Verbs

Verbs are words that indicate an action, occurrence, or state of being. This lesson includes some common verbs and discusses how to talk about actions and emotional states that are currently happening.

English Vocabulary

Sound to believe
Sound to close
Sound to come
Sound to do
Sound to find
Sound to give
Sound to go
Sound to help
Sound to lose
Sound to open
Sound to read
Sound to see
Sound to talk
Sound to think
Sound to want

Advertisement


Present Tense

A verb is a word that expresses an action, a condition or a state of being. Verbs have different forms to indicate if the action happened in the past, is currently happening, or will happen in the future. The present tense of a verb is used to indicate that an action, condition or state is:

  • currently happening
  • a general fact or truth
  • habitual, everyday, or expected to continue for an unknown amount of time into the future.

The following table shows the present tense for the regular verb walk. Most verbs follow this pattern.

To Walk

Sound I walk
Sound you walk
Sound he walks
Sound she walks
Sound it walks
Sound we walk
Sound they walk

Verbs - Present Progressive Tense

In English there is also the present progressive tense, also called the present continuous, to indicate that an action is happening in the present. This is is used to emphasize that an action is happening right at this moment, or is happening now but only for a short amount of time.

The present progressive tense is formed using to be with the verb, and adding ing to the end of the verb. For example I am walking. Contractions are often used in this case. For example I'm walking.

Listen I am walking
Listen you are walking
Listen he is walking
Listen she is walking
Listen it is walking
Listen we are walking
Listen they are walking

Examples

Listen I see the cup.
Listen She reads the book.
Listen The boy closes the window.
Listen We believe you.
Listen The girl goes to the store.
Listen I'm walking to the store.
Listen He's opening the door.
Listen It's raining.
Listen We're waiting for you.