The Simple Tenses in English

The Simple Tenses are the most basic and common verb tenses in English. They show facts, habits, and general truths.

1. Simple Present Tense

Use:
✔ Habits & routines (I drink coffee every morning.)
✔ General truths (Water boils at 100°C.)
✔ Permanent situations (She lives in Paris.)

Structure:
Subject + Base Verb (add -s/-es for he/she/it)

• I work. / She works.

Examples:

• "They speak Spanish."
• "He teaches math."

2. Simple Past Tense

Use:
✔ Completed actions in the past (I visited London last year.)
✔ Past habits (She always carried an umbrella.)

Structure:
Subject + Verb in Past Form (Regular: -ed / Irregular: memorized)

• I worked. / She wrote a letter.

Examples:

• "We watched a movie yesterday."
• "He ate breakfast at 8 AM."

3. Simple Future Tense

Use:
✔ Predictions (It will rain tomorrow.)
✔ Promises/decisions (I’ll call you later.)

Structure:
Subject + will + Base Verb

• I will travel next month.

Alternative (for plans): be going to

• She is going to study abroad.

Examples:

• "They will arrive at 5 PM."
• "We are going to visit France."

4. Key Differences

Tense	When to Use?	Example
Present Simple	Daily routines, facts	"She drinks tea."
Past Simple	Finished past actions	"He called me."
Future Simple	Future predictions/plans	"They will win."

Use PROMT.One Conjugator to check every simple tense form of English verbs