THE PRESENT TENSE SIMPLE good at school. 24. 9. On Friday we always (have) our piano lesson. 25.
Mary
Ca formă, prezentul simplu este identic cu infinitivul scurt, la toate
persoanele, singular şi plural, cu excepţia persoanei a treia singular, la care se
adaugă –s sau –es. Interogativul şi negativul se formează cu ajutorul verbului
auxilliar do.
Din punctul de vedere al ortografiei, majoritatea verbelor adaugă –s la
persoana a treia singular: speak – speaks. Desinenţa –es se adaugă când verbul
se termină în s, x, z, sh, ch, tch, o: watch – watches, wash – washes, buzz –
buzzes, go – goes. Verbele terminate în y precedat de consoană schimbă y în i
şi adaugă –es: try – tries, fry – fries.
Prezentul simplu este folosit pentru a exprima:
1. Adevăruri generale, eterne: Ice melts in the sun. The Earth moves round
the Sun.
2. Acţiuni repetate, obişnuite. Asemenea acţiuni sunt de obicei însoţite de
adverbele every (day/ month/ year etc), often, seldom, sometimes, usually,
never, occasionally, rarely: We go to school every morning. Father smokes
too much.
3. În comentarii sportive (pentru a exprima acţiuni rapide care se încheie
înainte de propoziţiile ce le descriu). În acest caz, prezentul continuu este
folosit pentru acţiuni cu o durată mai îndelungată: The goal-keeper passes to
Maradona, but Hagi intercepts, shoots and it’s a goal.
4. În demonstraţii sau instrucţiuni: First I take the potatoes and slice them.
Then I slice the tomatoes and fry the onion in a little fat. I now mix the butter
with the cocoa.
5. În exclamaţii care încep cu here sau there: Here they come!
Exercises:
1 They (talk) about stickers. 2 Mary (collect) cassettes. 3 Tom and Sue
(buy) two comics. 4 We (hide) behind a tree. 5 Uncle George (go) to the
doctor's. 6 Our friends (play) football in the park. 7 My mother (go)
shopping. 8 He (call) my name. 9 They (sit) down. 10 Carol (say) good bye.
11 She (help) Tom with the homework. 12 My sister (live) in a big house. 13
The children (eat) hamburgers. 14 Bill (have) got nine posters. 15 I (be) at
home. 16. My parents often (watch)westerns. 17. They (be) hungry. 18. Mum
(wash) all the dirty clothes. 19. Peter (have) got a brother. 20. Dad (buy) a
new car. 21. The boys (play) football. 22. In summer it (be) hot. 23. I (be)
(do) her homework. 26. Richard (watch) TV. 27. I (like) big cities. 28. He
(study) in the library. 29. She always (go) to work at 7. 30. Bill and Tom
sometimes (drive) to London.
THE PRESENT TENSE CONTINUOUS
Se formează din prezentul verbului be + verbul de conjugat + -ing.
Este utilizat pentru a exprima:
1. O acţiune în desfăşurare în momentul vorbirii: Look, the children are
sleeping! Această întrebuinţare este, de obicei, marcată de adverbe de timp ca
now, right now, at this moment.
2. O acţiune temporară. În acest caz, verbul este însoţit de adverbe precum
today, this week, these days, this month/ year: My father usually teaches
geometry, but he is teaching algebra this year. We usually go to work by bus,
but today we are going by cab.
Verbele de percepţie feel, hear, smell, see, taste de obicei nu sunt
folosite la aspectul continuu: The hay smells nice today. Do you see the birds
now? The soup tastes delicious. În cazul lor, pentru a exprima ideea de
continuitate, progresie, se foloseşte can/ could: I can see the plane now.
Totuşi, verbele feel, smell, taste pot fi folosite la aspectul continuu când
implică o acţiune voluntară din partea subiectului: The cat is smelling the
bush now. Mother is tasting the soup to see if it’s warm enough for the baby.
Atunci când verbele de percepţie sunt folosite cu sensuri diferite de cel
de bază, ele pot fi folosite la aspectul continuu:
TO SEE: I’m seeing things. (= Am halucinaţii)
Tom is seeing his grandfather off at the railway station now.
(see off = a conduce)
Jane is seeing her mother now. (= are o întâlnire)
TO HEAR: I’m hearing interesting things about our new neighbour. (=
primesc veşti)
TO FEEL: The doctor is feeling the patient’s foot. (= pipăie)
Exercises:
Fill in the words from the box. Use the present progressive.
play - work - sit - read - play - listen to - clean - read
 6. He earns his living by painting people’s houses. How
Debbie and her friends ___________ in Debbie’s garden. They …………………….?
___________ football. Mrs Baker ___________ a book. Mr Baker 7. We want to settle down in Brazil. Where………………………….?
___________ in the garden. Nick ___________ to a cassette. Trundle and 8. His sister washes his shirts. Who ……………………………….?
Marmalade ___________ on Mrs Baker's chair. Now Nick ___________ his 9. This bottle contains poison. What…………………….?
bike. Nick: "Debbie, help me, please." But Debbie has got no time: "I 10. It smells horrible. How………………………………..?
___________ a book for school. Ask your friend." 11. She is learning two foreign languages in college. How many
…………………….?
Replace the infinitives in brackets by the present tense or the present 12. They are making sports cars in this factory now. What sort ……………..?
tense continuous:
Ask questions about the underlined parts of the following sentences:
1 You usually (walk) quite slowly. Why you (walk) so fast today? 2 You
(understand) the rule? 3 The sun (set) late in summer. 4 Look, snow still (fall). 1. The landlady locks the door after midnight.
5 You can’t have the book now because Johnny (read) it. 6 It often (rain) in 2. The car belongs to the Mayor.
November. 7 The clock (strike), it is time to go home. 8 Somebody (knock) at 3. I’m sorry I’m late.
the door. 9 She always (buy) lottery tickets but she seldom (win). 10 Switch 4. The post arrives once a week.
on the light. It (get) dark. 11 Mr. Cooper always (buy) a pound of sugar. 12 5. Leo usually travels to work by train.
The shop assistant (close) the door now. 13 Kevin and Alan never (throw) 6. A newsagent sells newspapers.
away glass bottles. 14 Look! Freddy (carry) two baskets. 15 Now Mrs. 7. There are only ten chairs in this room.
Caveman (look) out of the window. 16 Mrs. Bingham (go) shopping every 8. I usually take an aspirin when I have a headache.
Saturday. 17 I (count) the money at the moment. 18 Mr. Root always (open) a 9. Richard plays the lead guitar in that band.
box of eggs before buying them. 19 Mum often (forget) her change. 20 Listen! 10. She reads detective stories mostly.
The manager (talk) to a customer. 21 My friends often (go) shopping at the 11. Jimmy spends his free time playing computer games.
other supermarket. 22 We always (put) our things in a basket. 23 The shop 12. At Halloween American kids dress up as ghosts.
(close) at the moment. 24 Every Sunday they (play) tennis. 25 She (take) a 13. Your father smokes at least 40 cigarettes a day.
shower now. 14. They move to a new house every three years
15. We play bridge in the evenings.
**** 16. Lady Morley is talking to her dog in Japanese.
17. Major Watkins is trying to shoot at a street lamp.
Write questions to the following statements: 18. Seven guests are sleeping in the kitchen.
1. The Jacksons usually have breakfast at 7 a.m. What time ……………?
2. She visits her old mother at least twice a week. How often…………..?
3. They live together because she loves him. Why……………………..?
4. He sells computers and hi-fi equipment. What ……………………….?
5. We normally spend our weekends in the country.
Where………………….?