The Present Indefinite is formed from the infinitive form of the verb without the particle to. In the third person singular the ending –s/es is added.

The affirmative form of the Present Indefinite is a synthetic form. The interrogative and the negative forms are formed by means of the Present Indefinite of the auxiliary verb to do and the infinitive of the notional verb without the particle to.

The use of the Present Indefinite

The Present Indefinite is used to denote:

1. permanent states, repeated actions and daily routines (habitual actions).

e.g. He works in a bank. (permanent state)

He takes the train to work every morning. (daily routine/repeated actions)

2. actions and states characterizing a given person

e.g. She has many accomplishments: she sings and plays the piano beautifully.

3. universal truths and laws of nature, something which is eternally true

e.g. Magnet attracts iron.

The earth rotates round its axis.

4. actions going on at the present moment (with verbs which are not used in the Continuous form)

e.g. I see George in the street. Tell him to come in.

I hear somebody knocking. Go and open the door.

5. sports commentaries, reviews and narration, summaries of events to express a succession of actions taking place at the time of speaking

e.g. Peterson overtakes Williams and wins the race. (sports commentary)

Mike Dalton plays the part of Macbeth. (review)

Then the prince gets on his horse and quickly rides away. (narration)

6. to give instructions or directions (instead of imperative)

e.g. You sprinkle some cheese on the pizza and then you bake it.

7. a future action:

(a) in adverbial clauses of time and condition after the conjunctions when, till, until, before, after, as soon as, as long as, unless, on condition that, provided

e.g. Robert, will you mend me a pen or two before you go?

I promise not to try to see Robert again till he asks for me.

Note: It should be borne in mind that this use of the Present Indefinite occurs only in adverbial clauses of time and condition. In object and attributive clauses introduced by when the Future Indefinite is used

e.g. I wonder when he will give us an answer.

(b) with verbs of motion, such as to go, to come, to leave, etc. The future action is regarded as something fixed - timetables (planes, trains, etc.) and programmes

e.g. The train leaves at 10 tomorrow.

8. to express a succession of actions in the past – it is used to make a vivid narrative of past events

e.g. She arrives full of life and spirit. And about a quarter of an hour later she sits down in a chair, says she doesn’t feel well, gasps a bit and dies.

Note: The present simple is used with the following time expressions: usually, often, always, etc., every day/ week/month/year, in the morning/afternoon/ evening, at night, at the weekend, on Mondays, etc.

The Present Continuous is an analytical form which is built up by means of the Present Indefinite of the auxiliary verb to be and the ing-form (Participle I) of the notional verb.

In the interrogative form the auxiliary verb is placed before the subject.

We use the Present Continuous:

a) for actions taking place now, at the moment of speaking.

e. g. He is giving the baby a bath at the moment.

b) for temporary actions; that is actions that are going on around now, but not at the actual moment of speaking.

e. g. I'm looking for a new job these days. (He is not looking for a job at the moment of speaking.)

c) for a certain state or quality peculiar to the person at a given moment.

e.g. He is always polite, but today he is being very rude.

d) with adverbs such as: always, constantly, continually, etc. for actions which happen very often, usually to express annoyance, irritation or anger.

e.g. You're constantly interrupting me when I'm talking. (expressing annoyance/irritation)

e) for actions that we have already arranged to do in the near future, especially when the time and place have been decided.

e. g. They're moving into their new house next week. (The time has been decided.)

f) with never…. again to express a future action.

e. g. I’m never painting the house myself again.

g) for changing or developing situations.

e. g. More and more species are becoming extinct.

h) for a future action in subordinate clauses of time.

e. g. I’ll look after children, while you are cooking dinner.

Note: The present continuous is used with the following time expressions: now, at the moment, at present, these days, still, nowadays, today, and tonight, etc.

The Present Perfect is an analytical form which is built up by means of the auxiliary verb to have in the Present Indefinite and the Participle II of the notional verb.

The same auxiliary is used to form the interrogative and negative forms.

We use the Present Perfect:

1. for an action which started in the past and continues up to the present, especially with state verbs. In this case we use for and since.

e.g. Ann has had a dog for three years.

Note: The preposition for is used to denote the whole period of duration, since is used to indicate the starting point of the action. If the conjunction since introduces a clause, the verb in this case is used in the Past Indefinite.

e.g. I haven’t seen you since I moved to a new apartment.

2. for an action which has recently finished and whose result in visible in the present.

e.g. She has just washed her hair.

3. for an action which happened at an unstated time in the past. The exact time isn't mentioned because it is either unknown or unimportant. The emphasis is placed on the action.

e.g. The Tailors have bought a car.

4. for an action which has happened within a specific time period which is not over at the moment of speaking. We often use words and expressions such as today, this morning week/month/year, etc.

e.g. She has taken 15 pictures today. But: She took 20 pictures yesterday.

Note: We use the Present Perfect to announce a piece of news and the Past Simple or Continuous to give more details about it.

e.g. The police have finally arrested Peter Parker. He was trying to leave the country when they caught him.

5. in adverbial clauses of time to express the future action.

e.g. When you have finished this, I'll let you go home.

6. rarely in negative sentences (with non-terminative verbs):

e.g. I haven't slept since that night.

Note: The Present Perfect isn't used in questions introduced by when , as in this case the speaker is interested in the time of action.

e.g. When did you change your mind?

Note: The Present Perfect is used with the following time expressions: for, since, already, yet, always, just, ever, never, so far, today, this week, how long, recently, of late, lately, still (in negations), etc.

The Present Perfect Continuous is an analytical form which is built up by means of the auxiliary verb to be in the Present Perfect and the –ing - form of the notional verb.

The same auxiliary is used to form the interrogative and negative forms.