Present simple
የአሁን ቀላል ጊዜ (present simple)
I work, she works. For facts, habits and routines: things that are generally true, not only now.
The form
The present simple is the base verb (work, live, go). With he, she and it, add -s: she works, he lives, it goes. For negatives and questions, use the helping verb do / does, and the main verb goes back to its base form: she doesn't work (not she doesn't works), Does she work? Amharic changes the verb ending for every person (እሠራለሁ, ትሠራለህ, ይሠራል); English only changes it for he, she, it.
In Amharic
የአሁን ቀላል ጊዜ መሠረታዊው ግሥ ነው (work, live, go)። ከ he, she, it ጋር -s ይጨመራል፦ she works, he lives, it goes። ለአሉታዊና ለጥያቄ do / does አጋዥ ግሥ ይገባል፤ ዋናው ግሥ ወደ መሠረታዊ ቅርጹ ይመለሳል፦ she doesn't work (she doesn't works አይደለም)፣ Does she work? አማርኛ ለእያንዳንዱ ሰው የግሡን መጨረሻ ይቀይራል (እሠራለሁ፣ ትሠራለህ፣ ይሠራል)፤ እንግሊዝኛ የሚቀይረው ለ he, she, it ብቻ ነው።
| I / you / we / they | he / she / it | |
|---|---|---|
| + | I work nights. | She works nights. |
| − | I don't (do not) work nights. | She doesn't (does not) work nights. |
| ? | Do you work nights? | Does she work nights? |
| short answers | Yes, I do. / No, I don't. | Yes, she does. / No, she doesn't. |
- Spelling of -s: most verbs + s (works); -s, -sh, -ch, -x, -o + es (watches, goes, does); consonant + y → ies (studies, but plays).
- have → has with he, she, it: She has two kids.
- Only one -s: doesn't already shows he/she/it, so the main verb has no -s.
- My husband drives for a rideshare company.
- The bus doesn't stop here on Sundays.
- Do you speak Amharic at home? — Yes, we do.
- Where does your daughter go to school?
- The store opens at nine.
When to use it
Picture a timeline: the present simple is not one point on it, but many points again and again (a habit), or the whole line (a fact). Use it for routines (I get up at five), permanent situations (She lives in Henderson), facts (Water boils at 100 °C), timetables (The flight leaves at 6:40) and with state verbs (I know, I like, it costs). Amharic uses the same form (እሠራለሁ) for now, habits and the future; English needs a different tense for each.
In Amharic
የጊዜ መስመርን ያስቡ፦ የአሁን ቀላል በመስመሩ ላይ አንድ ነጥብ አይደለም፤ ደጋግሞ የሚመጡ ብዙ ነጥቦች (ልማድ) ወይም ሙሉው መስመር (እውነታ) ነው። ለዕለት ተግባር (I get up at five)፣ ለቋሚ ሁኔታ (She lives in Henderson)፣ ለእውነታ (Water boils at 100 °C)፣ ለጊዜ ሰሌዳ (The flight leaves at 6:40) እና ከሁኔታ ግሦች ጋር (I know, I like, it costs) ይጠቀሙበት። አማርኛ ለአሁን፣ ለልማድና ለወደፊት አንድ ቅርጽ ይጠቀማል (እሠራለሁ)፤ እንግሊዝኛ ለእያንዳንዱ የተለየ ጊዜ ይፈልጋል።
- Signal words: always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never, every day/week, on Mondays, once a month.
- Frequency adverbs go before the main verb but after be: I often work late. I'm often late.
- I usually pick up the kids at three.
- We go to church every Sunday.
- Rent is due on the first of the month.
- The 109 bus runs every fifteen minutes.
Present simple or present continuous?
The present simple is for what is usually or always true; the present continuous is for what is happening now or only for a short time. I work at a hotel (my job) / I'm working at the front desk this week (temporary). If you can add usually, use the simple; if you can add right now, use the continuous.
In Amharic
የአሁን ቀላል ብዙ ጊዜ ወይም ሁልጊዜ እውነት ለሆነ ነው፤ የአሁን ቀጣይ አሁን ለሚሆን ወይም ለአጭር ጊዜ ብቻ ለሆነ ነው። I work at a hotel (ሥራዬ ነው) / I'm working at the front desk this week (ጊዜያዊ)። usually መጨመር ከቻሉ ቀላሉን፣ right now መጨመር ከቻሉ ቀጣዩን ይጠቀሙ።
| Present simple | Present continuous |
|---|---|
| She speaks three languages. | She's speaking Tigrinya on the phone. |
| I take the bus to work. | I'm taking the bus this week; my car is in the shop. |
| It rains a lot in Seattle. | Look, it's raining! |
- Questions about jobs use the simple: What do you do? (= What is your job?)
- What do you do? — I'm a nurse. I work at Sunrise Hospital.
- What are you doing? — I'm filling out a job application.
- He usually walks to work, but today he's driving.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| He works at the casino. | He/she/it takes -s in the positive. | |
| She doesn't work on Sunday. | After doesn't, the verb has no -s. | |
| Where do you live? | Questions need do/does. | |
| I work every day. | Don't add am/is/are to a present simple verb. | |
| Does he have a car? | After does, use the base form: have. | |
| My son goes to school by bus. | My son = he, so goes. |
Practice
Each answer is checked as you go, with the reason. Nothing here is saved.
My sister ___ in Denver.
He ___ (not / like) coffee. (short form)
___ your children speak Amharic?
he / watch → he ___
she / study → she ___
Does she work on weekends? — No, she ___.
Which is correct?
Where ___ your husband work? (one word)
Water ___ at 100 degrees Celsius.
What do you do?
she / have → she ___