On Mondays, etc.

PRESENT INDEFINITE (PRESENT SIMPLE)

FORMATION:

Do you often visit your grandparents? – I visit them every week.

Does Derek watch television every day? – No, he doesn’t. His parents don’t allow him to waste time on it.

PRESENT INDEFINITE IS USED in the following cases:

1. for permanent states, repeated actions and daily routines, e.g.

Mr. Freeman works in a bank. (permanent state)

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

We don’t usually watch television in the morning. (repeated action)

Do you always get up at one and the same time? (daily routine)

2. for general truths and laws of nature, e.g.

The sun sets in the west.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

3. for timetables (planes, trains, etc.) and programmes, e.g.

The plane from Brussels arrives 8:30.

When does this shop open?

4. for sports commentaries, reviews and narration, opera and theatre librettos, stage directions, 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)

5. to give instructions or directions (instead of the imperative mood), e.g.

You sprinkle some cheese on the pizza and then you bake it, (instead of: “Sprinkle some cheese on the pizza...”)

6. in adverbial clauses of time and condition after the following conjunctions:

When if unless before till until

While after in case as long as as soon as

The children won’t go to the park unless they do all their homework.

As soon as Bertha arrives at the station, she will sent us a telegram.

NOTE:

Don’t confuse adverbial clauses of time and condition and object clauses:

Adverbial clauses of time and condition (only present tenses)	Object clauses (any tense)
Ask Sonia to phone me (when?) when she comes home. – (time) Ask Sonia to phone me (on what condition?) if she comes before 9 p.m. (condition)	Do you know (what?) when Sonia will come home? I wonder (what?) if Sonia will come before 9 p.m.

7. with stative verbs instead of Present Continuous, e.g.

I hate when it drizzles like this.

The cake smells delicious.

8. The Present Simple is used with the following time expressions (adverbial modifiers of time:

Usually

Often

Always

Seldom

Occasionally

Sometimes

Ever

Rarely

Never

Permanently

From time to time

Now and then

everyday/week/month/year

in the morning/afternoon/ evening

At night, at the weekend,

on Mondays, etc.

Does he ever visit you nowadays?

Pat occasionally writes postcards to her distant relatives.

9. To make sentences in Present Indefinite more emphatic auxiliary verbs “do” or “does” are added in affirmative sentences, e.g.

I do want to meet your parents. – Я дійсно хочу зустрітися з твоїми батьками.

Fiona does insist on your going to Kiev. – Фіона все-таки наполягає на твоїй поїздці до Києва.

10. Note should be taken about questions to the subject which are asked without an auxiliary verb and with the direct order of words, e.g.

Who usually cooks in your family? – Our mum does.

Paula and Jack sometimes visit us at the weekends. – Sorry, I didn’t catch you. Who visits you at the weekends? – Paula and Jack do.

A short answer to the questions of this type are formed with the auxiliary verb “do” or “does”.

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