What is "Present Indefinite" Tense

 What is "Present Indefinite" Tense? Explained in Detail.

The present indefinite tense, also known as the present simple tense, is used to express actions or states that are happening regularly, habitually, or currently. It is used to describe a general truth or a permanent situation.

 

The structure of a sentence in the present indefinite tense is:

 

Subject + verb (in the base form) + object

 

For example:

 

1. I speak English. (I am a speaker of English)
2. She works in a bank. (She is a worker in a bank)
3. He plays football on Saturdays. (He is a player of football on Saturdays)
4. They live in New York. (They are inhabitants of New York)

In the present indefinite tense, the verb takes the base form, which means it does not change to indicate the subject or tense. However, the third person singular (he, she, it) requires the addition of an -s or -es to the base form of the verb.

When there is one of these words (O, X, CH, SH, or S) at the at of the verb then we'll add 'es' at the end of verb as 'watch' to 'watches'. Apart from these words if any other word comes, we'll use 's' at the end of verb.

Do remember that we'll add s/es only in the simple or informative sentence.

Further Reading: What are Active Voice Tenses in English Grammar (englioramaacademy.blogspot.com)

 

For example:

 

1. She speaks English. (not "She speak English")
2. He works in a bank. (not "He work in a bank")
3. It plays football on Saturdays. (not "It play football on Saturdays")

The present indefinite tense is often used with adverbs of frequency, such as always, usually, often, sometimes, and rarely, to indicate how often an action or state occurs.

 

For example:

 

1. I always wake up at 7 o'clock. (I wake up at 7 o'clock every day)
2. She usually goes to work by bus. (She goes to work by bus most of the time)
3. He often plays football on Saturdays. (He plays football on Saturdays frequently)
4. They sometimes visit their grandparents. (They visit their grandparents occasionally)
5. She rarely eats fast food. (She eats fast food infrequently)

I hope you've all understood. If you have any kind of question, you can ask in the comments below.