The present indefinite

(The simple present)

Meaning. The present indefinite refers the action which it denotes to the present time in a broad sense.

It bears no indication as to the manner in which the action is performed, that is whether it is perfective (complete) or imperfective (incomplete), momentary or durative (continuous), iterative or inchoative, etc. Any of these meanings can be imparted to the form by the lexical meaning of the verb or by the context. Neither does it bear any indication as to the precedence of the action it denotes to the moment of speaking.

§ 16. Formation. Some of the forms of the present indefinite are synthetic (affirmative forms), some - analytic (interrogative and negative forms).

Affirmative forms for all persons singular and plural except the 3rd person singular coincide with the infinitive stem: to speak - I speak, you speak, they speak.

The 3rd person singular form is built from the same stem by means of the inflexion -s, -es: to speak [spi:k] - he speaks [spi:ksj; to land [lænd] - he lands [lændz]; to wish [wI∫] - he wishes [ ´ wI∫Iz].

As can be seen from the above examples, the pronunciation and spelling of the inflection of the 3rd person singular vary:

1. Verb stems ending in vowels and voiced consonants (except voiced sibilants and affricates) take the inflection -s which is pronounced [z]:

The 3rd person singular of the verb to say (says) is pronounced [sez].

In verb stems ending in the letter у and preceded by a consonant the letter у is replaced by the letters ie:

The verbs to go and to do and their compounds (to forego, to overdo, etc.) take the inflexion [z] spelled as

-es:

to go [gou] - he goes [gouz],

the verb to do (and its compounds) changes its root vowel:

The 3rd person singular of the verb to have is has [hæz].

2. Verb stems ending in voiceless consonants (except voiceless sibilants and affricates) take the inflexion -s pronounced [ s ]:

3. Verb stems ending in sibilants and affricates take either the inflexion -s or -es. Both are pronounced [ɪz]:

a) -es if the final letters of the stem are -s, -sh, -ss, -x, -z, -zz, -ch, -tch:

b) -s if the final letters of the stem are - se, -ce, -ze, -ge, -dge

(i.e. sibilants and affricates plus the mute e):

§ 17. Interrogative and negative forms of the present indefinite are analytical and are built by means of the present indefinite of the auxiliary to do and the infinitive of the notional verb.

Besides these there is one more type of forms, namely negative-inter­rogative forms, which has two possible patterns.