present tense

The present tense is a verb tense used to describe actions or states that occur in the present. It covers events happening now, habitual actions, and truths that are always or necessarily so.1

In English, the present tense typically uses the infinitive form of a verb, with an exception for the third-person singular, which adds an "-s" (e.g., "he/she/it yodels"). The verb "to be" is irregular, with forms like "am," "are," and "is".2

The present tense is also foundational for other tenses, such as the present progressive (e.g., "are yodeling"), which indicates ongoing action, and the present perfect (e.g., "have yodeled"), which connects past actions to the present.2