Form: Subject + present tense form of the verb

• The birds fly.
• The dogs bark.
• He writes with his left hand.
• John goes to school by bus.

Uses

Habitual actions

The simple present tense is used to talk about a habitual action.

• He goes to school by bus.
• I get up at 6 o’clock.
• He writes with his left hand.

General truths

The simple present tense can be used to talk about general truths.

• Honey is sweet.
• The sun rises in the east.
• Fortune favours the brave.
• Man is mortal.
• Heat expands bodies.

In exclamatory sentences

In exclamatory sentences beginning with here, there and how, the simple present tense is used to express what is actually happening in the present.

• There goes the dinner bell!
• Here comes the bus!
• How fiercely the wind blows!

Planned future events

The simple present tense can be used to talk about future events that are part of a fixed timetable.

• The next flight is at 9 am.
• When does the coffee house reopen?
• We leave for Singapore tomorrow.

Historic present

The simple present tense is sometimes used as a substitute for the simple past tense to make the narrative more vivid and immediate. It is then called the historic present.

• The two boxers sparred for sometime. Suddenly Joe Philips jumps at his opponent with a terrific uppercut and knocks him out for the full count.

Notes

In the simple present tense, when the subject is a singular noun, the verb takes the marking -s.

Compare:

• The boy likes swimming.
• The boys like swimming.

In sentence 1, we add -s to the verb because the subject is singular.

In sentence 2, the subject is a plural noun and therefore it does not take the marking -s.

Related posts:

1. Present Tense
2. Tenses