[NEW] Simple Present: estrutura, quando usar, regras | simple present – NATAVIGUIDES

Devemos utilizar o tempo verbal simple present para descrever ações em geral. Precisamos ter cuidado quando pensamos sobre ações que acontecem no tempo de fala, isto é, como se elas estivessem acontecendo agora, pois as ações em progressão referem-se, na verdade, a outro tempo verbal: o present continuous. Dito isso, podemos nos concentrar no simple present, formado pelo verbo principal no infinitivo sem a preposição to, quando falamos de algo que acontece frequentemente.

Ao contrário da língua portuguesa, em inglês, os verbos no simple present não são flexionados em todas as pessoas, exceto na terceira pessoa do singular (he/ele, she/ela, it/ele, ela) |1| em frases afirmativas. Outra peculiaridade é o uso dos verbos auxiliares do e does em frases interrogativas e negativas. Nos tópicos a seguir, explicaremos o uso desse tempo verbal, abordando a sua estrutura e conjugando alguns verbos. Vamos lá!

Usamos o simple present para falar de nossa rotina.

Quando usar o simple present?

→ What time do you have breakfast every day?

• Que horas você toma café da manhã todos os dias?

→ Do you go to work by car or by bicycle?

• Você vai para o trabalho de carro ou de bicicleta?

Pelas perguntas, podemos perceber o interesse naquilo que fazemos no nosso dia a dia. O simple present é empregado justamente para descrever o que as pessoas fazem no cotidiano. Além disso, podemos utilizá-lo para retratar fatos ou verdades em geral, caracterizar alguns estados emocionais ou características físicas e pessoais, narrar ou sintetizar histórias ou eventos, entre outros usos|2|. No quadro seguinte, exploraremos nos exemplos cada uso que podemos fazer do simple present:

• Daily Routine, Habits, Customs

(Rotina diária, hábitos, costumes)

1- They always wake up at 7 am.

(Eles sempre acordam às 7:00 da manhã.)

2- Clara has cereals for breakfast.

(Clara come cereais no café da manhã.)

3- She doesn’t study in the library on Mondays.

(Ela não estuda na biblioteca nas segundas-feiras.)

• General Facts and Truths

(Fatos e verdades gerais)

1- The sun rises in the east.

(O sol nasce no leste.)

2- The water boils at 100 degree Celsius.

(A água ferve a 100 graus Celsius.)

• Emotional States, Physical and Personal Chracteristics

(Estados emocionais, características físicas e pessoais)

1- Denis is a happy person.

(Denis é uma pessoa feliz.)

2- He is tall.

(Ele é alto.)

3- They don’t seem to be very comfortable.

(Eles não parecem estar confortáveis.)

4- Jack hates chocolate

(Jack odeia chocolate.)

5- Is Carlos a good teacher?

(Carlos é um bom professor?)

• Narration/Summary of Stories and Events

(Narração ou resumo de histórias ou eventos)

1- Ana goes to school after lunch. She studies in the afternoon. Then, she goes home with her friend and they study and play together.

(Ana vai para a escola depois do almoço. Ela estuda à tarde. Depois, ela vai para casa com os amigos e eles estudam e brincam juntos.)

2- According to the author, this paper is very important to define the composition of modern bands in Brazil. He affirms that people really love to mix genres.

(Segundo o autor, este artigo é muito importante para definir a composição das bandas modernas brasileiras. Ele afirma que as pessoas realmente gostam de misturar os gêneros).

Para não esquecer os diferentes empregos do simple present, que tal você elaborar uma lista, segundo cada uso, com seus próprios exemplos?!

Veja mais: Simple past: tempo verbal que indica uma ação do passado já concluída

Não pare agora… Tem mais depois da publicidade 😉

Principais regras do simple present

Nesta parte do texto, observaremos a estrutura do simple present em inglês, focando nas regras gramaticais. Primeiramente, destacamos que a frase é composta pelo sujeito + verbo + complemento:

I. I dance with you.

• (Eu danço com você.)

É importante dizer que a ordem sintática (das palavras) segue uma regra diferente da nossa língua em frases interrogativas (você verá nos tópicos a seguir). Além disso, a conjugação do verbo principal diferencia-se do português, uma vez que o verbo só se modifica na terceira pessoa do singular: he (ele), she (ela), it (ele/ela), na forma afirmativa, facilitando – de certa forma – a nossa aprendizagem no que diz respeito à conjugação de verbos.

Por último, o inglês utiliza verbos auxiliares (do/does) em frases tanto negativas quanto interrogativas. Abordaremos cada uma dessas peculiaridades separadamente nas seções seguintes.

• Forma afirmativa

O verbo “to be” é um dos verbos irregulares no simple present.

A língua tem seus artifícios para marcar alguns aspectos de tempo, pessoa e lugar. Percebemos em frases afirmativas o acréscimo do –s ao verbo principal, indicando-nos de que se trata da 3ª pessoa do singular (he, she, it). Por exemplo:

I. Alice goes to the gym.

• (Alice vai para a academia.)

II. It’s a beautiful day.

• (É um dia bonito.)

Os dois exemplos apresentam dois outros aspectos importantes das frases afirmativas:

• As regras de ortografia para a 3ª pessoa do singular;
• Os verbos irregulares no simple present.

Na conjugação do verbo na terceira pessoa do singular, existem regras ortográficas:

Maioria dos verbos: acrescenta-se –s.

I feel (Eu sinto)

They live (Eles moram)

We talk (Nós falamos)

You read (Você lê)

She feels

He lives

He talks

She reads

Verbos que terminam em –ss, –sh, –ch, –o, –x: acrescenta-se –es.

We pass (Nós passamos)

They wash (Eles/elas lavam)

You watch (Vocês assistem)

I go (Eu vou)

I relax (Eu relaxo)

He passes

She washes

It watches

He goes

She relaxes

Verbos que terminam em consoante + y: retira-se o –y e, depois, acrescenta-se –ies.

I study (Eu estudo)

You copy (Você copia)

They cry (Eles/elas choram)

He studies

She copies

He cries

Verbos que terminam em vogal + y: acrescenta-se –s.

You play (Você brinca)

They say (Eles/elas dizem)

He plays

She says

Quanto à conjugação das outras pessoas, o verbo permanece da mesma forma. Por exemplo: I/you/we/they read. (Eu leio, você lê/vocês leem, nós lemos, eles/elas leem).

No simple present, há apenas dois verbos irregulares: o verbo to be (ser/estar) e to have (ter). A conjugação é diferente. Confira no final do texto, em tabela com exemplos de verbos conjugados, a conjugação completa deles!

• Forma negativa

Na forma negativa do simple present, é necessário o uso do verbo auxiliar do/does. Enquanto verbo auxiliar, isto é, quando ele ocupa uma posição na frase com o objetivo de sinalizar que a frase é negativa, o verbo auxiliar do/does não tem sentido semântico. Mas se ele ocupa a posição de verbo principal na frase, o seu sentido semântico é de fazer. Por exemplo:

I. I don’t (do not) speak Italian.

⇒ Eu não falo italiano. (O verbo do indica que a frase é negativa. O verbo principal dessa frase é speak).

II. I do my Italian homework.

⇒ Eu faço minha tarefa de italiano. (O verbo do ocupa a posição de verbo principal. Possui o sentido de fazer).

Como apontamos sobre os aspectos ortográficos para a 3ª pessoa do singular, o auxiliar do também deve seguir as mesmas regras. Logo, devemos dizer:

I. She doesn’t (does not) have lunch at home.

⇒ Ela não almoça em casa.

• Forma interrogativa

Para fazer uma pergunta no simple present, devemos utilizar o verbo auxiliar do/does tanto na pergunta quanto na resposta curta. O verbo auxiliar deve sempre vir no começo da pergunta. Além disso, o verbo auxiliar também não possui sentido semântico, apenas ocupa uma posição na frase para nos indicar que estamos diante de uma pergunta em inglês. Por exemplo:

Question: Do you go out with your friends? / Você sai com seus amigos?

O verbo do indica que a frase é interrogativa. O verbo principal dessa frase é go.

Short answers (respostas curtas)

Complete answers (respostas completas)

Yes, I do.

(Sim, eu saio.)

ou

No, I don’t.

(Não, eu não saio.)

Yes, I go out with my friends.

(Sim, eu saio com meus amigos.)

ou

No, I don’t go out with my friends.

(Não, eu não saio com meus amigos.)

Se for uma pergunta na 3ª pessoa do singular, utiliza-se does, por exemplo:

Question: Does he study English at school? / Ele estuda inglês na escola?

O verbo auxiliar é does. O verbo principal da frase é study.

Short answers (respostas curtas)

Complete answers (respostas completas)

Yes, he does.

(Sim, ele estuda.)

ou

No, he doesn’t.

(Não, ele não estuda.)

Yes, he studies English at school.

(Sim, ele estuda inglês na escola.)

ou

No, he doesn’t study English at school.

(Não, ele não estuda inglês na escola.)

Observe que o verbo na 3ª pessoa do singular, tanto na frase negativa quanto na interrogativa, precisa do auxiliar does. Consequentemente, o verbo principal não precisa ser marcado com –s, –es ou –ies (como na afirmativa), porque o verbo auxiliar já nos mostra que o sujeito da frase está na terceira pessoa.

Saiba mais: Question words: quais são e como usá-las

Tabela com exemplos de verbos conjugados

 

Have (Ter)

Go (Ir)

 

Affirmative

Negative

Interrogative

Affirmative

Negative

Interrogative

I

(eu)

I have

I don’t have

Do I have?

I go

I don’t go

Do I go?

You

(você)

You have

You don’t have

Do you have?

You go

You don’t go

Do you go?

He/she/it (ele/ela)

He has

He doesn’t have

Does he have?

She goes

She doesn’t go

Does she go?

We

(nós)

We have

We don’t have

Do we have

We go

We don’t go

Do we go?

You (vocês)

You have

You don’t have

Do you have?

You go

You don’t go

Do you go?

They (eles/elas)

They have

They don’t have

Do they have?

They go

They don’t go

Do they go?

→ Não se esqueça de que no inglês podemos usar a forma contraída: don’t/doesn’t ou completa: do not/does not.

Leia também: Contracted forms: formas abreviadas em inglês

Exercícios resolvidos

Questão 1

Sublinhe as alternativas corretas:

Hi! My name am/is/are David and I am/is/are 25 years old. I live/lives in Sydney, Australia. I am/is/are a biologist and I work/works in a zoo with my sister Alice. She am/is/are 27 years old and she am/is/are a veterinarian. She help/helps the animals there. I go/goes to work at 7 am and she go/goes to work at 8 am. I don’t/doesn’t work on Saturdays and she don’t/doesn’t work on Sundays.

Resolução:

Hi! My name am/is/are (terceira pessoa do singular) David and I am/is/are (primeira pessoa do singular) 25 years old. I live/lives (primeira pessoa do singular) in Sydney, Australia. I am/is/are (primeira pessoa do singular) a biologist and I work/works (primeira pessoa do singular) in a zoo with my sister Alice. She am/is/are (terceira pessoa do singular) 27 years old and she am/is/are (terceira pessoa do singular) a veterinarian. She help/helps (terceira pessoa do singular) the animals there. I go/goes (primeira pessoa do singular) to work at 7 am and she go/goes (terceira pessoa do singular) to work at 8 am. I don’t/doesn’t (primeira pessoa do singular) work on Saturdays and she don’t/doesn’t (terceira pessoa do singular) work on Sundays.

Notas

|1| “It” é um pronome sujeito da terceira pessoa do singular (ele, ela) para se referir a objetos, animais, situações, ideias etc.

|2| Outro uso do simple present é para falar da frequência que fazemos algo.

 

Por Patricia Veronica Moreira
Professora de Inglês

What Is the Simple Present Tense? (with Examples)

The simple present tense is used:

• To describe facts and habits. For example:
• He

  plays

  chess.

• To describe scheduled events in the future. For example:
• The plane

  lands

  in 5 minutes.

• To tell stories (particularly jokes). For example:
• He

  asks

  the policeman for directions.

(This use of the simple present tense is quite rare.)

The simple present tense is quite easy to form, but it quite difficult to use. In fact, it’s complicated. (There’s more on this below.)

A Video Summary

Here is a short video summarizing the simple present tense:

Theis used:The simple present tense is quite easy to form, but it quite difficult to use. In fact, it’s complicated. (There’s more on this below.)Here is a short video summarizing the simple present tense:

Infographic for the Simple Present Tense

Here is an infographic explaining the simple present tense:

More Examples of the Simple Present Tense

The simple present tense is used:

(1) To describe facts and habits:

• I

  like

  chocolate. (Fact)

• Angela

  runs

  a youth club full of glue-sniffers. (Fact)

• I

  ride

  horses in the summer. (Fact and habit)

• It always

  snows

  here in January. (Fact and habit)

• Dawn

  plays

  chess in the evenings. (Fact and habit)

(NB: These activities do not have to be happening right now.)

This type of sentence, especially if it’s describing a habit, will usually include a time expression like “always,” “every year,” “never,” “often,” “on Mondays,” “rarely,” “sometimes,” or “usually.”

(2) To describe scheduled events in the future

• The train

  arrives

  at 5 o’clock.

• It

  is

  low tide at 0234.

(Yes, we know! It’s supposed to be the present tense!)

(3) To tell stories (particularly jokes) to make your listener or reader feel more engaged with the story.

• A horse

  walks

  into a bar, and the barman

  says

  , “why the long face?”

(Compare to: A horse walked into a bar, and the barman said, “why the long face?”)

• We heard the helicopter overhead. Suddenly, the radio

  bursts

  into life.

(This is sometimes called the fictional present or the historic present.)

Forming the Simple Present Tense

The simple present tense is quite easy to form.

Here is an infographic explaining the simple present tense:Theis used:(NB: These activities do not have to be happening right now.)This type of sentence, especially if it’s describing a habit, will usually include a time expression like “always,” “every year,” “never,” “often,” “on Mondays,” “rarely,” “sometimes,” or “usually.”(Yes, we know! It’s supposed to be the present tense!)(This is sometimes called the fictional present or the historic present.)Theis quite easy to form.

base form

or

or

base form

+

“s”

Let’s look at the verb to run (whose run). In the simple present tense, run looks like this:
PersonExample
First person singularI run
Second person singularYou run
Third person singularHe/She/It runs
First person pluralWe run
Second person pluralYou run
Third person pluralThey run

In other words, it only changes in the third person singular (he / she / it). It adds either s, es or ies.

The Negative Version

To create a negative sentence, use “do not” + [base form of the verb]. (Use “does not” with third person singular (he / she / it).)

Let’s look at the verb(whose base form is). In the simple present tense,looks like this:In other words, it only changes in the third person singular (he / she / it). It adds eitherorTo create a negative sentence, use. (Usewith third person singular (he / she / it).)

“do not” or “does not”

+

[base form of the verb]

• I

  do not like

  chocolate.

• Angela

  does not run

  a youth club full of glue-sniffers.

• I

  do not ride

  horses in the summer.

• It

  does not always snow

  here in January.

• Dawn

  does not play

  chess in the evenings.

In speech and writing (especially informal writing), “do not” is often shortened to “don’t,” and “does not” is often shortened to “doesn’t.” If you want to add some emphasis, use one of the long versions (i.e., “do not” or “does not”), and emphasize the word “not.”

The Question Version

If you need to ask a question, you can use the following word order for a yes/no question:

In speech and writing (especially informal writing), “do not” is often shortened to “don’t,” and “does not” is often shortened to “doesn’t.” If you want to add some emphasis, use one of the long versions (i.e., “do not” or “does not”), and emphasize the word “not.”If you need to ask a question, you can use the following word order for a yes/no question:

“do” or “does”

+

[subject]

+

base form of verb

• Do you like

  chocolate?

• Does Angela run

  the youth club?

You can use the following word order for a

You can use the following word order for a question-word question

[question word]

+

“do” or “does”

+

[subject]

+

base form of verb

• Why does Tony talk

  so quickly?

• When do the farmers plant

  the corn?

You can use the following word order for a choice question:

You can use the following word order for a choice question:

“do” or “does”

+

[subject]

+

base form of verb

+

choice A

+

or

+

choice B

• Does Mark sing or dance?
• Do they want hamburger or sausages?

The Spelling Rules

For regular verbs, just add s:

• talk > talks
• improve > improves

For verbs that end in s, ss, sh, ch, x and o, add es:

• guess > guesses
• mash > mashes
• fix > fixes
• go > goes

For verbs ending , change the y to i and add es:

• fly > flies
• study > studies

Verb Tense Widget

Use this widget to learn about the different tenses. How do you use this widget? Well, if there’s a button, a drop-down menu, or a , then you can click it!

to

base form

(

verb)

verb)

Select the tenses.

Present Tenses

Simple Present Tense
The simple present tense is mostly used to describe facts and habits. More…(opens new tab)
I base form
you base form
he/she/it 3rd pers sing present
we base form
you base form
they base form

Present Progressive Tense
The present progressive tense is used for an ongoing action in the present.
More…(opens new tab)
I am present participle
you are present participle
he/she/it is present participle
we are present participle
you are present participle
they are present participle

Present Perfect Tense
The present perfect tense is used for actions that began in the past. (Often, the actions continue into the present.)
More…(opens new tab)
I have past participle
you have past participle
he/she/it has past participle
we have past participle
you have past participle
they have past participle

Present Perfect Progressive Tense
The present perfect progressive tense is used for a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present, or a continuous activity that began in past but has now finished (usually very recently).
More…(opens new tab)
I have been present participle
you have been present participle
he/she/it has been present participle
we have been present participle
you have been present participle
they have been present participle

Past Tenses

Simple Past
The simple past tense is used to describe a completed activity that happened in the past.
More…(opens new tab)
I past tense
you past tense
he/she/it past tense
we past tense
you past tense
they past tense

Past Progressive Tense
The past progressive tense is used to describe an ongoing activity in the past. Often, it is used to set the scene for another action.
More…(opens new tab)
I was present participle
you were present participle
he/she/it was present participle
we were present participle
you were present participle
they were present participle

Past Perfect Tense
The past perfect tense is used to emphasize that an action was completed before another took place.
More…(opens new tab)
I had past participle
you had past participle
he/she/it had past participle
we had past participle
you had past participle
they had past participle

Past Perfect Progressive Tense
The past perfect progressive tense is used to show that an ongoing action in the past has ended.
More…(opens new tab)
I had been present participle
you had been present participle
he/she/it had been present participle
we had been present participle
you had been present participle
they had been present participle

Future Tenses

Simple Future
The simple future tense is used for an action that will occur in the future.
More…(opens new tab)
I will base form
you will base form
he/she/it will base form
we will base form
you will base form
they will base form

Future Progressive Tense
The future progressive tense is used for an ongoing action that will occur in the future.
More…(opens new tab)
I will be present participle
you will be present participle
he/she/it will be present participle
we will be present participle
you will be present participle
they will be present participle

Future Perfect Tense
The future perfect tense is used to describe an action that will have been completed at some point in the future.
More…(opens new tab)
I will have past participle
you will have past participle
he/she/it will have past participle
we will have past participle
you will have past participle
they will have past participle

Future Perfect Progressive Tense
The future perfect progressive tense is used for an ongoing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future.
More…(opens new tab)
I will have been present participle
you will have been present participle
he/she/it will have been present participle
we will have been present participle
you will have been present participle
they will have been present participle

The Other Present Tenses

The simple present tense is one of four present tenses. They are:

Slider Showing All the Tenses

The following slider shows all 12

For regular verbs, just addFor verbs that end inand, addFor verbs ending, change thetoand addUse this widget to learn about the different tenses. How do you use this widget? Well, if there’s a button, a drop-down menu, or a, then you can click it!Theis one of four present tenses. They are:The following slider shows all 12 tenses . The simple present tense is highlighted with a yellow background.