Please leave a comment if you have any doubts or questions.