Present Indefinite Tense: Meaning, Structure, Example & Exercise PDF [Available]

In English grammar, there are three main types of verb tenses, i.e. Past, Present and Future. The past tense refers to something that has already happened, the present tense describes anything happening right now and the future tense focuses on things that have yet to happen. While these three tenses might seem like basic concepts one can easily understand, learning the intricacies of the different types of each tense is quite a complicated thing. Since tenses play an essential role in contributing to your writing skills as well as are often included under language proficiency tests like IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, etc., it becomes important to strengthen your basics of verb tenses.

Through this blog, we bring a detailed guide on present indefinite tense or simple present tense, its uses as well as examples and practice exercises.

Types of Tenses Chart
Past Tense	Present Tense	Future Tense
Simple Past Tense	Simple Present Tense	Simple Future Tense
Past Continuous Tense	Present Continuous Tense	Future Continuous Tense
Past Perfect Tense	Present Perfect Tense	Future Perfect Tense
Past Perfect Continuous Tense	Present Perfect Continuous Tense	Future Perfect Continuous Tense
Past Unreal (Third Conditional)	Present Unreal (Second Conditional)	Future Unreal (Mixed Conditional)

What is Present Indefinite Tense?

Tense refers to the time frame of the action taking place and is described by using the verb. Present Indefinite Tense or Present Tense can be defined as the action that is done in the present however there is no definite time limit given to it being accomplished. Present indefinite tense can also be used to express true events, near future, habit, nature, etc.

Example:

• Shally loves chocolate cake.
• Adam eats an apple every day.

The other is to talk about habitual actions or occurrences like:

• I go to school every day.
• Dad goes to the office every day.

Structure and Rules of Present Indefinite Tense

Let’s get straight with the fact that you cannot excel in the Present Simple Tense unless you know its structure and rules really well. Otherwise, how else would you analyse its usage in positive, negative and interrogative sentences, as well as in other situations about to be discussed here on?

How to Form the Present Indefinite Tense?

Except in the third-person singular, most regular verbs employ the root form in the simple present (which ends in -s).

Rule: The Sentence Structure goes like subject+ verb+ object

First-person singular (I)	I do
Second-person singular (You)	You do
Third-person singular (He/She/It)	She does
First-person plural (We)	We do
Second-person plural (You)	You do
Third-person plural (They)	They do

First-person singular (I)	I eat
Second-person singular (You)	You eat
Third-person singular (He/She/It)	She eats
First-person plural (We)	We eat
Second-person plural (You)	You eat
Third-person plural (They)	They eat

First-person singular (I)	I swim
Second-person singular (You)	You swim
Third-person singular (He/She/It)	She swims
First-person plural (We)	We swim
Second-person plural (You)	You swim
Third-person plural (They)	They swim

First-person singular (I)	I walk
Second-person singular (You)	You walk
Third-person singular (He/She/It)	She walks
First-person plural (We)	We walk
Second-person plural (You)	You walk
Third-person plural (They)	They walk

Uses of Present Indefinite Tense

Let’s take a look at the different types of actions for which the Present Indefinite Tense is used:

• To describe a universal truth: The earth revolves around the sun; Man is Mortal; The sun rises in the east.
• For an action happening in the present: Boys play a football match; I read a book; She sings a song.
• Activities of habitual nature and those with adverbs like always, never, seldom and rarely. For example, I never tell a lie; She always speaks the truth; My office starts at 11 a.m.
• For events scheduled shortly: My school opens next week; The third semester begins next month.

How to Make Present Indefinite Tense Negative?

Do/does + not + [root form of verb] is the formula for making a simple present verb negative. Instead of do not or does not, you can use the contraction don’t or doesn’t. Example:

• Sara does not want to share the cake.
• Mohan does not want to do his homework.
• I do not want to eat anything right now.

To make the verb to be negative, the formula is [to be] + not. Example:

• I am not a cake lover, but Sara sure is. 
• You aren’t ready for a such delicious cake.

How to Make Present Indefinite Tense Interrogative? 

To ask questions in the present simple or present indefinite tense, we utilise the words ‘do’ and ‘does’. For the third person singular (she/he/it), we use does, whereas, for the others, we use ‘do’. With question terms like where, what, and when, we use ‘do’ and ‘does’. However, questions with who often don’t use ‘do’ or ‘does’. 

Rule: do/does + [subject] + [root form of verb]

Let’s go through some of the examples mentioned below for present indefinite tense questions: 

• Do you play the guitar?
• Where do you live in Delhi?
• Does he play tennis?
• Where does he study?
• When does Raman usually get up?
• Who cleans the garden at the weekend?

Must Read: English Grammar Tenses Rule with Examples

Present Indefinite Tense Examples

To help you understand the use of Present Indefinite tense, we have listed some examples for different types of actions and the highlighted part in every sentence elucidates the use of Present Indefinite Tense:

1. I know how to protest against injustice
2. I do not like to quarrel
3. She prefers coffee to tea
4. You always shop in that market
5. The poet writes romantic poems
6. Do you love to listen to realistic songs?
7. He goes to the library every day
8. Do you like to watch cricket?
9. They always play cricket on that field
10. They love to play football
11. I write articles on different topics
12. We watch movies in this Cineplex
13. I sing different kinds of songs, especially modern
14. The lyricist writes realistic songs
15. We come for shopping in this market
16. I love to listen to melodious songs
17. I am a peace-loving person
18. I love my parents and my elder brother
19. He reads various kinds of books
20. He loves to travel around the world

Also Read: Simple Past Tense Examples: Definition, Structure, Rules, Excercise PDF [Available]

Present Indefinite Tense and Present Time 

We use the present simple or present indefinite tense along with present time to talk about:

• Something true right now
• Anything that occurs frequently in the present
• A statement/thing/event that is always correct

Examples: 

• I’m 21 years old.
• I’m a university student. 
• I live in Delhi. 
• The human body contains 206 bones.
• Light travels at almost 300,000 km in a second.
• The Earth revolves around the sun.

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Simple Present Tense Practice Exercise

Now that you have ample knowledge about the present indefinite tense and its uses for different types of actions, you must practice thoroughly to learn its intricacies. Below we have provided some sample exercises for the present indefinite tense which you can practice and let us know your answer in the comments below!

1. It is 10 am and I just woke up. The first thing I am going to do is _____(knock/ knocked/knocking) on the door of my mother’s room.
2. She always _______ (slept/sleeps/sleeping) till late.
3. Today, she shouldn’t sleep so ____(much/so long) as some guests are _____(came/coming) for lunch.
4. I normally wake up at 8 am to _____ (watched/watch) the morning news show.
5. After ____, (it /after that) I take a shower and ____(eat/have) breakfast.
6. I don’t like _____ (eaten/eating) omelette for breakfast as I _____(know/ prefer/hinder) eating a sandwich with a glass of milk.
7. A tiny baby bird _____(sitting/sits/sat) on the ground.
8. The baby ____(cry/cries/crying) out nervously. A squirrel is ____ (look/looks/looking) down at it from the branch of the tree.
9. If a cat _____ (saw/sees/see) the bird, it might ____(kill/killing/kills) it.
10. Tina _____ at a bakery. (work/works/working)
11. I _____ with my grandparents. (live/lives/living)
12. The cattle _____ on grass. (feed/feeds/feeding)
13. Emily _____ delicious pie. (make/makes/making)
14. Sumita ______ very fluent English. (speak/speaks/speaking)
15. Martin is _____ for a morning walk. (go/goes/going)
16. My father _____ (go/going/goes) to the temple every Tuesday.
17. Seema _____ 22 years old. (is/am/are)
18. I _____ (could/can) drink an entire sea right now as I _____ (am/are/is) so thirsty. 
19. What _____ (is/are/will) your plans for the weekend?
20. _____ (do/does/are) you live in London? 

Present Indefinite Tense Practice Exercise PDF 

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