The first sentences in English you learned were probably very simple, like My name is Nat or I speak Spanish. Sentences like these use one of the most basic verb conjugations, known as the simple present tense. Even though it’s simple, it’s important!
In this guide, you’ll learn how to use the simple present tense, how to conjugate it (with charts and examples), and special rules to remember as you learn English.
Table of Contents
What is the simple present tense in English?
The simple present tense is a verb conjugation in English you use to talk about something happening now. There are other verb conjugations for the present, but the simple present tense is the easiest. Look at how it’s different from other verb conjugations that form a verb’s present tense:
- simple present: I live in Georgia.
- continuous present: I am living in Georgia.
- perfect present: I have lived in Georgia.
- perfect continuous present: I have been living in Georgia.
The simple present tense does not use auxiliary verbs like be and have. The other three verb conjugations use the present tense of be or have in addition to another conjugation of the verb live.
What is a verb tense in English?
A verb tense explains when a verb is happening in time: present, past, or future. Additionally, English verb tenses can have one of four forms (or aspects):
- simple
- continuous
- perfect
- perfect continuous
How you conjugate a verb depends on when the action is happening, what form you’re using, and who or what is doing the action.
When do you use simple present tense in English?
You use the simple present tense in four main ways. Each one describes something that is currently true.
First, you use simple present tense when something is true now:
- My friend feels sick.
- You wear a size small.
You also use it when something is always true:
- Her parents speak English.
- The bank closes at 5:00.
If you do something regularly (like every day or every weekend), you also use the simple present tense:
- I brush my teeth every night.
- They play football on Sundays.
The simple present tense is also used in instructions and directions:
- You write your name on the dotted line.
- We turn right on Main Street.
How to conjugate English verbs in the simple present tense
How you change verbs in English into the simple present tense depends on who or what is doing the action. First, figure out which English pronouns the subject uses. For example, if the person doing the action is Joseph, then the pronoun would probably be he. If an object is doing the action, then the pronoun would probably be it.
If the pronoun is I, you, we, or they, then the simple present tense of the verb is usually the base form of the verb. That means you won’t have to change the verb at all!
- I watch TV with my family.
- We watch TV with my family.
- They watch TV with my family.
If the pronoun is he, she, or it, then you have to add a suffix (a special ending). The rules are split into roughly four categories:
- most verbs: Add -s.
- verbs ending in -ch, -s, -sh, -x, or -z: Add -es.
- verbs ending in consonant + -y: Change -y to -ies.
- irregular verbs: be, have, do, go
English verbs that add -s in simple present tense
For most verbs, you only need to add an -s to the end of the base form to conjugate the simple present tense for pronouns he, she, and it.
eat
| Pronoun | Simple Present Tense | Pronunciation | Example |
| I/you/we/they | eat | eet | They eat at noon. |
| he/she/it | eats | eets | She eats at noon. |
read
| Pronoun | Simple Present Tense | Pronunciation | Example |
| I/you/we/they | read | reed | I read every night. |
| he/she/it | reads | reedz | He reads every night. |
wear
| Pronoun | Simple Present Tense | Pronunciation | Example |
| I/you/we/they | wear | wair | You wear a uniform. |
| he/she/it | wears | wairz | She wears a uniform. |
English verbs that add -es in simple present tense
Many English grammar rules about verbs depend on what letter (or letters) the verb ends in. For verbs that end in -ch, -s, -sh, -x, or -z, you add an -es to the end of the verb for pronouns he, she, and it.
teach
| Pronoun | Simple Present Tense | Pronunciation | Example |
| I/you/we/they | teach | teech | We teach math. |
| he/she/it | teaches | TEECH-iz | She teaches math. |
mix
| Pronoun | Simple Present Tense | Pronunciation | Example |
| I/you/we/they | mix | miks | I mix the ingredients. |
| he/she/it | mixes | MIKS-iz | She mixes the ingredients. |
miss
| Pronoun | Simple Present Tense | Pronunciation | Example |
| I/you/we/they | miss | mis | I miss you. |
| he/she/it | misses | MIS-iz | He misses you. |
A few verbs that end in -z add an extra -z before -es. Verbs that end in -z are rare, but the most common example of this exception is the verb quiz.
quiz
| Pronoun | Simple Present Tense | Pronunciation | Example |
| I/you/we/they | quiz | kwiz | I quiz her daily. |
| he/she/it | quizzes | KWIZ-iz | It quizzes her daily. |
English verbs that add -ies in simple present tense
A verb that ends in -y can be tricky. To figure out how to conjugate it for pronouns he, she, and it, you need to look at the letter before the -y at the end. If it’s a vowel (“a,” “e,” “i,” “o,” or “u”), you add -s and leave the -y.
- play → plays
- buy → buys
- obey → obeys
However, if the letter before -y is any other letter (a consonant), then you change the -y to -ies.
study
| Pronoun | Simple Present Tense | Pronunciation | Example |
| I/you/we/they | study | STUHD-ee | You study English. |
| he/she/it | studies | STUHD-eez | She studies English. |
try
| Pronoun | Simple Present Tense | Pronunciation | Example |
| I/you/we/they | try | trahy | I try to work. |
| he/she/it | tries | trahyz | He tries to work. |
English verbs with irregular simple present tense conjugations
There are dozens of irregular verbs in English. Most of them are irregular because they don’t follow normal rules when making other verb conjugations, like simple past and past participle. However, only four verbs are irregular for simple present tense conjugations: be, have, do, and go.
The verb be changes to unique words (am, are, or is) depending on the pronoun. If you need practice, you can use this quiz from IXL Learning to use the correct present tense form of be.
be
| Pronoun | Simple Present Tense | Pronunciation | Example |
| I | am | am | I am a doctor. |
| you/we/they | are | ahr | You are a doctor. |
| he/she/it | is | iz | He is a doctor. |
The verb have stays the same for pronouns I, you, we, and they. It changes to has for he, she, and it.
have
| Pronoun | Simple Present Tense | Pronunciation | Example |
| I/you/we/they | have | hav | They have a newspaper. |
| he/she/it | has | haz | She has a newspaper. |
The verbs go and do follow the same rule. They use the base form for pronouns I, you, we, and they, but you add -es for pronouns he, she, and it.
go
| Pronoun | Simple Present Tense | Pronunciation | Example |
| I/you/we/they | go | goh | They go to college. |
| he/she/it | goes | gohz | She goes to college. |
do
| Pronoun | Simple Present Tense | Pronunciation | Example |
| I/you/we/they | do | doo | You do help a lot. |
| he/she/it | does | duhz | It does help a lot. |
Key takeaways about simple present tense in English
The simple present is the tense with the easiest verb conjugation because most verbs follow simple rules. If you learn English with Rosetta Stone, you’ll practice these conjugations in the first level! Remember these key takeaways as you learn how to use the simple present tense:
- Use the simple present tense for things that are true now, always true, or happen often.
- If the pronoun is I, you, we, or they, the simple present tense is almost always the base form.
- If the pronoun is he, she, or it, the simple present tense adds -s, -es, or -ies to the base form.
- The verbs be, have, go, and do use special rules for simple present tense.
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