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00:01Welcome to our English Grammar series. In this lesson, we are going to learn about the present simple tense.
00:07This is one of the most important tenses in the English language.
00:11We will cover two main uses of the present simple.
00:14First, we will learn how to use it for habitual and repeated actions.
00:19Second, we will learn how to use it with stative verbs for actions happening right now.
00:23Along the way, we will practice all four sentence forms, that is, positive, negative, positive questions, and negative questions.
00:32So, let us get started.
00:34So, what is the present simple tense?
00:36We use the present simple when an action is repeated, usual, or general.
00:40The action can be a habit, a hobby, a daily event, or a scheduled event.
00:46There are two main uses of this tense.
00:48Use number one is for habitual or repeated actions.
00:52This includes daily routines and habits, regular schedules, and general facts and truths.
00:58Use number two is for actions happening right now, but only with stative verbs.
01:03Stative verbs are verbs that describe a state, not an action.
01:08Examples include feelings like love and hate, mental states like know and believe, and senses like see, hear, and smell.
01:15We will explore both of these uses in detail throughout this lesson.
01:19Let us now look at the structure of the present simple tense.
01:23The basic formula is subject plus verb in its base form plus object.
01:29For example, I drink coffee.
01:31Here, I is the subject, drink is the verb in base form, and coffee is the object.
01:37Now, here is a very important rule to remember.
01:41For third person singular subjects, that is, he, she, or it, we need to add S, E, S, or I,
01:48E, S to the verb.
01:50So, instead of saying, he drink coffee, we say, he drinks coffee, with an S at the end of the
01:56verb.
01:57This rule applies only to third person singular subjects.
02:00For I, you, we, and they, we use the base form of the verb without any changes.
02:05Now, let us talk about signal words.
02:08Signal words, also called clue words, help us identify when to use the present simple tense.
02:14The first group of signal words is adverbs of frequency.
02:18These adverbs tell us how often an action happens.
02:21At the top, we have always, which means 100% of the time.
02:26Then we have usually, at about 85%.
02:28Next comes frequently, at about 70%.
02:32Often is at about 60%, sometimes is at about 50%, occasionally is at about 30%, rarely or seldom is at
02:40about 15%, and at the bottom we have never, which means 0% of the time.
02:45One important thing to remember is that adverbs of frequency usually go before the main verb in a sentence.
02:52The second group of signal words is time expressions.
02:55Time expressions are made up of two or more words and they indicate regular schedules.
03:01Here are some common examples.
03:03Every day, every morning, every Sunday, every weekend.
03:07Once a day, twice a day, once a week, once a month.
03:11On Sundays, on weekdays, on weekends, at night.
03:15One hour a day, five days a week, every other day.
03:19Now there is an important placement rule to remember.
03:22Time expressions are placed either at the beginning or the end of a sentence.
03:26And in questions, they are usually placed at the end.
03:29Let us now look at positive sentences, starting with the subjects I and you.
03:34With the subject I, here are some examples.
03:37I usually wake up at 6 o'clock.
03:40I brush my teeth twice a day.
03:42I always wash my hands before eating.
03:44I eat chapati for dinner every day.
03:46I never drink coffee at breakfast.
03:49I go out with my friends on weekends.
03:51I work as a teacher at a private school.
03:53I sometimes have lunch at restaurants.
03:56Now with the subject you, we have examples like, you brush your teeth twice a day.
04:00You always wash your hands before eating.
04:03You go out with your friends on weekends.
04:05Notice that for both I and you, the verb stays in its base form.
04:09There is no change to the verb.
04:11Now let us look at positive sentences with the third person singular subjects.
04:15He, she and it.
04:16Remember the important rule.
04:18We must add S, E, S or I, E, S to the verb for these subjects.
04:23With he, here are some examples.
04:25He usually wakes up at 6 o'clock.
04:28Notice the S at the end of wake.
04:30He brushes his teeth twice a day.
04:33Here brush becomes brushes with E, S.
04:35He always washes his hands before eating.
04:38Wash becomes washes.
04:39He eats chapati for dinner every day.
04:42He never drinks coffee at breakfast.
04:44He goes out with his friends on weekends.
04:46He works as a teacher at a private school.
04:49With she, the same rule applies.
04:51She usually wakes up at 6 o'clock.
04:53She brushes her teeth twice a day.
04:56She does her housework every morning.
04:58Notice that do becomes does for the third person.
05:01She rarely checks her email on hotmail.
05:04Now let us look at positive sentences with we, they and it.
05:09With we, we use the base form of the verb just like with I and you.
05:14For example, we usually wake up at 6 o'clock.
05:19We brush our teeth twice a day.
05:22We eat chapati for dinner every day.
05:25We never drink coffee at breakfast.
05:28We work as teachers at a private school.
05:31With they, the same pattern continues.
05:34They usually wake up at 6 o'clock.
05:36They brush their teeth twice a day.
05:38They never drink coffee at breakfast.
05:41They go out with their friends on weekends.
05:43Now with it, remember that it is a third person singular subject.
05:49So we need to add s or e-s to the verb.
05:53It usually wakes up at 6 o'clock.
05:55It eats chapati for dinner every day.
05:58It goes to the park every Sunday.
06:00It comes back home by 6 o'clock.
06:03Now let us move to negative sentences.
06:05To make a negative sentence in the present simple,
06:08we use do not or its short form don't for the subjects I, you, we, and they.
06:14For the subjects he, she, and it, we use does not or its short form doesn't.
06:20An important point to remember is that when we use doesn't,
06:24the verb goes back to its base form.
06:26We do not add s or e-s to the verb after doesn't.
06:30For example, with don't, we say,
06:33I don't usually wake up at 6 o'clock.
06:36I don't eat chapati for dinner every day.
06:38You don't always wash your hands before eating.
06:42We don't drink coffee at breakfast.
06:44They don't play tennis 5 days a week.
06:46With doesn't, we say,
06:48he doesn't usually wake up at 6 o'clock.
06:50Notice we say wake, not weeks.
06:53She doesn't drink coffee at breakfast.
06:55It doesn't go to the park on weekdays.
06:57Now let us learn how to form positive questions,
06:59also known as yes or no questions.
07:01To form a question, we put do or does at the beginning.
07:04For the subjects I, you, we and they, we use do.
07:08For he, she and it, we use does.
07:11After do or does, we use the base form of the verb,
07:14without any s or e-s.
07:15Here are some examples with do.
07:17Do you usually wake up at 6 o'clock?
07:20Do you brush your teeth twice a day?
07:22Do you eat chapati for dinner every day?
07:25Do they play tennis 5 days a week?
07:27And here are examples with does.
07:29Does he usually wake up at 6 o'clock?
07:32Does she brush her teeth twice a day?
07:34Does he eat chapati for dinner every day?
07:37Does it go to the park on weekdays?
07:39To answer these questions, we say yes or no,
07:42followed by the complete sentence.
07:44For example, do you drink coffee?
07:46Yes, I drink coffee.
07:48Or, no, I don't drink coffee, but I drink tea.
07:51Next, let us look at negative questions.
07:54Negative questions start with don't or doesn't,
07:57followed by the subject,
07:58and then the base form of the verb.
08:01We use don't for I, you, we, and they.
08:05And we use doesn't for he, she, and it.
08:08Here are some examples with don't.
08:10Don't you usually wake up at 6 o'clock?
08:13Don't you brush your teeth twice a day?
08:15Don't you eat chapati for dinner every day?
08:18Don't they play tennis 5 days a week?
08:21And with,
08:22doesn't he usually wake up at 6 o'clock?
08:25Doesn't she brush her teeth twice a day?
08:28Doesn't he eat chapati for dinner every day?
08:31Doesn't it go to the park on weekdays?
08:34Now, answering negative questions can be a bit confusing.
08:38For example,
08:39doesn't he drink coffee?
08:41If the answer is that he does not drink coffee,
08:44we say yes, he doesn't drink coffee.
08:45If he does drink coffee, we say no, he drinks coffee.
08:48Now, let us explore WH questions.
08:50WH questions start with question words like
08:53what, when, where, who, which, why, and how.
08:57We ask WH questions when we want specific information,
09:01not just a yes or no answer.
09:03Here are examples for each question word.
09:05With what,
09:06what do you do for fun in your free time?
09:09With where,
09:10where do your parents live?
09:12With when,
09:12when do you go to the vegetable market?
09:14With which,
09:15which newspaper do you usually read?
09:17With would,
09:18who do you talk to on the phone every day?
09:20With why,
09:21why do you eat a lot of junk food?
09:23With how often,
09:24how often do you go to the cinema?
09:26With how many,
09:27how many hours do you sleep at night?
09:29There is also a special case with who.
09:32When who is used without a subject,
09:34the verb takes the third person's singular form.
09:37For example,
09:38who lives in the White House?
09:40Who speaks English very well here?
09:42Here are some commonly used sentences in daily life
09:45that use the present simple tense.
09:47Let me read a few of them.
09:49I clean my room every morning.
09:51I get ready for college by 8 o'clock.
09:54I meet my friends at a coffee shop.
09:57I usually stay at home on Sundays.
10:00I read an English newspaper every day.
10:03I talk to my parents on the phone at night.
10:05I ride my bicycle to school every day.
10:09I get a haircut once a month.
10:11I pay my electricity bill online every month.
10:15I teach English at a school in Chennai.
10:17I do my homework in the evenings.
10:20I cook chicken on Sundays and Tuesdays.
10:23I go shopping with my friends on Sundays.
10:26I usually go for a walk after dinner.
10:29I visit my parents once every two weeks.
10:33I practice English speaking at home.
10:36Now here is a good practice exercise for you.
10:39Try using these same sentences with different subjects
10:43like he, she, we and they.
10:46Also try converting them into negative and question forms.
10:49We also use the present simple tense for general facts,
10:53universal truths, and scheduled events.
10:56Let us first look at some general facts and truths.
10:59The earth revolves around the sun.
11:01The sun always rises in the east.
11:03The moon goes around the earth.
11:05Water freezes at minus 4 degrees Celsius.
11:08Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
11:10Dogs and cats hate each other.
11:12Snakes don't eat dead animals.
11:14It snows a lot in London.
11:16Now let us look at scheduled events.
11:18The plane arrives at 5.30 this evening.
11:21The train departs at 10 o'clock tonight.
11:24Shatabdi Express departs at 6 p.m. daily.
11:26The bus to Chennai leaves in 15 minutes.
11:29The restaurant opens at 11 o'clock daily.
11:31The store opens at 9 tomorrow morning.
11:33The class ends at 12.30 p.m. every day.
11:36The cricket match begins at 2 p.m.
11:38So remember, the present simple is also used for scientific facts,
11:41universal truths, and fixed timetables or schedules.
11:45Now let us move to the second use of the present simple tense,
11:49which is with stative verbs.
11:51First, let us understand the difference between stative verbs and dynamic verbs.
11:56Stative verbs, also called state verbs, describe a state, not an action.
12:02These verbs cannot be used in continuous or progressive forms.
12:06Examples include like, want, and know.
12:09Dynamic verbs, also called action verbs, describe activities or events,
12:15which can begin and finish.
12:17Examples include eat, drink, and talk.
12:21Stative verbs can be grouped into different categories.
12:24Emotions include like, love, hate, adore, dislike, enjoy, and prefer.
12:32Mental verbs include know, believe, think, understand, remember, forget, and doubt.
12:39Needs include want, need, and promise.
12:43Senses include see, hear, smell, and feel.
12:47And possession verbs include, belong, own, owe, way, and cost.
12:55Let us now look at some example sentences with stative verbs.
12:59Starting with emotions and needs.
13:01I like chocolates very much.
13:03I love the way you teach English.
13:05I like to play cricket with my friends.
13:08I enjoy watching movies.
13:09I dislike politics.
13:11I want some coffee now.
13:13I want to eat biryani tonight.
13:14I need some money now.
13:16I know how to cook chicken.
13:18I understand your feelings.
13:20I remember your birthday.
13:21I prefer tea to coffee.
13:23Now, senses, beliefs, and other stative verbs.
13:27I think that he is honest.
13:29I believe in God.
13:30I believe that you are not guilty.
13:32I always doubt my boyfriend.
13:34I agree with your opinion.
13:36I still depend on my parents.
13:38I feel lonely today.
13:40I hear your voice clearly now.
13:42I see a bird sitting on the building.
13:44I smell something burning here.
13:46I weigh 70 kilograms.
13:48I owe you 500 rupees.
13:50Notice that all these sentences describe a state, not an ongoing action.
13:55Let us now summarize all four forms of the present simple tense in a clear table.
13:59For the positive form with I, you, we, or they, we say I like tea.
14:03With he, she, or it, we say he likes tea with an S.
14:07For the negative form with I, you, we, or they, we say I don't like tea.
14:12With he, she, or it, we say he doesn't like tea.
14:15Notice the verb goes back to the base form.
14:18For positive questions we say, do you like tea, or does he like tea?
14:23For negative questions we say, don't you like tea, or doesn't he like tea?
14:28We can also form WH questions with stative verbs.
14:31For example, what do you want to eat now?
14:34What does he want to eat now?
14:35What kind of music do you like?
14:37What kind of music does she like?
14:39Where do you like to live?
14:41Where does your brother like to live?
14:43Who do you like the most in your family?
14:46Here are some miscellaneous sentences with stative verbs.
14:49In the statement section, we have examples like,
14:52That house belongs to my friend.
14:54This bread contains egg.
14:56The black shirt fits me well.
14:58This tastes delicious.
15:00This smells like perfume.
15:02It costs $50 to stay here per day.
15:05You look very happy.
15:06He seems happy.
15:08For yes or no questions we can ask,
15:10Does that house belong to your friend?
15:12Does this bread contain egg and milk?
15:14Does it cost $50 to stay here per day?
15:17And for WH questions,
15:19Who does that house belong to?
15:21How does this biryani taste?
15:22How much does it cost to stay here?
15:25Now, let us remember the key takeaways.
15:27First, stative verbs describe states, not actions.
15:31And they use the present simple even for things happening right now.
15:35Second, they follow the same four forms.
15:38Positive, negative, positive question, and negative question.
15:42Third, the third person singular still requires S, E, S, or I, E, S.
15:48For example, belongs, costs, and seems.
15:52Let us now summarize everything we have learned in this lesson about the present simple tense.
15:56We cover two main uses.
15:59Use number one is for habitual and repeated actions, daily routines, and general facts.
16:04Use number two is for stative verbs, which describe states happening right now.
16:09We learn how to form positive sentences, subject plus verb in base form.
16:14Remember to add S, E, S, or I, E, S for he, she, and it.
16:18We learn negative sentences using don't and doesn't before the base form of the verb.
16:23We learn how to ask questions using do and does at the beginning and don't and doesn't for negative questions.
16:30And we learned about signal words like always, usually, sometimes, every day, and once a week.
16:36Remember, practice makes perfect.
16:39I encourage you to practice all four forms with different subjects and verbs in your daily conversations.
16:45Thank you for watching and I will see you in the next lesson.
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