The present simple

The simple present or simple present tense

The first things to put into your mind for the simple present sentences are the following below. Read all the vocabularies in the box aloud and memorize them. These are the basic tools for forming simple present tense sentences.

These are some keywords that belong to the simple present tense.

Note: There is no (ing)! However, verbs can sometimes use (ing) when used with (like) for example.

Let's get this a little bit organized

am are is to be We use the verb (to be) with adjectives and nouns! To form a question or negative sentence you have to use (to be) for these sentences too. Example: I am tall.    Am I short?    No! I am not short. You are nice.    Are you nice?    No! you are not nice!    You are rude. He is a business man.    Is he a business man?    No! he is not a business man. Is not = isn't and are not = aren't

Note! You do not have to use (do) or (does) in order to form a question or negative sentence with the verb (to be).

Make questions using (do) and (does)

do does   We use do and does to form questions! I Do I have the bird flu? you Do you see the airplane over there? he Does he do this all the time? she Does she like you? it Does it work? we Do we have enough time? you Do all of you have a book? they Do they know that?

Note! In the simple present tense the verb (have) is not used to form questions. The meaning of have is possess. Don't confuse the verb have with the function verb have in present perfect where it is used to form a question! We use the verb (do) like any other verb combined with the function verb (do).

Example: What does your brother do? What do you do? The meaning here is (What is your profession? What do you do for living?) We mainly use the simple present to describe general features/ truths.

Make negative sentences using (do not) and (does not)

do not does not don't doesn't We use do not and does not to form negative sentences! I I do not have the bird flu. you You do not see the airplane. he He does not do this often. she She does not like you. it It does not work. we We do not have enough time. you Not all of you have a book. All of you do not have a book. they They do not know that.

Not all of you has about 194,000 results in Google. All of you do not + verb  has about 767 results. I hope that all of you do not smoke. So I suggest to all of you do not quit. But we realize that not all of you have a book. I know not all of you are children.

(Not all of you have a book) means that some do and and some don't have a book.

(All of you do not have a book) means that there is no book at all.

How to use the verb (can)

can can't cannot We do not use the verb (can) with (ing)! It is used to form its own questions and negative sentences. We use (can) with other verbs. I I can swim. Can you swim? No, I cannot swim! you You can do that! Can you do this? No, I can't! he He can run very fast. she She can swim. it It can be. we We can go to the movies. you You can help. they They can sing together.

How to use the verb (have/has) in simple present tense.

have has We use the verb (have/has) just like any other verb. The meaning of have is to possess something. I have a car! I I have a car. Do you have a car? No, I do not have a car! you You have so much luck! Do you have luck? You don't have luck! he He has time. Does he have time? He does not have time! she She has a date. Does she have a date? She doesn't have a date! it It has a new engine. Does it have a new engine? It doesn't have a new engine! we We have a meeting. Do we have a meeting? We don't have a meeting! you You have some extra hours. Do you have more hours? You don't have more Hours! they They have a new office. Do they have a new office? They don't have a new office!

Verbs that indicate a mental stage have to be used in the simple present tense. There are some exceptions.

Here is a list of those special verbs.

You cannot say (I am wanting) or (I am liking you) the proper sentences are (I want) and (I like you.)