Verbs in Present Simple Tense – 23 Common Grammar Topics in the Cambridge Starters Exam
In the Present Simple Tense, we use verbs to talk about habits, routines, and facts. For most verbs, add -s or -es for third-person singular (he, she, it). For example, “He plays football” or “She watches TV.” We use the base form of the verb for other subjects like I, you, we, and they. For instance, “I like ice cream” or “They go to school.” With the verb to be, we use am for “I,” is for “he, she, it,” and are for “you, we, they.” Example: “She is a teacher” or “They are friends.” This tense is simple and useful in Starters exams.
1. Present Simple Tense – Thì Hiện Tại Đơn
Thì hiện tại đơn được sử dụng để diễn tả những sự việc xảy ra thường xuyên, lặp đi lặp lại, hoặc các sự thật hiển nhiên. Nó còn có thể được dùng để nói về lịch trình hoặc các sự kiện theo kế hoạch đã được định sẵn.
2. Basic Structure – Cấu Trúc Cơ Bản
Cấu trúc của thì hiện tại đơn có sự khác nhau đối với động từ “to be” và các động từ thường:
2.1 Động từ “to be”:
(+) Khẳng định: S + am/is/are + …
“Am” (dùng với ngôi I)
✅ I am a teacher.
✅ I am happy today.
“Is” (dùng với ngôi he, she, it)
👦 He is my brother.
👩 She is very kind.
“Are” (dùng với ngôi you, we, they)
🧑🤝🧑 You are very smart.
👨👩👦 They are friends.
(-) Phủ định: S + am not/is not/are not + …
Am not:
💡 I am not tired today.
💡 I am not a teacher.
Is not (isn’t):
💡 He is not at home right now.
💡 She isn’t interested in reading books.
Are not (aren’t):
💡 They are not in the office today.
💡 You aren’t my classmate.
(?) Nghi vấn: Am/Is/Are + S + …?
Am
🔍 Am I late?
🔍 Am I allowed to enter the room?
🔍 Am I doing this correctly?
Is
🔍 Is she your sister?
🔍 Is the weather nice today?
Are
🔍 Are they students?
🔍 Are you ready for the test?
2.2 Động từ thường:
(+) Khẳng định: S + V(s/es) + …
🌞 She wakes up early every morning.
📚 He reads a book every evening.
🎨 They paint pictures on weekends.
🍽️ We eat lunch at 12 PM.
🚴♂️ I ride my bike to work.
🏃♀️ She runs 5 kilometers every day.
(-) Phủ định: S + do/does + not + V (nguyên thể) + …
🥕 I do not like vegetables.
🎾 She does not play tennis on weekends.
🏋️♂️ They do not go to the gym every day.
❓ He does not understand the question.
✈️ We do not travel abroad often.
🍽️ You do not need to bring any food.
(?) Nghi vấn: Do/Does + S + V (nguyên thể) + …?
⚽ Do you play football?
🎹 Does she play the piano?
🚌 Do they go to school by bus?
🏋️ Does he go to the gym?
🍦 Do you like ice cream?
📚 Does she like reading books?
🍳 Do they eat breakfast every day?
🥗 Does he eat vegetables?
📺 Do you watch TV in the evening?
🎬 Does she watch movies on weekends?
3. Sử Dụng Động Từ Trong Thì Hiện Tại Đơn
3.1 Động từ “to be”
“Am” đi với chủ ngữ I.
“Is” đi với các chủ ngữ he, she, it.
“Are” đi với các chủ ngữ you, we, they.
3.2 Động từ thường
Với chủ ngữ ngôi thứ 3 số ít (he, she, it), động từ cần thêm s hoặc es. Cụ thể:
– Thêm s vào động từ:
🚶♀️ She walks to school every day.
⚽ He plays football with his friends.
– Thêm es nếu động từ kết thúc bằng các âm s, z, x, sh, ch, hoặc o:
😢 She misses her friends.
🐶 He kisses his dog before leaving.
🐝 The bee buzzes around the flowers.
❄️ He freezes water to make ice.
🚴♀️ She fixes her bike every weekend.
🍰 He mixes the ingredients for the cake.
🍽️ She washes the dishes after dinner.
🌟 He wishes for good luck.
📚 She teaches English to children.
📖 He reaches for the book on the shelf.
📺 She watches TV every evening.
🚌 He goes to school by bus.
🏋️♂️ He goes to the gym after work.
📓 She does her homework every afternoon.
4. Cách Sử Dụng Thì Hiện Tại Đơn
4.1 Diễn tả thói quen hoặc hành động lặp lại:
⏰ I wake up at 6 AM every day.
☕ She drinks coffee every morning.
🏃♂️ He runs in the park every weekend.
🛏️ They go to bed at 10 PM every night.
4.2 Diễn tả sự thật hiển nhiên:
🌅 The sun rises in the east.
🌍 The Earth revolves around the Sun.
🐟 Fish live in water.
🌧️ It rains a lot in the rainforest.
4.3 Diễn tả các sự kiện có lịch trình sẵn:
🚆 The train leaves at 9 AM tomorrow.
🎬 The movie starts at 8 PM tonight.
🛫 The flight departs at 6 AM next Monday.
5. Dấu Hiệu Nhận Biết Thì Hiện Tại Đơn
5.1 Các trạng từ chỉ tần suất như: always (luôn luôn), usually (thường xuyên), often (thường), sometimes (thỉnh thoảng), never (không bao giờ).
Always (luôn luôn)
☕She always drinks coffee in the morning.
🌞 She always wakes up early.
📚 He always reads books before bed.
🍏 They always eat healthy food.
Usually (thường xuyên)
🚌 She usually takes the bus to school.
🎨 He usually paints on weekends.
🏃♀️ I usually run in the morning.
Often (thường)
🎬 She often watches movies with friends.
🎶 He often listens to music while studying.
🍕 We often eat pizza on Fridays.
Sometimes (thỉnh thoảng)
🌧️ It sometimes rains in the afternoon.
🎳 He sometimes plays bowling with his friends.
🍩 She sometimes buys donuts for breakfast.
Never (không bao giờ)
🚬 He never smokes.
🧳 She never forgets her suitcase.
⏰ They never wake up late.
5.2 Các cụm từ chỉ thời gian như: every day (mỗi ngày), every week (mỗi tuần), once a month (một lần mỗi tháng), twice a week (hai lần một tuần).
Every day (mỗi ngày)
🚶♀️ She walks to school every day.
🏋️♂️ He goes to the gym every day.
🐶 They feed the dog every day.
Every week (mỗi tuần)
🛒 She goes shopping every week.
📚 He borrows books from the library every week.
🏊♂️ They go swimming every week.
Once a month (một lần mỗi tháng)
🏖️ She visits the beach once a month.
✈️ He travels abroad once a month.
🏥 They see a doctor once a month.
Twice a week (hai lần mỗi tuần)
🏀 He plays basketball twice a week.
🎹 She practices piano twice a week.
🧘♀️ They do yoga twice a week.
6. Các Lưu Ý Quan Trọng
– Khi dùng với các động từ kết thúc bằng -y, nếu trước -y là một phụ âm, đổi -y thành -ies:
📝 She studies hard for her exams.
💬 He replies to emails every morning.
🎂 She bakes a cake when she tries new recipes.
🕯️ The candle dries quickly in the sun.
🦉 The owl cries at night.
🛒 He carries the groceries home.
– Động từ have với ngôi thứ 3 số ít sẽ trở thành has:
🐱 She has a cat.
📱 He has a new phone.
🏠 She has a big house.
🚗 He has a car.
🎓 She has an important exam tomorrow.
🐶 He has a dog named Max.
