Verbs: simple tense

Many courses or textbooks on English group verbs by time: past, present and future. I don’t like that approach. Verbs are easier to learn when grouped by type.

Why? The reason verb tenses are put in the same group (by name), is because they are almost the same. Both functionally ( = what they do) and syntactically ( = how to write them).

Each of the next chapters will, therefore, explain one group of verb tenses with the same name.

• Simple
• Continuous
• Perfect
• Conditional
• Gerund & Participle
• Infinitive
• (Passive Voice)

Within most groups exist three variants. One for for each timing: present, past and future.

This first chapter is about the one you already know: simple present. It’s part of the simple tenses. The chapters after it follow the same structure: introduce a tense, then give the three variants for it.

Simple tense is for starting actions. (Which could also mean a general truth or habit you’ll likely start or have started.)

Why “simple”?

It’s called that way because it is the simplest of them all when it comes to grammar.

When it comes to meaning, though, there are some caveats. Every tense in English has some specific differences that you should know and understand. It’s easy to write a sentence that sounds right, but is actually the wrong tense for what you’re trying to do.

Simple tenses describe general or repeatable truths. Like appointments, repeated actions/habits, instructions, etcetera.

The simple tense does not describe actions while they are happening. The “continuous” tense does that, as the name implies.

About sentences and time

The time of a sentence is really important. That’s why verbs have so many variations: to convey all different ways an action can happen over time.

At the same time, we only have two ways to indicate time: verb and time nouns.

When choosing the right tense for your sentence, you need to ask yourself: “in what time is this sentence situated?”

For example, if a sentence starts with “Yesterday”, now the whole sentence happens at that point in time. The reader knows: “everything in this sentence is in the past, and takes place yesterday”

Try to view tenses this way. It’s not about modifying only a verb. It’s about the time of the whole sentence. The verbs and nouns should match each other with their timing.

Keep this in mind. It will help solve many issues.

Simple Present

You’ve already learned how to construct the simple present. Use the verb stem (infinitive without to) for everyone. For third person singular, add an "-s" (like making nouns plural).

It’s used for:

• General truths: unchanging situations, emotions, or wishes
• Giving instructions or directions
• Repeatable truths: habits and repeated actions
• Expressing fixed arrangements/appointments in the present or future.
• Expressing a future time. (Only after specific words: after, before, as soon as, until, when.)

Simple Past

For this, we need to change the verb stem to its “past” form.

• Add "-ed" to the end
• If the verb already ends in "-e", only add a "-d"

It’s used for:

• Something that happened frequently in the past. (She often walked home alone.)
• A definite point in time. (They made the arrangements last week)
• An indefinite point in time. (We decided against it long ago)

The “point in time” is important. Even when indefinite, the sentence still happens at a fixed point in time. “We decided against it long ago”, means the whole sentence is put into the time period of “long ago”.

This is different than a sentence with no time indication at all. (“We have decided against it”: the decision has already been made in the past, but when? Never said. That’s a different tense.)

Remember the chapter about modal verbs and contractions! If a modal verb is present, you should put the modal verb into its past form, but the main verb stays normal.

Irregular verbs

Earlier, you learned how to write auxiliary verbs in the past. And they didn’t follow the rule above. They were different all the time.

This is called an “irregular verb”. It doesn’t follow the regular rules. Almost every language has them.

Why? These are some of the earliest verbs. Used in almost every sentence, used for very common day-to-day tasks and expressions. Their tenses evolved before regular grammar rules.

This irregularity only happens for the past. Because that is the tense where the verb is actually modified (by placing that -ed after it). Many other tenses use those auxiliary verbs, which means the main verb needs no changing.

You’ll learn these by reading English a lot. Below are common ones:

In general, they are shorter than regular past verbs. They usually only change one vowel in the verb, or switch two letters around.

Simple Future

In the simple future, the verb stays in regular form for all people. Instead, place the auxiliary verb will before it.

It’s used to:

• Predict a future event.
• Express a spontaneous decision. (I will become a programmer!)
• Express willingness. (Or unwillingness, when negated.)
• Give orders, when addressing someone or a group directly (with you).
• Give an invitation, with you in interrogative form ( = a question).
• Make an offer, suggest something or ask for advice/instructions. (It’s preferred to use shall then: Shall I buy a rose for you?)

The future usage is easy to understand. But why the other uses? Why is this used to “give orders”? It is, again, a bit of passive-agressive English language.

By saying “you will go home now and grab your jacket”, you are saying:

• I am so certain you follow my commands
• That this will indeed happen in the near future

There’s an undertone of “don’t you dare make my future prediction wrong; so obey me”

You should view this tense in that light. Same for the spontaneous decision: you feel good and confident that this statement will become true in the future. That’s when you use this tense. (I will start eating better and lose weight!)

Questions

When asking questions, you’ll use the simple tense most of the time.

Why? Let’s say someone is doing something right now. You can see that happening. It is right in front of you, in the present. Why would you need to ask a question about it?

Questions are likely not about that, but about those general truths, concepts or habits. Hence, the simple tense is used.