Present Tense

CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENT TENSE

Do you know present tense? Try to find simple present tense

sentence in the short dialogue below.

Tono : My math teacher is crazy.

Father : Why?
Tono : Yesterday she told us that
five is 4+1; today she is telling us that
five is 3 + 2.
Father : !??

How many present tense sentences do you find from the short
conversation above?

Simple Present Tense

Present Tense is a grammatical tense whose principal function is to
locate a situation or event in present time. The simple present
tense in English is used to describe an action that is regular, true or
normal.

How to Form the Simple Present Tense?1

In nominal sentence, simple present tense use to be is, am, and are
as predicate. While in a verbal sentence, the predicate is verb-one
(V1). To see the different use of predicate, see the table below.
My father do not go to the farm.
My father is not go to the farm.
My father does not go to the farm.

Is your brother sick?

Does your brother sick?

1
http://www.ef.com/english-resources/english-grammar/simple-present-
tense/
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 Present Tense

Affirmative Negative Interrogative

I obey my parent. I do not obey my parent. Do I obey my parent?

I am a humble person. I am not a humble person. Am I a humble
person?

You obey your parent You do not obey your Do you obey your
You are a humble parent parent?
person. You are not a humble Are you a humble
person. person?

Jono obeys his Jono does not obey his Does Jono obey his
parent. parent. parent?
Jono is a humble Jono is not a humble Is Jono a humble
person. person. person?

Putri obeys her Putri does not obey her Does Putri obey her
parent. parent. parent?
Putri is a humble Putri is not a humble Is Putri a humble
person. person. person?

It inspires people. It does not inspire people. Does it inspire

It is true. It is not true. people?
Is it true?

We keep cleanliness. We do not keep Do we keep

We are happy every cleanliness. cleanliness?
day. We are not happy every Are we happy every
day. day?

They donate some They do not donate some Do they donate some
money. money. money?
They are charitable. They are not charitable. Are they charitable?

Short Answers with Do and Does

In questions that use do/does it is possible to give short answers to
direct questions as follows:

Sample Questions Short Answer Short Answer

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 Present Tense

(Affirmative) (Negative)
Do you like chocolate? Yes, I do. No, I don't.
Do I need a pencil? Yes, you do. No, you don't.
Do you both like chocolate? Yes, we do. No, we don't.
Do they like chocolate? Yes, they do. No, they don't.
Does he like chocolate? Yes, he does. No, he doesn't.
Does she like chocolate? Yes, she does. No, she doesn't.
Does it have four wheels? Yes, it does. No, it doesn't.

Notes on the Simple Present, third Person Singular

▪ In the third person singular the verb always ends in -s:

he wants, she needs, he gives, she thinks.
▪ Negative and question forms use DOES (= the third person of
the auxiliary 'DO') + the infinitive of the verb.
He wants ice cream. Does he want strawberry? He does not want
vanilla.
▪ Verbs ending in -y : the third person changes the -y to -ies:
fly --> flies, cry --> cries
Exception: if there is a vowel before the -y:
play --> plays, pray --> prays
▪ Add -es to verbs ending in:-ss, -x, -sh, -ch:
he passes, she catches, he fixes, it pushes

When can we use this tense?

▪ To express habits, general truths, repeated actions or
unchanging situations, emotions and wishes:
I smoke (habit); I work in London (unchanging
situation); London is a large city (general truth)
▪ To give instructions or directions:
You walk for two hundred meters, then you turn left.
▪ To express fixed arrangements, present or future:
Your exam starts at 09.00
▪ 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.
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 Present Tense

Now, it’s time for you to make some present tense sentences!
1. ….
2. ….
3. ….

Present Continuous Tense

This is a tense used to express a continued or
ongoing action at present time. It expresses an action which is in
progress at the time of speaking. For example, Ningsih says, “I am
writing a letter”. It means that she is in the process of writing a
letter right now. Present Continuous tense is also called Present
progressive tense.

How to Form Present Continuous Sentence?

The present continuous tense is formed from the present tense of
the verb be (is, am, are) and the present participle (-ing form) of a
verb. For example:
Abi : What are you doing Umi?
Umi : I am making omelet for breakfast.
Abi : Hmm it looks yummy. By the way where is our
daughter Rahma?
Umi : She is tidying up her room.

Exercise
#Part 1. Translate the Indonesian sentences below into good
English.
1. Jam berapa kamu biasanya bangun tidur?
2. Saya tidak pernah ketinggalan bus sekolah.
3. Saya bukan orang yang malas.
4. Kami sekarang sedang menonton film “3 Idiot” di bioskop.
5. Apakah kamu masih mengerjakan PR sekarang?

#Part 2. Change the verb in the blanket.

1. Every Monday, Ratna (drive) her kids to football practice.
2. Usually, I (work) as a secretary at ABT, but this summer I
(study) French at a language school in Paris. That is why I
am in Paris.
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 Present Tense

3. Shhhhh! Be quiet! My father (be, sleep)

4. Don't forget to take your umbrella. It (be, rain)
5. I hate living in Seattle because it (rain, always)
6. I'm sorry I can't hear what you (say) because
everybody (talk) so loudly.
7. Syakir (currently, write) a book about his adventures in
Tibet. I hope he can find a good publisher when he is finished.
8. Ketut : Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?
Wayan : Oh, I'm sorry, I can't. I (go) to a movie
tonight with some friends.
9. The business cards (be, normally) printed by a company in
New York. Their prices (be) inexpensive, yet the quality
of their work is quite good.
10. This delicious chocolate (be) made by a small chocolatier
in Zurich, Switzerland.

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