When we use present Simple
- Present Simple
- We use it when an ACTION REPEATS ITSELF for example every day or twice a week. It can be a habit or something you do regularly (a routine). It is also used to describe SITUATIONS THAT ARE TRUE FOR A LONG TIME and are will not change in the near future.
Examples of present simple used with routines (repeated actions).
Tha baby pukes up at least once a day.
We often use present simple with words like: always, often, sometimes, never.
The man sometimes secretly reads magazines that his wife doesn’t like.
The man doesn’t help his wife with housework very often.
We also use present simple when something is TRUE FOR A VERY LONG TIME and it will probably not change, for example someone’s job.
The man works on a computer. His job is an IT specialist.
He likes drinking beer.
How we form present simple
positive sentences: subject + verb (base form) + object
negative sentences: subject + don’t/doesn’t + verb (base form) + object
questions: Do/does + subject + verb ?
Other examples of present simple use in a sentence
- I live near here.
- She is the one who cooks in the family.
- I have to wake up early every morning and I hate it.
More about present simple
We use Present simple for routines. It doesn’t matter how often you do something. It has to be a repeated action and it can be done once a day or even once every 5 years. It can be a habit or something you do regularly, like for example you wake up at 7 o’clock every morning or you go to school or work every day. If you go on holiday to Greece every year you will also use present simple.
We use present simple with words and phrases that express frequency (How often?)for example: always, often, usually, sometimes, every once in a while, every so often, occasionally, rarely, hardly ever, never.
If we ask about frequency (How often?) we also use present simple. – How often do you cook in a week? – I cook twice a week/ I don’t cook.
Present simple is also used with things which are generally true are always true or are true for a very long period of time. They can be things like “The sky is blue” or “A secretary works behind a desk”. We use present simple when we talk about what someone does as a job like “He works with animals, he is a vet”
