Lecture Notes on Simple Present Tense (ESL Library)

Summary

Today's lesson focused on the simple present tense, which is used to denote repeated actions that happen over and over again. We learned how to form simple present verbs depending on the subject of the sentence, whether the subject is a pronoun or a noun.

What are Verb Tenses?

• Verb tenses indicate the time when an action happens.
• The simple present is one of these tenses.

Use of Simple Present Tense

• Primary Use: Describes repeated actions.
• Examples:
  • I eat breakfast every day.
  • I read in bed every night.
  • I always study after school.

Forms of Simple Present Verbs

• The form of the verb in the simple present tense depends on the subject of the sentence.

When the subject is a pronoun:

• Base form of verb (for pronouns I, you, we, they):
  • Examples:
    • I walk to school every day.
    • You always drink coffee.
    • We sometimes eat dessert.
    • They study every night.
• Verb + s/es (for pronouns he, she, it):
  • Examples:
    • He reads the newspaper on weekends.
    • She takes the bus to work in the morning.
    • It sleeps on the couch every day.

When the subject is a noun:

• Base form of verb (when the noun is plural):
  • Examples:
    • The students take the bus to school.
    • My parents drink coffee every morning.
• Verb + s/es (when the noun is singular or non-count):
  • Examples:
    • The student walks to school every day.
    • My dog always sleeps on my bed.
    • Snow falls from the sky in winter.
    • My hair grows quickly.

Exercise

• Example prompt: "Look at the picture and say or write a simple present sentence."
  • Example response: "She drinks coffee every day."

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