Simple Present

Carla Muniz

Professora licenciada em Letras

O Simple Present Tense, também chamado de Present Simple (presente simples), é um dos tempos verbais do inglês.

Ele é equivalente ao presente do indicativo na língua portuguesa.

Quando usar o Simple Present?

O Simple Present é um tempo verbal utilizado para indicar ações habituais que ocorrem no presente.

Além disso, ele é usado para expressar verdades universais, sentimentos, desejos, opiniões e preferências.

Por vezes, as frases no Simple Present apresentam expressões de tempo (advérbios).

As mais usuais são:

Advérbio
Tradução

now

agora

always
sempre

never
nunca

today
hoje

every day
todos os dias

daily
diariamente

often
frequentemente

sometimes
às vezes

generally
geralmente

usually
usualmente

Veja alguns exemplos de frases no Simple Present:

• He plays soccer very well. (Ele joga futebol muito bem.)
• She loves chocolate. (Ela ama chocolate.)
• They go to school in the afternoon. (Eles vão para a escola de tarde.)
• I always read the newspaper in the morning. (Eu sempre leio o jornal de manhã.)
• We generally travel to Brazil in December. (Geralmente nós viajamos para o Brasil em dezembro.)

Veja também:

Adverbs of frequency

Regras do Simple Present

A conjugação do Simple Present varia de acordo com a pessoa verbal, com a terminação do verbo e com o tipo de frase (afirmativa, negativa e interrogativa.)

Confira abaixo a explicação sobre a formação do Simple Present nas formas afirmativa, negativa e interrogativa.

Affirmative Form (forma afirmativa)

Como regra geral, pode-se dizer que para conjugar um verbo no Simple Present, basta usá-lo no infinitivo sem o to no caso dos pronomes I, you, we e they, e acrescentar -s, -es ou -ies no caso dos pronomes he, she e it.

Veja abaixo um exemplo com a conjugação do verbo to work (trabalhar; funcionar):

No entanto, há algumas regras específicas para a flexão da terceira pessoa do singular (he, she e it) que estão relacionadas com a terminação dos verbos.

Verbos terminados em -o, -z, -ss, -ch, -sh, -x

É preciso acrescentar -es no final do verbo.

Exemplos:

• to teach (ensinar) – teaches
• to watch (assistir) – watches
• to push (empurrar) – pushes
• to kiss (beijar) – kisses
• to go (ir) – goes
• to fix (consertar) – fixes

Verbos terminados em -y precedido de consoante

Retira-se o -y e acrescenta-se -ies

Exemplos:

• to fry (fritar) – fries
• to fly (voar) – flies
• to study (estudar) – studies
• to worry (preocupar-se) – worries

Verbos terminados em -y precedido de vogal

Acrescenta-se somente o -s.

Exemplos:

• to say (dizer) – says
• to play (brincar; jogar) – plays

Veja também:

Present Perfect

Posição do verbo em frases afirmativas

Veja abaixo a estrutura de formação de frases afirmativas no Simple Present:

Sujeito + verbo principal + complemento

Exemplos:

• I live in Brazil. (Eu moro no Brasil). – verbo to live (morar, viver).
• He teaches Spanish at the university. (Ele ensina espanhol na universidade.) – verbo to teach (ensinar).
• They prefer Italian food. (Eles preferem comida italiana.) – verbo to prefer (preferir).
• She watches TV every day. (Ela assiste TV todos os dias.) – verbo to watch (assistir).
• We like to go to the beach during the week. (Nós gostamos de ir à praia durante a semana.) – verbo to like (gostar).
• It pushes the door when it wants to get in. (Ele/ela empurra a porta quanto quer entrar) – verbo to push (empurrar).
• You always arrive late. (Você sempre chega atrasado.) – verbo to arrive (chegar).
• She always kisses her grandma before leaving. (Ela sempre beija a avó antes de sair.) – verbo to kiss (beijar).
• He goes to the gym on weekends. (Ele vai à academia aos fins de semana.) – verbo to go (ir).
• She fixes her car by herself. (Ela conserta o carro dela sozinha.) – verbo to fix (consertar).

Veja também:

Advérbios em Inglês

Negative Form (forma negativa)

A forma negativa do Simple Present é formada com o uso dos verbos auxiliares do e does.

Do é usado com os pronomes I, you, we e they. Já o auxiliar does é usado com he, she, it.

Veja abaixo a conjugação da forma negativa do verbo to work (trabalhar; funcionar) no Simple Present.

Observe que na forma negativa do Simple Present, o verbo sempre é usado no infinitivo sem o to, mesmo quando se trata da terceira pessoa do singular (he, she e it).

As frases na negativa podem ser escritas de forma completa (do not ou does not) ou de forma contraída (don’t ou doesn’t):

• Do + not = don’t
• Does + not = doesn’t

Posição do verbo em frases negativas

Veja abaixo a estrutura de formação de frases negativas no Simple Present:

Sujeito + verbo auxiliar + not + verbo principal + complemento

Exemplos:

• I do not live in Brazil. (Eu não moro no Brasil). – verbo to live (morar, viver).
• He does not teach Spanish at the university. (Ele não ensina espanhol na universidade.) – verbo to teach (ensinar).
• They don’t prefer Italian food. (Eles não preferem comida italiana.) – verbo to prefer (preferir).
• She doesn’t watch TV every day. (Ela não assiste TV todos os dias.) – verbo to watch (assistir).
• We do not like to go to the beach during the week. (Nós não gostamos de ir à praia durante a semana.) – verbo to like (gostar).
• It does not push the door when it wants to get in. (Ele/ela não empurra a porta quanto quer entrar.) – verbo to push (empurrar).
• You don’t arrive late. (Você não chega atrasado.) – verbo to arrive (chegar).
• She doesn’t kiss her grandma before leaving. (Ela não beija a avó antes de sair.) – verbo to kiss (beijar).
• He does not go to the gym on weekends. (Ele não vai à academia aos fins de semana.) – verbo to go (ir).
• She doesn’t fix her car by herself. (Ela não conserta o carro dela sozinha.) – verbo to fix (consertar).

Veja também:

Do e does

Interrogative Form (forma interrogativa)

Assim como acontece nas frases negativas, os auxiliares do e does são utilizados para formar frases interrogativas no Simple Present.

Do é usado com I, you, we e they, e does é usado com he, she e it.

Veja abaixo a conjugação da forma interrogativa do verbo to work (trabalhar; funcionar) no Simple Present:

Note que o verbo sempre é usado no infinitivo sem o to, mesmo quando se trata da terceira pessoa do singular (he, she e it).

Posição do verbo em frases interrogativas

Veja abaixo a estrutura de formação de frases interrogativas no Simple Present.

Verbo auxiliar + sujeito + verbo principal + complemento

Exemplos:

• Do I own you money? (Eu te devo dinheiro?). – verbo to own (dever).
• Does he teach Spanish at the university? (Ele ensina espanhol na universidade?) – verbo to teach (ensinar).
• Do they prefer Italian food? (Eles preferem comida italiana?) – verbo to prefer (preferir).
• Does she watch TV every day? (Ela assiste TV todos os dias?) – verbo to watch (assistir).
• Do we have classes on Saturdays? (Nós temos aulas aos sábados?) – verbo to have (ter).
• Does it push the door when it wants to get in? (Ele/ela empurra a porta quanto quer entrar?) – verbo to push (empurrar).
• Do you arrive late? (Você chega atrasado?) – verbo to arrive (chegar).
• Does she kiss her grandma before leaving? (Ela beija a avó antes de sair?) – verbo to kiss (beijar).
• Does he go to the gym on weekends? (Ele vai à academia aos fins de semana?) – verbo to go (ir).
• Does she fix her car by herself? (Ela conserta o carro dela sozinha?) – verbo to fix (consertar).

IMPORTANTE

O verbo to do significa fazer. No entanto, no Simple Present ele é usado como verbo auxiliar que complementa a formação das frases negativas e interrogativas.

Enquanto auxiliares, do e does não têm significado.

Os auxiliares do e does também são usados em respostas curtas.

Observe os exemplos abaixo:

Veja também:

Verbos auxiliares em inglês

Tabelas de verbos conjugados

Agora que você já aprendeu as regras do Simple Present, veja alguns exemplos de verbos conjugados.

Verbo to love (amar)

Affirmative
Negative
Interrogativa

I love
I do not/don’t love
Do I love?

You love
You do not/don’t love
Do you love?

He loves
He does not/doesn’t love
Does he love?

She loves
She does not/doesn’t love
Does she love?

It loves
It does not/doesn’t love
Does it love?

We love
We do not/don’t love
Do we love?

You love
You do not/don’t love
Do you love?

They love
They do not/don’t love
Do they love?

Veja também:

Simple Future

Verbo to be (ser/estar)

Affirmative
Negative
Interrogativa

I am/I’m
I am not/I’m not
Am I?

You are/You’re
You are not/aren’t
Are you?

He is/He’s
He is not/isn’t
Is he?

She is/She’s
She is not/isn’t
Is she?

It is/It’s
It is not/isn’t
Is it?

We are/We’re
We are not/aren’t
Are we?

You are/You’re
You are not/aren’t
Are you?

They are/They’re
They are not/aren’t
Are they?

OBS.: Assim como acontece com os modal verbs (verbos modais), a forma negativa e a forma interrogativa do verbo to be não são formadas com o uso dos auxiliares do e does.

Veja também:

Verbo To Be

Verbo to have (ter)

Affirmative
Negative
Interrogativa

I have
I do not/don’t have
Do I have?

You have
You do not/don’t have
Do you have?

He has
He does not/doesn’t have
Does he have?

She has
She does not/doesn’t have
Does she have?

It has
It does not/doesn’t have
Does it have?

We have
We do not/don’t have
Do we have?

You have
You do not/don’t have
Do you have?

They have
They do not/don’t have
Do they have?

Veja também:

Has e have

Simple Present x Present Continuous

Tanto o Simple Present (presente simples) quanto o Present Continuous (presente contínuo) são tempos verbais da língua inglesa que indicam tempo presente.

No entanto, é comum que ambos causem dúvidas àqueles que querem praticar e construir frases em inglês.

O Simple Present indica ações habituais ocorridas no presente e também verdades universais, sentimentos, desejos, opiniões e preferências.

Já o Present Continuous indica ações que estão ocorrendo no presente, ou seja, no momento em que se fala. Equivale ao gerúndio da língua portuguesa. Regra geral, para conjugar o Present Continuous, é preciso acrescentar -ing no fim do verbo..

Exemplos:

• They are watching a movie. (Eles estão assistindo um filme.) – verbo to watch (assistir).
• I am making a phone call. (Estou fazendo uma chamada telefônica.) – verbo to make (fazer).

Veja abaixo algumas frases no Simple Present e no Present Continuous que ilustram a diferença entre os dois tempos verbais.

Exemplos:

• He is playing baseball. (Ele está jogando basebol.) – PRESENT CONTINUOUS
• He plays baseball. (Ele joga basebol.) – SIMPLE PRESENT
• They study German. (Eles estudam alemão.) – SIMPLE PRESENT
• They are studying German. (Eles estão estudando alemão.) – PRESENT CONTINUOUS

Veja também:

Present Continuous

Que tal saber mais sobre a língua inglesa? Veja também:

Vídeo sobre Simple Present

Agora que você já viu tudo o que precisa saber sobre o Simple Present, assista o vídeo abaixo para consolidar o seu aprendizado.

Resumo do Simple Present

Confira abaixo o infográfico que o Toda Matéria preparou para você, com um resumo do uso do Simple Present tense.

Se deseja mais informações sobre como estudar inglês, vale a pena consultar os artigos abaixo:

Exercícios sobre Simple Present

Questão 1

(Unifor-CE/2001)

In the age-old battle between independence-seeking teenagers and worried parents, the older generation is packing some new weapons. Caller ID tells parents who is calling their kids. Cell-phone bills detail every local number the kid has called. New computer programs track just about everything − every Web site visited, every e-mail sent − that a teenager does online.

Parental reconnaissance is going to get worse − or good, depending on your perspective.

(Wall Street Journal, Nov. 6, 2000)

Os verbos que estão no Simple Present, no texto, são:

a) detail – track – get
b) worried – visited – sent
c) is packing – is calling – is going
d) tells – detail – track
e) worried – has called – does

Ver Resposta

Alternativa correta: d) tells – detail – track

A alternativa d) é a única onde todos os verbos estão flexionados no Simple Present.

• tells é a flexão de Simple Present do verbo to tell (dizer), na terceira pessoa de singular (he/she/it).
• detail é a flexão de Simple Present do verbo to detail (detalhar), usada com os pronomes I, you, we, they.
• track é a flexão de Simple Present do verbo to track (rastrear), usada com os pronomes I, you, we, they.

Veja quais são os tempos verbais das outras alternativas:

a) detail – track – get: detail e track estão no Simple Present, porém, no texto, o verbo get faz parte da estrutura de futuro do Simple Future, going to get.

b) worried – visited – sent: todos os verbos estão no Simple Past.

c) is packing – is calling – is going: is packing e is calling estão no Present Continuous. O is going faz parte da estrutura de futuro do Simple Future, is going to get.

e) worried – has called – does: worried está no Simple Past, has called está no Present Perfect e does é o único verbo que está no Simple Present.

Questão 2

(Ufac/2010) Choose the alternative that best completes the sentence:

Charles normally ________ water, but now he ________ Coke.

a) drinks; is drinking.
b) is drinking; drinks.
c) was drinking; drinks.
d) drink; is drinking.
e) drinks, was drinking.

Ver Resposta

Alternativa correta: a) drinks; is drinking.

Observe que foi usado na frase o advérbio normally (normalmente), que indica uma ação habitual. Assim sendo, o verbo a ser utilizado para completar a lacuna deve estar conjugado no Simple Present.

Das alternativas disponíveis, apenas as letras a), d) e e) se adequam. A letra b) inicia com uma flexão conjugada no Present Continuous (is drinking) e a letra c) tem sua primeira opção conjugada no Past Continuous (was drinking).

Na segunda parte da oração, foi utilizada a palavra now (agora), o que obriga o uso de um verbo conjugado no Present Continuous (presente contínuo) para indicar uma ação em progresso no presente.

Restam as opções a) e d). A opção correta foi a letra a) pois o sujeito da frase é Charles, que corresponde ao pronome he (ele). Para he, she e it deve-se acrescentar o -s ao fim do verbo.

Questão 3

Assinale a alternativa correta para completar com o Simple Present:

She doesn’t ________ anymore.

a) to work out
b) work out
c) working out
d) works out
e) worked out

Ver Resposta

Alternativa b: She doesn’t work out anymore.

A frase apresenta uma flexão de terceira pessoa do singular (he, she e it) da forma negativa do Simple Present, indicada pelo uso de doesn’t.

Quando o does ou o does not são utilizados, deve-se usar o verbo principal no infinitivo sem o to.

O infinitivo em questão é to work out (exercitar-se), logo, passa a work out sem o to. Assim sendo, a letra b) é a alternativa correta.

Questão 4

Preencha os espaços com a conjugação dos verbos no Simple Present:

a) Do you ______ in America? (to live)

Ver Resposta

Resposta correta: a) live

Como a frase é uma pergunta, o verbo deve ser utilizado no infinitivo sem o to. Nesse caso, como o infinitivo é to live (morar), basta usar o live.

b) Jane ______ your friend. (to love)

Ver Resposta

Resposta correta: b) loves

Jane é o sujeito da frase. Como se trata de um nome feminino, equivale ao pronome she (ela).

A flexão de Simple Present de he, she e it deve ser feita com o acréscimo de -s ao fim do verbo no infinitivo sem o to.

O infinitivo é to love (amar). Sem o to, passamos a ter apenas love. Assim sendo, basta acrescentar o -s: loves

c) Juan and Carla ______ on the beach every morning. (to run)

Ver Resposta

Resposta correta: c) run

Juan and Carla equivalem ao pronome they (eles).

Para flexionar o verbo to run (correr) na terceira pessoa do plural (they), basta usar o verbo no infinitivo sem o to. Como o infinitivo é to run, sem o to passamos a ter apenas run. Logo, Juan and Carla run.

d) She _______ English every day. (to teach)

Ver Resposta

Resposta correta: d) teaches

Quando um verbo termina em -o, -z, -ss, -ch, -sh ou -x, a flexão de Simple Present de he, she e it deve ser feita com o acréscimo de -es ao fim do verbo no infinitivo sem o to.

O infinitivo é to teach (ensinar). Sem o to, passamos a ter apenas teach. Assim sendo, basta acrescentar o -es: teaches.

e) Thomas ______ his car weekly. (to wash)

Ver Resposta

Resposta correta: washes

Quando um verbo termina em -o, -z, -ss, -ch, -sh ou -x, a flexão de Simple Present de he, she e it deve ser feita com o acréscimo de -es ao fim do verbo no infinitivo sem o to.

O infinitivo é to wash (lavar). Sem o to, passamos a ter apenas wash. Assim sendo, basta acrescentar o -es: washes.

Questão 5

Escreva a frase a seguir nas formas negativa e interrogativa:

We go to school every day.

Ver Resposta

Forma negativa:

Resposta correta: We don’t go to school every day ou We do not go to school every day.

O verbo principal da frase é to go (ir).

Para formar frases negativas no Simple Present, deve-se usar o auxiliar do ou o auxiliar does, e acrescentar o not. Também podem ser usadas as formas contraídas don’t ou doesn’t.

Does not e doesn’t são usados com os pronomes he, she e it. Com os demais pronomes (I, you, we e they) usa-se do not ou don’t.

Depois do auxiliar, é preciso usar o verbo principal no infinitivo sem o to. Como o verbo principal da frase no infinitivo é to go, sem o to passamos a ter go.

Posição do verbo em frases negativas: sujeito + verbo auxiliar + not + verbo principal + complemento

Tendo em conta que o pronome usado na frase é o we (nós), podemos optar por usar do not ou don’t:

• We don’t go to school every day.
• We do not go to school every day.

Forma interrogativa:

Resposta correta: Do we go to school every day?

O verbo principal da frase é to go (ir).

Para formar frases interrogativas no Simple Present, deve-se usar o auxiliar do ou o auxiliar does.

Does é usado com os pronomes he, she e it. Com os demais pronomes (I, you, we e they) usa-se do.

Depois do auxiliar, é preciso usar o verbo principal no infinitivo sem o to. Como o verbo principal da frase no infinitivo é to go, sem o to passamos a ter go.

Posição do verbo em frases interrogativas: verbo auxiliar + sujeito + verbo principal + complemento

Tendo em conta que o pronome usado no frase é o we (nós), a resposta correta é Do we go to school every day?

Questão 6

De acordo com a formação das frases no Simple Present, a oração em que as palavras aparecem na ordem correta é:

a) My girlfriend visits her parents on Sundays.
b) On Sundays my girlfriend her parents visits.
c) Visits her parents on Sundays my girlfriend.
d) My girlfriend parents her visits on Sundays.
e) Her parents my girlfriend visits on Sundays.

Ver Resposta

Alternativa correta: a) My girlfriend visits her parents on Sundays.

No Simple Present, a formação das frases afirmativas segue a seguinte estrutura:

Sujeito + verbo principal + complemento

• Sujeito: My girlfriend
• Verbo principal: visits
• Complemento: her parents on Sundays

Questão 7

Complete com a forma correta do verbo entre parênteses.

a) They ______ their e-mail every day. (check-checks)
b) The sun ______ in the east. (rise-rises)
c) We ______ shopping on Saturdays. (go-goes)
d) Water ______ at 100 °C. (boil-boils)
e) Daniel ______ for a big hotel in the city center. (work-works)

Ver Resposta

Para conjugar um verbo no Simple Present, basta usá-lo no infinitivo sem o to no caso dos pronomes I, you, we e they, e acrescentar -s, -es ou -ies no caso dos pronomes he, she e it. Assim, as respostas corretas são:

a) check – They check their e-mail every day. (Eles verificam seus e-mails todos os dias.)
b) rises – The sun rises in the east. (O sol nasce no leste.)
c) go – We go shopping on Saturdays. (Vamos às compras aos sábados.)
d) boils – Water boils at 100 °C. (A água ferve a 100 °C.)
e) works – Daniel works for a big hotel in the city center. (Daniel trabalha para um grande hotel no centro da cidade.)

Questão 8

Complete as lacunas com o verbo auxiliar correto: to do ou to be.

a) ______ you married?
Yes, my husband’s name is Frank.

b) ______ you have any children?
Yes, I have three sons.

c) Where ______ you work?
I’m a doctor at the local hospital.

d) What ______ their names?
Lucy and Tomas.

e) What ______ you do?
I work in a club.

Ver Resposta

Tanto o verbo to do quanto o verbo to be podem ser utilizados no inglês como verbos auxiliares.

O verbo to do, enquanto auxiliar, não possui uma tradução.

Já o verbo to be é utilizado quando o sentido da frase está relacionado com os verbos “ser” ou “estar”. Assim, as respostas das questões são:

a) are – Are you married? (Você é casado?)
b) do – Do you have any children? (Você tem filhos?)
c) do – Where do you work? (Onde você trabalha?)
d) are – What are theirs names? (Quais são os nomes deles?)
e) do – What do you do? (O que você faz?)

Questão 9

Nas frases abaixo, insira os advérbios de frequência entre parênteses no local correto.

a) Do you work late? (often)
b) I’m exhausted. (always)
c) I finish at four in the morning. (usually)
d) I work till six. (once a week)

Ver Resposta

Os advérbios de frequência são utilizados entre o sujeito e o verbo, exceto quando o verbo principal da frase é o to be. Confira as respostas corretas:

a) Do you often work late? (Você costuma trabalhar até tarde?)
b) I’m always exhausted. (Estou sempre exausta.)
c) I usually finish at four in the morning. (Eu costumo terminar às quatro da manhã.)
d) I work till six once a week. (Eu trabalho até as seis uma vez por semana.)

Questão 10

Leia as frases abaixo a respeito de regras gramaticais sobre o uso do Simple Present.

I. Ao conjugar no Simple Present um verbo terminado em y precedido de consoante, basta acrescentar o -s nas flexões das pessoas gramaticais he, she e it.

II. O Simple Present é usado para falar de hábitos e rotinas, e de verdades universais.

III. Na forma interrogativa do Simple Present, o verbo principal não é flexionado. Ele é utilizado no infinitivo sem o to.

É correto o que se afirma em:

a) I e III
b) I e II
c) II e III
d) I, II e III
e) n.d.a.

Ver Resposta

Resposta correta: c) II e III

A afirmação da frase I está incorreta, uma vez que ao conjugar no Simple Present um verbo terminado em y precedido de consoante, é necessário acrescentar -ies, e não apenas -s, nas flexões das pessoas gramaticais he, she e it.

Para mais exercícios sobre o Simple Present, veja também Simple Present exercícios

Carla Muniz

Professora, lexicógrafa, tradutora, produtora de conteúdos e revisora. Licenciada em Letras (Português, Inglês e Literaturas) pelas Faculdades Integradas Simonsen, em 2002.

1. What is the Present Tense?

When writing and speaking, we use the present tense to talk about what we are doing or what’s going on now; in the present. We use certain forms of verbs to show that the timeline for the sentence is currently happening or continuing to happen. But, even in the present, things are always happening in different ways, at slightly or very different times, and over different periods—there isn’t just one way to share them! So, there are different types of the present tense that each help us specifically share when and how something is occurring.

 

2. Examples

As said above, the present isn’t just one single moment in time, and when we talk about the present we don’t always mean right now (“real time”). Really, we use the present tense to talk about a period of time; a time happening right now, continuing to happen now, or reflecting something in the past that is still relevant now. Here are examples:

• This article is in the present tense.      Simple Present
• You have now read this sentence.      Present Perfect
• Yes, I am talking to you!      Present Continuous
• You have been reading this for 3 minutes!      Present Perfect Continuous

 

3. Parts of the Present Tense

In the present tense, we need to conjugate our verbs so that the timeline of the sentence is clear. That means that sometimes, we need to change the form of the verb to match the tense. We also use “helping verbs,” called auxiliary verbs and modal auxiliary verbs, which “help” our main verbs make sense.

a. Auxiliary Verbs

“Auxiliary verbs” or “auxiliaries” are really just fancy names for basic verbs that we use all the time. They are simply versions of the verbs to be, have, and do:

• To be: am, are, is, be, been, being, was, were
• Have: had, has, have, having
• Do: do, did, does

Most of the time you just use these auxiliaries naturally without even noticing. Here are some examples of how they work in the present tense, with the auxiliaries in purple:

• My name

  is

  Jane.

• I

  am

  16 years old.

• I

  have

  green eyes.

• I

  did

  well on my exam today.

You can see that the auxiliaries add grammatical meaning to these sentences. Without them, the examples really wouldn’t make sense! Imagine if we said “My name Jane”—it would just sound silly.

b. Modal Auxiliary Verbs

Like auxiliaries, modal auxiliary verbs, or modal auxiliaries, also add grammatical meaning to sentences. But, more importantly, we use them to show the likelihood of something happening in the present. The main modal auxiliaries that we use all the time are:

• can
• could
• may
• might
• must
• shall
• should
• will
• would

Here are some examples, with the modals in green.

• Jane

  may

  be cooking dinner now. Possible

• Jane

  can

  cook dinner. Probable

• Jane

  will

  cook dinner now. Definite

Without these modals, it wouldn’t be possible to express the different ways and degrees in which things happen.

c. Conjugated Verbs

To work properly in the present tense, a sentence’s main verb needs to be conjugated to fit the time. What’s more, as you now know, sometimes we need to add an auxiliary or modal to help the verb. This chart will show you how verbs are conjugated in the present tense, and how they work with helping verbs.

 

If you want to see how these verbs work in other tenses, check out our articles on the past tense and the future tense.

Base Verb

Simple Present

Present Continuous

Present Perfect

Present Perfect Continuous

talktalksis talkinghas talkedhas been talkinghearhearsis hearinghas heardhas been hearingdodoesis doinghas donehas been doingrunrunsis runninghas runhas been runningworkworksis workinghas workedhas been workingtrytriesis tryinghas triedhas been trying

If you want to see how these verbs work in other tenses, check out our articles on the past tense and the future tense.

 

4. Types of Present Tenses

As you can see, English has many more tenses than just past, present and future. Sometimes it can be hard to see the differences between them. That said, being able to understand those differences is really important! So here, we outline four of the main types of the present tense: simple present, present continuous, present perfect, and present perfect continuous. In the examples, the conjugated verbs that show the present-tense are in orange.

a. Simple Present

The simple present is the most basic way to say something in the present tense. To use the simple present we don’t always need helping verbs. The form of the sentence reflects the name of the tense—it is simple! So, a simple present sentence follows the pattern Subject + Present Verb.

We use it to talk about more general things that we do often or regularly, or to state simple facts:

• I

  work

  at the mall.

• They

  eat

  waffles for breakfast every day!

• Jane

  likes

  candy.

• She

  runs

  fast!

But, we also use the simple present tense to talk about things that happen as we speak, in what we call “real time”:

• I

  see

  you!

• Jane

  hears

  birds singing.

• That broccoli

  smells

  terrible.

• You

  look

  great!

b. Present Continuous

The present continuous tense describes actions and/or events that are currently happening or going on now; in other words, things that are continuing to happen right now in “real time.” To do that, we use a verb ending in ing. Sentences in the present continuous follow the Subject + Verb to be + ing Verb pattern:

• Jane

  is

  listening

  to music.

• I

  am eating

  a cheeseburger.

• They

  are ruining

  the party!

• The dogs

  are barking

  loudly.

c. Present Perfect

We use the present perfect tense to share something that happened before, but is still relevant or important now. To use it, we always place the auxiliary have before the main verb, which shows that we “have done it,” and it should be followed by the past-tense form of the main verb. It may seem confusing that even though we use a past verb, it’s still the present tense—remember, we are showing that something already happened, but still matters now!

As you know, the past form of regular verbs ends in ed, but irregular verbs have different forms.
A sentence in the present perfect should follow Subject + Have/Has + Past form of main verb:

• Jane

  has traveled

  to Rome, but she really wants to go Venice.

• I

  have eaten

  squid, but I have never eaten octopus.

• They

  have lived

  in that house for 10 years.

• He

  has taken

  the exam already.

You can also use contractions (gray) to express the same meaning. Using contractions is the more informal way to say the same thing:

• Jane’s

  traveled to Rome, but she really wants to go to Venice.

• I’ve

  eaten squid, but

  I’ve

  never eaten octopus.

• They’ve

  lived in that house for 10 years

• He’s

  taken the exam already.

d. Present Perfect Continuous

The present perfect continuous expresses actions (or events) that we have been doing and are still doing; things that have been going on and are still going on now. To use it, we need to use have and been combined with the continuous form of the verb (ending in ing) to show that we “have been” doing something. So, a sentence in the present perfect continuous follows the Subject + have/has been + ing Verb form:

• Jane

  has been

  listening to music online.

• I

  have been

  eating a lot of cheeseburgers lately.

• They

  have been

  living in that house since 2006.

• He

  has been

  taking that exam for at least 2 hours.

Like the examples in the previous section, you can also use contractions for have/has.

 

5. How to Write in the Present Tense

In truth, using the wrong tense is a really common mistake for writers. While it’s not hard to speak in the present tense, it’s sometimes more difficult to write in the present. The most important thing to remember is that the present tense reflects the PRESENT time, which means action that is happening right now or is continuing to happen now.

Here are some questions to help you decide whether the present tense is the right timeline for what you want to share:

• Are you sharing general information, like everyday habits, events, or facts?
• Is the action happening in “real time” (now)?
• Did the action already happen in the past, but is still relevant now?
• Has the action been going on for a while, and is still going on?

If the answer to these questions is yes, then you should be using the present tense! If not, you should reconsider which tense—past, present, or future—is best for what you are trying to express. Again, the present tense should only be used when you want to share information about the present!

Test your Knowledge

1.

TRUE or FALSE: We only use the present tense to talk about what is going on right now, in this moment.

a.TRUE

b.FALSE

2.

For action that is happening in “real time,” we can use:

a.present simple

b.present continuous

c.present perfect

d.both a & b

3.

TRUE or FALSE: The present perfect uses the past form of a verb, even though it reflects the present time.

a.TRUE

b.FALSE

4.

For action that has been going on in the past, and is still going on now, we use:

a.present simple

b.present perfect

c.present perfect continuous

d.both a & c