The Present Simple Tense

Structure Examples We use the Present Simple Tense:

To form the Present Simple Tense 1. Philip gets up at 6 o'clock every morning.
when we talk about things that happen
we use the verb's base form (go, work, 2. I go to school every day.
repeatedly or habitually
speak, study). In 3rd person singular (he, 3. She sometimes goes out on Friday night.
she, it), the base form of the verb takes - 4. I usually sleep late on Sunday morning.
5. Peter works for 8 hours every day. With Present Simple Tense we often
s/es. (Auxiliary verbs "be," "do," "have",
6. We usually start work at 8 o'clock. use time expressions such as always,
which can also be used as main verbs,
7. My children often watch TV in the afternoon. often, sometimes, usually, seldom, on
are exceptions.)
8. He always forgets his keys. Saturdays, rarely, never, every day, etc.
Affirmative form 1. I work in a bank.
when we talk about permanent or
2. Kate speaks English very well.
I long-lasting situations
3. Tom lives in London.
you work
we 1. People make choices because they can't have
they everything they want. when we talk about people or things in
2. Nurses work in clinics and hospitals. general
he/she/it works /-s/ 3. Football is a very popular sport in Bulgaria.
1. The Earth is spherical.
go - goes /-es/ 2. My birthday is in May.
watch - watches /-es/ to indicate general truths, facts and
3. California is in the United States.
play - plays /-s/ scientific laws
4. The sun rises in the east.
study - studies /-es/ 5. Water freezes at 0°C (32°F).

! Remember: 1. We arrive in Rome at 6 p.m. when we talk about travel plans and
2. The train leaves in five minutes. timetables (mainly with verbs such as go,
to be 3. The course starts next Thursday. leave, arrive, start, come, return etc.)
I/you/we/they are
he/she/it is

to do
I/you/we/they do 1. She loves jazz music. with state verbs such as like, dislike,
he/she/it does 2. My aunt hates travelling by train. love, think, seem, look, know, feel,
3. I like ice cream. I don't like spinach. understand, want, need, hate,
to have 4. I think she is a wonderful person. remember, forget, prefer, believe,
5. Do you believe in God? mean, taste, hear, see, have (when the 1
6. I have no money at the moment. meaning is "possess"), own, belong, etc.
7. My brother has a new car. These verbs are not normally used in the
I/you/we/they have 8. That bicycle belongs to me. Continuous Tense (but there are
he/she/it has exceptions).
1. Pour all ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix
Negative form
until smooth.
to give instructions/directions
2. Walk down the street to the corner and then turn
I
right.
you DO NOT /don't/
we WORK
they

he/she/it DOES NOT

/doesn't / WORK

1. She doesn't often go to the cinema.

2. I don't get up early at the weekend.
3. They don't speak English very well. The Present Simple Tense is also used in :

Interrogative form sentences after "when", "after", "while", "till" / "until", "before", "as soon as" - When
the rain stops, we'll go out.
I I'll call you back as soon as I return home.
DO you WORK?
we zero conditional sentences (when the result of the condition is always true) - If you heat water
they to 100°C (212°F), it boils.

DOES he/she/it WORK? first conditional sentences (Often called the "real" conditional because it is used for real (or
possible) situations. These situations take place if a certain condition is met.) - If you finish your
1. Do they speak foreign languages? homework I'll bring you to the zoo.
2. Do you want a banana?
3. Does your sister play the piano?

Questions and short answers:

Do you like spaghetti?

Yes, I do.
No, I don't.

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Does she know Bulgarian?
Yes, she does.
No, she doesn't.
Notes about formation of the 3rd person singular (he, she, it):

If the verb ends in -ss, -sh, -ch, -x or -o, add -es to the base form:
kiss - kisses, finish - finishes, watch - watches, mix - mixes, go - goes

If the verb ends in consonant + y change y to i and add -es:

study - studies, copy - copies, try - tries, carry - carries

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 The Present Continuous (Progressive)Tense
We use the Present Continuous
Structure Examples
(Progressive)Tense:
The Present Continuous is made with the Pamela is sleeping in the bedroom.
present form of the verb "to be" (I am, you are, 1. The telephone is ringing! We most often use the Present Continuous when
he/she/it is, we are, you are, they are) + the '-ing' 2. They are doing their homework. we talk about something which is happening at the
form of the main verb. The '-ing' form of the verb 3. I'm waiting for my girlfriend in front of the time of speaking (now, at the moment)
is called the Present Participle. cinema.
1. I'm reading an interesting book. when we talk about something which is
Affirmative (Positive) form 2. Tom is looking for a new job. happening at present, but not necessarily at the
3. We are studying English and Spanish. moment of speaking
I am reading.
You are reading. 1. My husband is working hard today.
He is reading. 2. They are spending this week in Paris.
when we talk about temporary actions taking
She is reading. 3. She is teaching English this semester.
place only for a period of time (today, this week, this
It is reading. 4. We are staying at the Bristol Hotel tonight.
semester, this year)
5. I'm living with my parents at the moment but
We are reading. soon I'll buy my own house.
You are reading.
They are reading. 1. Fuel prices are rising constantly because of
strong demand. Present Continuous is also used to express
Negative form 2. On-line shopping is growing rapidly current trends
nowadays.
I am not reading. 1. He is always complaining from his
You are not reading. We can use the Present Continuous when we
colleagues.
He is not reading. talk about repeated actions which are irritating to the
2. My son is always getting into trouble in
She is not reading. speaker (always, constantly)
school.
It is not reading.
1. I'm leaving for Vienna tomorrow morning. Sometimes we use the Present Continuous to
2. We are having lunch at 12.30 o'clock. describe a planned action in the near future

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We are not reading.
You are not reading.
They are not reading.
Contracted forms:
Question form:
I am = I'm he/she/it is = he's/she's/it's you are = you're
I am not = I'm not he/she/it is not = he isn't/she isn't/it isn't you are not = you aren't
Am I reading?
Are you reading?
we are = we're they are = they're
Is he reading?
we are not = we aren't they are not = they aren't
Is she reading?
Examples:
Is it reading?
1. What are you doing? 3. He is reading a newspaper.
2. I'm having a bath. 4. Are they working?
Are we reading?
Are you reading?
Are they reading?

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 The Present Participle
Structure 2. Spelling rules for the formation of the Present Participle.

The general rule is: base form of the verb + '-ing':

1. Participles are formed from verbs. work - working read - reading
English has two types participles: the Present go - going listen - listening
Participle and the Past Participle. meet - meeting sleep - sleeping
enjoy - enjoying ski - skiing
The Present Participle of the verb is formed by grow - growing fix - fixing
adding the suffix '-ing' to the base form of the
verb: base form + '-ing'. If a one syllable verb ends in consonant + vowel + consonant double the final consonant and add “-
ing":
We use the Present Participle along with a run - running beg - begging
form of the verb 'to be' to create continuous sit - sitting jog - jogging
(progressive) tenses. If a verb has more than one syllable and ends in consonant + vowel + consonant, we double the
final consonant only if the final syllable is stressed and add '-ing':
occur - occurring begin - beginning
admit - admitting refer - referring
When a verb ends in '-ic' we add '-k' and then '-ing':
picnic - picnicking panic – panicking

When a verb ends in '-l' the '-l' is doubled and '-ing' is added (in British English):
travel - travelling cancel – cancelling

3. The Present Participle can be also used as When a verb ends in silent '-e', the silent '-e' is dropped and '-ing' is added:
an adjective in front of a noun: a running boy, a close - closing move - moving
crying baby, a dancing lady, etc. live - living have - having
When a verb ends in an '-e' which is not silent, the final '-e' is not dropped before the ending '-ing' is
added:
be - being see - seeing
When a verb ends in '-ie', the '-ie' is changed to '-y' before the ending '-ing' is added:
die - dying lie - lying

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 The Past Simple Tense
Structure Examples We use the Past Simple Tense:

The past simple tense of the most english 1. We arrived at 9:00 o'clock. to describe actions and situations that happened
verbs (regular verbs) is formed by adding 2. This morning I went to the supermarket. in the past. These actions and situations were
"-ed"/"-d" to their base form. (If the verb 3. The teacher went to the desk. started and finished in the past.
ends in "-e", we add "-d" to form the past 4. He didn't hear the telephone.
simple.) 5. Susan bought her little sister a doll.
6. We came here in 1980. The sentence often contains an adverb or adverb
There are also some verbs called irregular 7. I worked at Johnson & Co. from 1990 to phrase of time, such as yesterday, the other day,
verbs that have special past tense forms. (See 1995. last night, last week, three days ago, a few
list of irregular verbs) 8. My brother lived in London for six years. minutes ago, in (year), from (year) to (year),
(he doesn't live there anymore) etc.
Affirmative form
to talk about habitual or repeated actions that
1. When she was young, she danced
Regular verbs: took place in the past
beautifully.
base form + "-ed" or "-d": 2. He played the violin when he was a child.
work + "-ed" = worked Note: This use is also often expressed with used
3. We often went there.
live + "-d" = lived to:
4. I saw her every day.
Bob used to smoke 20 cigarettes a day.
I/you/he/she/it/we/they worked 1. It happened one night in the winter.
I/you/he/she/it/we/they lived to tell a story and to express actions which
2. She opened her bag, took out the key and
follow each other in a story
unlocked the door.
Irregular verbs: past form only
I/you/he/she/it/we/they saw to refer to the historical past or to events that
1. World War II ended in 1945.
have happened in the distant past relative to the
2. Romans built strong bridges.
To form the negative and interrogative speaker
sentences we use the past form of auxiliary
1. David said that he was tired.
verb do --> did: for reporting what someone said (converting
2. The doctor told me that I would have to
from direct to reported speech)
stay in the hospital for a week.
Negative form
1. When Peter arrived, I was reading a book. to talk about action in the past that take place in
I 2. I was having a bath when the phone rang. the middle of another action
you DID + NOT
he/she/it /DIDN'T/
1. If I won the lottery, I would travel the for making second conditional sentences (also
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we + WORK world. called conditional type 2) when we talk about an
they 2. If I were you, I wouldn't marry him. imaginary or unlikely situation and to describe its
result. (If + past simple, would + infinitive)
He didn't work yesterday.
She didn't see him last night.

Interrogative form
I
you
DID he/she/it WORK? Spelling rules for the past simple of regular verbs:
we
they
if a regular verb ends in consonant + y change y to i and add -ed:
carry - carried, study - studied, fry - fried, try - tried
Did he work yesterday?
if a one syllable regular verb ends in consonant + vowel + consonant double the final
Did she see him last night?
consonant and add -ed -- > stop - stopped, plan - planned, rob - robbed, beg - begged
if a regular verb has more than one syllable and ends in consonant + vowel + consonant, we
If it is the verb "to be" we use was/were
double the final consonant only if the final syllable is stressed -- > preFER - preferred, regRET
before the subject:
- regretted
Was he at the office the other day?
Exception: In British English verbs ending in -l have -ll before -ed whether the final syllable is
Questions and short answers:
stressed or not -- > travel - travelled
Did you go to the cinema last night?
Yes, I did.
No, I didn't.
Did he speak with Kate yesterday?
Yes, he did.
No, he didn't.

Pronunciation of final "-ed" (regular verbs):

after an unvoiced consonant sound (sh/ s / ch / p / k / f ) we pronounce /t/: wash (/sh/) - washed (/t/); kiss (/s/) - kissed (/t/); work (/k/) -
worked (/t/); hope (/p/) - hoped (/t/); laugh (/f/) - laughed (/t/)
after a vowel and voiced consonant sounds we pronounce /d/: phone (/n/) - phoned (/d/); judge (/dg/) - judged (/d/); turn (/n/) - turned (/d/);
play (/ei/) - played (/d/); follow (/ou/) - followed (/d/)
after /t/ and /d/ sounds we pronounce /-id/: visite (/t/) - visited (/id/); start (/t/) - started (/id/); need (/d/) - needed (/id/)

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 The Future Simple Tense
English does not have a verb form specifically used to express future tense. We have to choose from a variety of forms (using 'will'/'shall', 'going to',
the present continuous, the present simple, etc.) to talk about future events. The future expressed with the modal auxiliaries will and shall + the base form of
the verb is known as the future simple tense or 'will' future. Keep in mind, however, that 'will' doesn't always serve to indicate the future. We can use
'will' to talk about events happening at the present. (For example: This car won't start.)

Structure Examples We use the Future Simple Tense:

The future simple tense is to say that something will happen in the future.
composed of two parts: will/shall + 1. I will finish my report later today. Adverbs of time that will indicate such tense may include,
base verb. Will and shall are often 2. The sun will rise at 6:03 am. tomorrow, today, later today, in five minutes, in two
contracted to 'll. 3. I'll go to the market tomorrow. hours, on Monday, on Saturday afternoon, next
4. There will be another conference next month. week/month, this year, etc.
Affirmative form
5. I'll come to see you on Sunday.
I + shall / will + work 6. We'll be back on Friday afternoon. ! Note that when we talk about prior plans, strong
we 7. Tom will visit his parents next week. intentions or fixed arrangements we do not normally
8. They will paint the fence blue. use 'will':
you 9. I will return in two hours.
he/she/it + will + work 10. He will finish his homework in twenty minutes. I am going to meet him this afternoon. ('to be' + 'going
they 11. Jane will turn 18 this year. to' + main form of the verb)
12. The wedding will take place on May 8th. The I'm going to buy a new car this year. ('to be' + 'going to'
1. I shall/will write her tomorrow. + main form of the verb)
2. We shall/will go shopping together ceremony will begin at 4pm, followed by a meal and a
big party. I am going to a party tommorrow night. (the present
during the holidays. continuous)
Tina is getting married next month. (the present
Note: 'Will' is used with all Note: In certain situations we use 'will' to
continuous)
persons. 'Shall' can be used instead of emphasize:
'will' with I/we. In modern English,
! Note: 'Will' is used instead of 'going to' when a formal
particularly in American English, 13. You will drink your milk!
style is required, particularly in the written language (See
'shall' with a future reference is rarely 14. I will find a job.
12)
used.
Negative form
I SHALL + NOT
we /SHAN'T/ + 1. I'll close the window. to express spontaneous decision /
WORK 2. I'll have a cup of tea, please. to volunteer to do something (the action is decided at the
3. - The phone is ringing. moment of speaking)
- I'll answer it. 9
4. - Oops, I dropped my pencil.
 - I'll pick it up.
I
you WILL + NOT to predict future events (for example, to say what we
he/she/it /WON'T/ think or believe will happen), we use both 'will' and
1. I think it will rain.
we + WORK 'going to'
2. The weather tomorrow will be sunny and warm.
they 3. I think David Brown will be the next mayor of our
! But note that we use 'going to' (not 'will') to make
city.
I won't answer that question. predictions about events when there is a concrete
4. Everything will be fine.
They won't accept this offer. evidence:
5. You are going to be a famous artist some day.
6. I think you are going to marry a wrong person.
Interrogative form Look at those dark clouds in the sky. It is going to rain
soon.
To form interrogative sentences we
1. I'll be there at 7 p.m., I promise.
use will with all persons: to make promises or threats
2. I'll tell your parents what you did.
WILL I WORK? 1. Will you please help me to do my homework?
we to request help or to offer help
2. That suitcase is too heavy. I’ll help you.

you 1. I'll probably get there by my car.

with words and expressions such as: probably,
WILL he/she/it WORK? 2. You must read this book. I'm sure you'll like it.
possibly, perhaps, (I'm) sure, (I) expect
they 3. I expect Tom will pass his exam.
Will you open the window, please?
1. If it begins to rain, I'll certainly nead an umbrella. to talk about consequences (with if, when, provided,
Will you do it for me?
2. She will tell him when he calls. unless, as, as soon as, as long as, etc.)
Note: We use shall to make offers, 1. I'll be in Athens tomorrow. when the main verb is be even if we talk about
ask for advices or suggestions, etc. 2. I'll be at a conference next week. planned events
(mainly in British English)
More examples:
'Shall' is also used as an imperative in formal or
1. Shall I close the door?
legal written statements:
2. Shall we go to picnic tomorrow? 1. Will you go shopping?
3. Shall I study English? 2. I will not permit that kind of behaviour.
1. The Chairman shall be present at the Company's
3. Will our theacher come with us?
general meetings.
Yes, he will. No, he won't.
2. The accused shall be present during the trial.
4. Our teacher won't come with us.

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