Tenses · CEFR A1 · Starting
Present Simple — English tenses
For habits and things that are always true. Not for what is happening right now.
The shape
I / we / they + verb · he / she + verb-s
Talk about what you do every day.
In Hindi
आदतों और हमेशा सच रहने वाली बातों के लिए। अभी इसी वक़्त जो हो रहा है, उसके लिए नहीं।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The mistake to fix first
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
He go to office daily. | He goes to the office daily. With he/she/it the verb takes -s. |
Present Simple examples
Easiest first. Every sentence is authored, with the Hindi it comes from.
I learn English.
मैं अंग्रेज़ी सीख{ता|ती} हूँ।
I read every day.
मैं रोज़ पढ़{ता|ती} हूँ।
also correct: I study every day.
I work every day.
मैं रोज़ काम कर{ता|ती} हूँ।
I drink water every day.
मैं रोज़ पानी पी{ता|ती} हूँ।
I go by bus.
मैं बस से जा{ता|ती} हूँ।
I go on foot.
मैं पैदल जा{ता|ती} हूँ।
also correct: I walk.
I get up early in the morning.
मैं सुबह जल्दी उठ{ता|ती} हूँ।
also correct: I wake up early in the morning.
I sleep early at night.
मैं रात को जल्दी सो{ता|ती} हूँ।
also correct: I go to bed early at night.
I drink tea in the morning.
मैं सुबह चाय पी{ता|ती} हूँ।
I eat at home.
मैं घर पर खाना खा{ता|ती} हूँ।
also correct: I eat food at home.
Easy to confuse with
Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.
- Present ContinuousA1Say what is happening right now
- Adverbs of frequencyA1Say how often you do something
- Subject–verb agreementA2Match the verb to the right word in the sentence
Questions people ask
- What is the present simple used for?
- For habits and things that are always true. Not for what is happening right now. In practice: talk about what you do every day.
- How do you form the present simple?
- I / we / they + verb · he / she + verb-s.
- What is the most common mistake with the present simple?
- Saying “He go to office daily.” instead of “He goes to the office daily.”. With he/she/it the verb takes -s.
Where present simple fits
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
Present Simple is a CEFR A1 structure — the starting band — and it belongs to tenses. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
CoCap turns this page into practice: Hindi sentence in, English sentence out, corrected one thing at a time. Free, no card.
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