Benjamin Ramos Alonso. Present Simple

 Present Simple

EL "SIMPLE PRESENT" SE UTILIZA:

• Para expresar hábitos y rutinas, hechos generales, acciones repetidas o situaciones, emociones y deseos permanentes:
  I smoke (hábito); I work in London (permanencia); London is a large city (hecho general)
• Para dar instrucciones o indicaciones:
  You walk for two hundred meters, then you turn left.
• Para hablar de eventos programados, presentes o futuros:
  Your exam starts at 09.00.
• Para referirse al futuro, detrás de algunas conjunciones: after, when, before, as soon as, until:
  He'll give it to you when you come next Saturday.

The present simple

The present simple is a verb tense equivalent to the present tense of verbs in Spanish: I sing, you sing, he sings, etc.

I live in that house.

(I) I live in that house.

She runs every day.

(She) Run every day.

2. Structure of the present simple 

• The affirmative form
  In affirmative sentences , the same verb form is maintained with all pronouns, except for he, she,and it .

  SUBJECT	VERB	EXAMPLES
  I	work	I work in a factory.(I) I work in a factory.
  You		You work in a factory.(you) You work in a factory.
  I have	works	I have works in a factory.(he) Works in a factory.
  She		She works in a factory.(she) Works in a factory.
  Item		It works.( it ) It works.
  We	work	We work in a factory.(we / as) We work in a factory.
  You		You work in a factory.(you) Work in a factory.
  They		They work in a factory.(they) Work in a factory.

  As we can see, the verb of the third person of the singular ( he / she / it ) is added a -s or -esdepending on its ending:

  

  
  

  
  

  
  
• The negative form
  In the negative sentences we add the auxiliary verb do followed by the particle not between the subject and the main verb , although for he , she and it the form follows followed by the particle not will be used .

  SUBJECT	AUXILIARY	VERB	EXAMPLES
  I	do not  do not	work	I do not work in a factory.(I) I do not work in a factory.
  You			You do not work in a factory.(you) You do not work in a factory.
  I have	does not  does not		He does not work in a factory.(He) Does not work in a factory.
  She			She does not work in a factory.(she) Does not work in a factory.
  Item			It does not work.( it ) It does not work.
  We	do not  do not		We do not work in a factory.(we / as) We do not work in a factory.
  You			You do not work in a factory.(you) Work in a factory.
  They			They do not work in a factory.(they) do not work in a factory.

  Let's notice that the 3rd person of the singular of the negative form does not add any  -s to the end of the verb since it has been added with the form does in the auxiliary. The same happens in the case of interrogatives , as we will see below.

  It is more common to use the contracted form do not and does not that do not and does not.
• The interrogative form
  In the interrogative sentences  the auxiliary verb do or does is placed at the beginning of the sentence  followed by the subject, the main verb and in some cases a complement is added.

  AUXILIARY	SUBJECT	VERB	EXAMPLES
  Do	I	work?	Do I work in a factory?(me) Do I work in a factory?
  	you		Do you work in a factory?(tu) Do you work in a factory?
  Does	I have	work?	Does he work in a factory?(he) Do you work in a factory?
  	she		Does she work in a factory?(she) Do you work in a factory?
  	Item		Does it work ?(it) Does it work ?
  Do	we	work?	Do we work in a factory?(us / as) Do we work in a factory?
  	you		Do you work in a factory?(you / as) Do you work in a factory?
  	they		Do they work in a factory?(they) Do they work in a factory?

  Like the verbs to be and have got , interrogative sentences in present simple also have their own short answers.  

  ADVERB	SUBJECT	AUXILIARY
  And it is,	I	do
  	you
  	I have	does
  	she
  	Item
  	we	do
  	you
  	they

  

  Do you work in a factory? Yes, I do.

  (you) Do you work in a factory? Yes .

  ADVERB	SUBJECT	AUXILIARY
  Do not,	I	no
  	you
  	I have	does not
  	she
  	Item
  	we	no
  	you
  	they

  

  Does he fly  in a plane? No, he does not.

  (he) Flying  on a plane? No .

3. How is the present simple used ?

The present simple is mainly used to express:

• When we talk about habitual or daily actions that happen with a certain periodicity.
  

  I have breakfast every day.

  (I)  Breakfast every day.

  

  She plays tennis on Saturdays.

  (she) Play tennis on Saturdays.
• Affirmations or universal facts .
  

  The sun rises every day.

  The sun rises every day.

  

  Lions live in Africa.

  Lions live in Africa.
• Long-term situations that remain in the present and continue in the future.
  

  I live in Venice.

  (I) I live in Venice.

  

  They love opera.

  (they) They love opera.
• Actions that occur in the future in a known or pre-established schedule . So, we will need an expression of time.
  

  Our AVE  leaves at 10 o'clock.

  Our AVE  departs at 10 o'clock sharp.

  

  The piano lessons  start on Monday.

  Piano lessons  start on Monday.
• Instructions on how to use or carry out something.
  

  First you fold the paper in half.

  First you fold  the paper in half.

  

  You take your cash and then the credit card.

  You take your money and then the credit card.
• In actions that occur while you are speaking.  In these cases the present continuous should be used , but if a verb verb appears , it does not accept the form in gerund (- ing ) . For this reason we will use the present simple .
  

  I do not understand what you are saying.

  I do not understand  what you are saying.

  

  She has a new motorbike.

  He has a new motorcycle.

  The phrasal stative are verbs that do not represent dynamic actions, ie, they are verbs that do not indicate an action or  activity . Next, we show a list of the main static verbs :

  USE	STATIVE VERB	EXAMPLES
  Tastes, preferences and emotions	Like, dislike, prefer, love, hate , etc.	They like going or holiday at Christmas.They like to go on vacation for Christmas.
  Possession or belonging	Have, include, involve , etc.	She does not have a new car.He does not have a new car.
  Weight, measure or characteristics of something	Weigh, measure, contain , etc.	I weigh 1 kilo less than last week.I weigh one kilo less than last week.
  Wish or need	Want, wish, need, etc.	My brother wants to go home because he is tired.My brother wants to go home because he is tired.
  Senses or perception of something	Sound, hear, taste, see, imagine, smell, remember , etc.	I do not remember where I put my keys.I do not remember where I put my keys.
  Opinion, doubt, agreement or disagreement	Understand, think, look , etc.	I do not understand what you are saying.I do not understand what you are saying.

Ejercicios de repaso 

Pon los verbos entre parantesis en la forma correcta del Present Simple, según sean afirmativos, interrogativos o negativos.

A:  you  (live) in Barcelona?
B: No, I  (not live) in Barcelona. I  (live) in Cerdanyola.But my sister (live) there.
A: And  she  (like) it?
B: Yes, she  (love) Barcelona. She  (work) in a bank in the mornings. In the afternoons, she  (play) tennis with her boyfriend or she  (watch) TV at home. In the evenings, she usually  (go) for a walk on the beach or she  (do) her English homework. She  (study) English on Saturdays.
A:  she  (visit) you in Cerdanyola?
B: She  (not come) to Cerdanyola very often. I usually  (visit) her in Barcelona.