English tenses › Present Simple
Present Simple
Present Simple is the tense for facts, habits and things that are always or usually true.
Form
When to use it
Habits and routines
Things that happen regularly.
I drink coffee every morning.
Facts and general truths
Things that are true in general.
Water boils at 100 degrees.
Timetables
Schedules, even when they are in the future.
The train leaves at 6:15 tomorrow.
States
Verbs like know, like, want, believe, mean.
I don’t understand what he means.
Time words
always, usually, often, sometimes, never, every day, on Mondays, once a week
Examples
- She works from home on Fridays.
- How often do you go to the gym?
- He doesn’t eat meat.
- The shop opens at nine.
- My brother lives in Toronto.
- What does this word mean?
Common mistake
She work in a bank.
She works in a bank.
With he, she and it, add -s (or -es) to the verb.
Present Simple or Present Continuous?
Present Simple is for what happens usually; Present Continuous is for what is happening now: I work in an office, but today I’m working from home. More about Present Continuous.
Hear it in videos
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