The Conjugation of the Present Tense in English: Charts, Examples, and Exercises

In English, the present simple tense is used to express habits, general truths, feelings, or preferences. To conjugate it, we generally use the base form of the verb. However, for the third-person singular (he, she, it), we add the ending -S.

Example: I read every night before I go to sleep.

How to Conjugate the Present Simple in English

Conjugating the present simple in English is straightforward: just keep the base form of the verb (also known as the infinitive or root form) and add an -s for the third-person singular. Be mindful of certain verbs that require -es or -ies endings for spelling reasons.

Example conjugation table:

When do we add an -s to a verb in English?

In the present simple tense, we add an S to the end of the verb only when using the third-person singular: he, she, or it.

Present Simple Endings: Special Cases

Several types of verbs have specific ending rules:

• to be or to have
• to go or to do
• verbs ending in -Y
• verbs ending in -X, two -S, -SH, or -CH
  

Conjugation of to be and to have in the present simple

Unlike other verbs, the infinitive of to be is never used in the present simple. The verb to have is normally conjugated, but for the third-person singular, you must remove the -ve ending and replace it with -s.

Please note: Mastering the conjugation of be and have in the present simple is crucial because these two verbs are used as auxiliary verbs to form other tenses!

The verbs to go and to do

The verbs to go and to do have a special rule: they end with -es in the third-person singular.

Verbs ending with Y and preceded by a consonant

Verbs whose last letter is a Y, preceded by a consonant, end in -ies in the third person singular.

Note: Verbs that end with a Y but have a vowel before it are conjugated normally, adding -s for the third-person singular. For example: buy becomes buys.

Verbs ending with X, two S, -SH and -CH

Verbs that end with an X, double S, -SH, or -CH are conjugated like other verbs, but for the third-person singular, you add an E before the final S, that is -ES.

When do we use the present simple in English?

The present simple is mainly used in five situations:

1. To describe a habit
2. To state facts: Example: The sun rises in the east.
3. To express likes or dislikes
4. To give instructions
5. In newspaper headlines

15 examples of sentences in the present simple in English

Present Simple Tense Markers

The present simple tense is often used with adverbs of frequency, also known as time markers. These adverbs help indicate how often an action occurs.

Some Verbs to Express Preferences

Here are four English verbs that are commonly used to express likes, dislikes, and preferences in the present simple tense:

How to make a sentence in English in the present simple

To form an affirmative sentence in the present simple, the verb stands alone without the need for an auxiliary verb. However, in negative and interrogative sentences, you need to use the auxiliary verb do, sometimes combined with not.

How to form an affirmative sentence in the simple present in English 

The structure of an affirmative sentence in the present simple is as follows: subject + verb + complement. Example: I like chocolate.

Examples :

How to make a negative sentence in the simple present tense in English

To form a negative sentence, the word order is as follows: subject + auxiliary do + not + verb + complement of the sentence. The negative form in the simple present can also be contracted: do not becomes don’t, does not becomes doesn’t.

Examples:

How to make an interrogative sentence in the simple present tense in English

To ask a question in the present simple, the structure is: auxiliary do + subject + verb + complement of the sentence. When it is the verb to be or a modal verb, simply invert the subject and the verb. It is also possible to add a question word at the beginning of the sentence.

Examples with the auxiliary do:

Examples with the verb to be or modal verbs:

Present simple, present continuous, present perfect: What are the differences?

In English, the present tense can be expressed in three main forms: simple, continuous, and perfect.

1. When it is simple, the verb is used alone or with the auxiliary do to form interrogative and negative sentences
2. When it is continuous, the verb is used with the construction be + verb with -ING to describe an action in progress.
3. When it is perfect, it is used with the auxiliary have to describe a past action with relevance to the present.

When to use the present continuous in English

The present continuous is used to describe an action happening right now or something that is ongoing but temporary.

When to use the present perfect in English

The present perfect is a compound tense used to describe an action that occurred in the past but has a connection to the present, either because it’s still happening or because it has an impact on the present.

Exercises on Present Simple Conjugation

It’s time to practice! To test your knowledge further, visit our dedicated page for exercises on the present simple.

Exercise 1: Put these 10 sentences into the present simple in English

1. Andrew’s girlfriend (ARRIVE) tomorrow evening.
2. Christopher’s training (START) at four o’clock.
3. In September, it (RAIN) every day.
4. Jupiter and Saturn (ROTATE) around the Sun.
5. My children (TAKE) the bus every morning.
6. My monkey only (EAT) fruits.
7. (OPEN) the fridge and (SEE) if there is anything you like.
8. She (DRINK) coffee at breakfast.
9. Their holiday (START) on the 15th July.
10. They (DRIVE) to Spain every winter.

Exercise 2: Fill in the blanks with the correct (auxiliary, modal, or main) verb

1. ____ you angry with me?
2. I ____ take drugs (negative form).
3. His/Her grandmother ____ Russian.
4. ____ you need a hand?
5. He ____ care about my needs (negative form).
6. Janice and Douglas ____ TV every day.
7. ____ he have brown hair?
8. We ____ want to go home (negative form).
9. Tony ____ football every Wednesday.
10. Water ____ at zero degrees.