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The Simple Tense

The simple tense, in its present, past and future forms, is called "simple" because it consists of just one word, unlike other verb tenses such as present progressive and present perfect. The first-person form of the simple present tense is almost always the same as the dictionary form of the verb.

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With the verb "to write," for example, the simple present tense in first person is "I write."

 

Well, when I write songs...

Caption 27, Bee and Flower - Interview

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In the simple past tense, the basic form "write" changes to "wrote." Some basic verbs just add "-ed" to become past tense, but many are irregular and must be learned.

 

I wrote this song.

Caption 35, Rise Up and Sing - Recording the Song

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The simple future tense consist of adding "will" (or "shall") before the verb:

 

Tammy will write a song and then record it on her laptop.

Caption 92, Royalchord - Interview

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Further Learning 
Take a look at this list of basic verbs and their irregular simple past tenses, and search Yabla English for some of your favorites to see how they are used in context.

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