Where to Use Present Simple Tense
Present simple is used (a) Present Situations, (b) Future Situations, and (c) State verbs (Emotions and wishes)
(a) Present Situations
- Habits and Routine
- General Truth (always true)
- Permanent Situations
- Short Actions Now
- To give instructions or orders
(b) Future Situations
- To express (present and) future fixed timetable
- To express future time, after some conjunctions
(c) With State verbs (Emotions and wishes)
With Examples:
(a) Present Situations
- Habits and Routine
He smokes. (Habit)
I play tennis every Saturday. (Habit)
I go to school by bus. (Routine work)
The firm publishes its company magazine every month. (Routine work)
- General Truth (always true)
Water boils at 100-degree centigrade.
People need food.
Two and two make four.
- Permanent Situations
He lives in Bhubaneswar.
My Father is an Engineer.
I don’t like mushrooms.
- Short Actions Now
He takes the ball and scores a goal.
He hits a six.
- To give instructions or orders, requests, etc.
Close the door.
Give me a glass of water.
(b) Future Situations
- To express (present and) future fixed timetable
The train leaves at 9.05 am.
My father returns at 5.15 pm.
Our holidays start on 15 October.
- To express future time, after some conjunctions (To express future time, after some conjunctions: after, when, before, as soon as, until.)
He’ll give it to you when you come next Saturday.
She’ll see you before she leaves.
We’ll give it to her when she arrives.
(c) With State verbs (Emotions and wishes)
Before this, you have to understand what state verbs are.
Verbs are of two types: Activity Verbs and State Verbs
Activity Verbs are those which we do physically.
Example: I am drinking a glass of water. He is coming.
State Verbs are those which we do not do physically and do mentally or emotionally.
Example: I want ice cream.
Present simple tense: states with state verbs
wants & likes: like, dislike, love, hate, prefer, need, want, wish
thought & opinion: think remember, forget, know, believe, imagine
senses: see, hear, smell, taste, feel
appearance: seem, look, look like, appear, resemble, sound
possession & relation: have, own, belong, possess
other state verbs: cost, depend, include, involve, contain, lack