Simple and Continuous: Form
Now that we know how to form the simple present tense and present continuous tense in the affirmative, negative, and interrogative, let's look at how they are different from each other when using them in sentences.
Present Tense Form: Simple and Continuous Aspects
In this part of Unit 1, we look at how we form and use the present. The simple present tense is one of the most common tenses in English. Keeping in mind parts of speech, sentence structure, and verb mood can help you form and use tenses correctly. We discuss how other parts of speech (pronouns and adverbs) are used to use the present correctly in our sentences. We look at the relationship between pronouns/adverbs and verbs in sentences for two main reasons:
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by identifying the subject pronoun, you'll better understand how to form the verb correctly;
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by using the right adverbs for each aspect, you'll better understand how to use the verb correctly.
Forming the Simple Present Tense
You remember from ESL001 that each sentence in English has a subject and predicate. The subject is usually a noun or noun phrase. This can be replaced by a pronoun: my sister → she; Adam and Maria → they; the cute cat → it; my brother and I → we. Therefore, subject pronouns are commonly used when conjugating verbs or changing their form.
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Simple Present Tense - Affirmative
There are only two basic conjugations for the simple present tense: one ends with -s and the other doesn't. The basic pattern is Subject + verb(-s/-es). Here are the rules with examples using the verb "sing".
|
Subject |
Verb Conjugation/Form |
Sentence Examples |
|
I (first person singular) |
verb |
I never sing alone. |
|
you (second person singular) |
verb |
You sometimes sing in the shower. |
|
he/she/it (third person singular) |
verb+ -s (or -es) |
He rarely sings sad songs. She always sings in Spanish. It never sings anything. |
|
we (first person plural) |
verb |
We often sing together. |
|
you (second person plural) |
verb |
You usually sing duets. |
|
they (third person plural) |
verb |
They seldom sing at home. |
The video below provides examples of when to add -es or -ies to verbs. It also shows how to conjugate irregular verbs "be" and "have" in the present simple.
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Simple Present Tense - Negative
The helping verb "do" is needed to form negative statements in the present simple. It's very important to note that the verb no longer ends with -s in the negative. The basic pattern is Subject + do/does + not + verb. Here are the rules with examples using the verb "cook".
|
Subject |
Verb Conjugation/Form |
Sentence Examples |
|
I (first person singular) |
helping verb (DO) + not + verb |
I do not cook alone. |
|
you (second person singular) |
helping verb (DO) + not + verb |
You do not cook in the bedroom. |
|
he/she/it (third person singular) |
helping verb (DOES) + not + verb |
He does not cook spaghetti. She does not cook soups. It does not cook anything. |
|
we (first person plural) |
helping verb (DO) + not + verb |
We do not cook together. |
|
you (second person plural) |
helping verb (DO) + not + verb |
You do not cook in restaurants. |
|
they (third person plural) |
helping verb (DO) + not + verb |
They do not cook expensive meals. |
The video below explains how to form negative sentences in the present simple.
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Simple Present Tense - Interrogative
The helping verb "do" is also needed to form questions in the present simple. It's very important to note that the helping verb changes places with the subject. Also, the main verb no longer ends with -s in the interrogative. The basic pattern is Do/Does + subject + verb?. Here are the rules with examples using the verb "read".
|
Helping Verb |
Subject |
Verb Conjugation/Form |
Sentence Examples |
|
DO |
I (first person singular) |
verb |
Do I read alone? |
|
DO |
you (second person singular) |
verb |
Do you read at school? |
|
DOES |
he/she/it (third person singular) |
verb |
Does he read on Saturdays? Does she read at home? Does it read? |
|
DO |
we (first person plural) |
verb |
Do we read poems? |
|
DO |
you (second person plural) |
verb |
Do you read novels? |
|
DO |
they (third person plural) |
verb |
Do they read the newspaper? |
The video below explains how to form interrogative sentences in the present simple.
Forming the Present Continuous Tense
Next, let's see how we form the present continuous tense. We are going to use subject pronouns again to learn how to conjugate verbs in the present continuous tense.
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Present Continuous Tense - Affirmative
The helping verb "be" is needed to form the present continuous tense. This is different from the simple present where the helping verb "do" was needed only to form the negative and interrogative. Also different is that the main verb always ends in -ing. The basic pattern is Subject + am/is/are + verb-ing. Here are the rules with examples using the verb "sing".
|
Subject |
Verb Conjugation/Form |
Sentence Examples |
|
I (first person singular) |
helping verb (AM) +verb-ing |
I am singing alone right now. |
|
you (second person singular) |
helping verb (ARE) +verb-ing |
You are singing in the shower at the moment. |
|
he/she/it (third person singular) |
helping verb (IS) +verb-ing |
He is singing sad songs today. She is singing in Spanish tonight. It is singing something now. |
|
we (first person plural) |
helping verb (ARE) +verb-ing |
We are singing together right now. |
|
you (second person plural) |
helping verb (ARE) +verb-ing |
You are singing a duet at the moment. |
|
they (third person plural) |
helping verb (ARE) +verb-ing |
They are currently singing at home. |
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Present Continuous Tense - Negative
The helping verb "be" is needed to form negative statements in the present continuous. It's very important to note that the verb still ends with -ing in the negative. The basic pattern is Subject + am/is/are + not+ verb-ing. Here are the rules with examples using the verb "cook".
|
Subject |
Verb Conjugation/Form |
Sentence Examples |
|
I (first person singular) |
helping verb (AM) + not + verb-ing |
I am not cooking alone right now. |
|
you (second person singular) |
helping verb (ARE) + not + verb-ing |
You are not cooking outdoors tonight. |
|
he/she/it (third person singular) |
helping verb (IS) + not + verb-ing |
He is not cooking spaghetti today. She is not cooking soup now. It is not cooking anything. |
|
we (first person plural) |
helping verb (ARE) + not + verb-ing |
We are not cooking together at the moment. |
|
you (second person plural) |
helping verb (ARE) + not + verb-ing |
You are not currently cooking in restaurants. |
|
they (third person plural) |
helping verb (ARE) + not + verb-ing |
They are not cooking an expensive meal now. |
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Present Continuous Tense - Interrogative
The helping verb "be" is needed to form questions in the present continuous. It's very important to note that the verb still ends with -ing in the interrogative. The basic pattern is Am/Is/Are + Subject + verb-ing. Here are the rules with examples using the verb "read".
|
Helping Verb |
Subject |
Verb Conjugation/Form |
Sentence Examples |
|
AM |
I (first person singular) |
verb-ing |
Am I reading alone at the moment? |
|
ARE |
you (second person singular) |
verb-ing |
Are you reading a book now? |
|
IS |
he/she/it (third person singular) |
verb-ing |
Is he reading at home today? Is she reading a novel right now? Is it reading something? |
|
ARE |
we (first person plural) |
verb-ing |
Are we reading poems tonight? |
|
ARE |
you (second person plural) |
verb-ing |
Are you reading right now? |
|
ARE |
they (third person plural) |
verb-ing |
Are they reading the newspaper now? |
The video below provides an explanation of present continuous tense conjugation.
Now that we know how to form the present simple and continuous in the affirmative, negative, and interrogative, let's look at when to use them correctly in sentences.
Source: Saylor Academy; videos by ITTT International
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.