The present simple! I love the present simple! The present simple is my favorite tense! But Toby! I
know the present simple! The present simple was the first thing I learnt in English! Yes but do
you know every single use of the present simple that you need to know for the B2 First Cambridge
exam? Maybe you do and maybe you don't, let's find out! My name is Toby, this is SMASH English
and here is every single use of the present simple that you need to know for the B2 First Cambridge
exam.
Here is a line of time: a time line. Here is the past, here is the present and here is the future.
Where does the present simple go on this timeline, this line of time? Uh the present obviously. No,
you idiot! I'm sorry! We do not use the present simple for things that happen in the present we
use the present continuous for that. Let's look at an example: I watch SMASH English every day. So
when do I watch SMASH English? In the past, the present, the future? The present simple is like
the past, the present and the future all in one. It is beyond a timeline. Wow, isn't that deep!?
We learn so much with SMASH English! So let's look at some ways that we can use the present simple in
practical situations. Present simple for habits. I watch SMASH English every day. This is a habit,
a repeated action that we do regularly. A repeated action that all of you watching this video do
regularly because we love SMASH English! Yes we do! We really love it! We love it... We also use
adverbs of frequency with habits. These are words like always, often, sometimes, rarely, seldom,
never. But this is easy and we are studying for the B2 First Cambridge exam
so let's make things more complicated to get the highest marks possible! Yes please, Toby!
I want to score high marks. And I want you to score high marks too! Rarely, seldom and never
are negative adverbs of frequency. They are negative because instead of talking about how
much we do something they describe how little we do something. With negative adverbs of frequency
we can use inversion. Inversion? Inversion! For example instead of saying: "I rarely eat
cabbage" we can say "rarely do I eat cabbage". Wow! That's amazing! Thank you, Toby for sharing
your knowledge with us. This grammar structure is called inversion because the auxiliary verb comes
before the subject. We are inverting the positions of the subject and the verb just
like we do in questions but this is not a question. If you want to learn all about how to
use inversion with negative adverbs of frequency then watch this video that's all about inversion
and if you use the present simple within inversion the examiners will be so astonished, so amazed,
so bewildered by your English skills that they will fall to their knees, they will pray to you
and say ye are an English god or or goddess.... yeah. So that's inversion and that's the present
simple for habits. Present simple for facts. The sky is blue. Toby is beautiful. Babies come from
women's stomachs. Yeah... these things are facts. They are always true and because they never change
we use the present simple. So present simple for facts yes? Yes! Present simple for instructions.
Toby how can I learn English and have fun at the same time? Well first you go
to youtube. Then you search SMASH English. You click subscribe you watch all of the videos
over and over and over again and if you keep doing that you learn English like a pro!
Like me! Seriously that's how you learn English. That is the only way to learn English!
If anyone tells you there is another way well they are pathological liars, aren't they? So
subscribe and watch all of my videos over and over again forever! Why not start with this one here
about writing an informal email for the B2 First Cambridge exam? Because that's the exam
we're studying for! Logic! We use the present simple to give instructions and that's because
the instructions don't change, the procedure stays the same and because the present simple is above
time, because the present simple is like the past, the present, and the future all in one
we use it for things that don't change like instructions and facts and habits. But wait! What?
I said wait! We can also use the present simple for the future! No! I don't believe you! Present
simple for the timetabled future. Guys! Hey? The new SMASH English video comes out tomorrow!
Seriously? Seriously! Wow! What great news! In this example we have used the present simple
because the future event is timetabled. Is it fixed in the future? Yes! Can we change it? No! Is
it certain? Yes it is! It is fixed in the future, it is timetabled and we cannot change it. If this
is all true then we use the present simple! We often use this for travel arrangements. For
example: the plane takes off at 3 pm or the train leaves at 7 am. We also use this with schedules
for example: my lesson starts at 5 pm. You get the idea. We're talking about the future but because
the future is timetabled, we cannot change it, we use the present simple. We can also use the
expression DUE TO plus the infinitive. Remember this! This is very important and very common in
the B2 First exam. Think about the Use of English section for example. You need to be aware of this
grammar structure! So we can say: "my plane is due to take off at 3 pm", "my train is due to leave at
7 00 am", "my lesson is due to start at 5 00 pm". Yeah... DUE TO plus infinitive form of the verb.
Present simple for the future with time clauses. We also use the present simple to talk about
the future after certain time conjunctions. Some examples of time conjunctions are: when, as soon
as, if, until, and after. So for example: "I won't move until this video is finished", "I will watch
another video as soon as this video finishes". Often students use WILL after a time conjunction.
For example: "If I will finish work late I won't watch SMASH English". But that is wrong! That
is wrong because it's: "If I finish work late" not "If I will finish work late". And secondly:
if you finish work late you should still watch SMASH English! SMASH English is more important
than how tired you are! SMASH English is your life! And it's my life! Because it's our life
we have the same life. We are one person that loves SMASH English. A lot.
Oh yeah and these are first conditionals and I know what you're thinking! You are thinking:
"Toby the first conditional? That is the easiest conditional!". But no! No it is not! First
conditionals can actually be really difficult but you don't know that because you haven't
seen this video and if you watch this video you will finish the video and think "wow now I know
everything about the first conditional! I know absolutely everything so if there is a question
in the exam about the first conditional I will say this is easy! Full marks! C1 Certification!" Yeah
you could get the C1 if you watch that video. If you don't you will probably fail! It's, it's true!
And lastly I have a confession to make. A confession? Yes I lied, I lied okay? I
lied! I told you that we cannot use the present simple to talk about the present but actually,
actually, we can use the present simple to talk about the present. We can use the present simple
for something that is happening in this moment. We can! We can! Isn't grammar emotional? Grammar is
so emotional. Can you feel the emotion? I feel it. Present simple to talk about the present.
We cannot use stative verbs in the present continuous. For example:
SMASH English is fantastic! I agree! Here we cannot say "I am agreeing" even though I agree
with this specific statement in this specific moment and that is because agree is a stative
verb. So "I agree" describes the present but it's the present simple and not the present continuous
because agree is a stative verb and we cannot use stative verbs in the present continuous.
Stative verbs are often related to FEELINGS: love, hate, like, dislike, prefer. or PERCEPTIONS:
taste, hear, smell, and sound. THOUGHTS: know, believe, guess, suppose, realize. and POSSESSION:
have, own, and belong. But this can get even more complicated because sometimes verbs
have more than one meaning and one meaning can be stative and the other meaning can be not stative.
Let's take the verb SMELL for example. This is a sock
this sock smells fantastic. Right now, in this very moment, the sock smells fantastic. Great! But
how do I know? Well I know because I am smelling the sock! So we have "the sock smells fantastic
because Toby is smelling the sock" but I cannot say "the sock is smelling fantastic".
No! Because SMELLS in this sense is a stative verb but in this sense it is an
active verb. I love English! Isn't that so exciting! So smell has two meanings:
one is to release or give off an odor and the other is to sense the odor with your
nose. The first is stative and the second is active. Amazing! Amazing! And maybe if you are
watching this video SMASH English has a video all about stative verbs and it will be here!
If it's not here it's because I have not made it yet but Jesus! Give me a break! I cannot make
every video at the same time! That is literally impossible! Leave me alone god! And with that we
are finished! Now you know every single use that you need to know of the present simple
for the B2 First Cambridge exam! And now you know that we use the present simple for habits,
facts, instructions, the future with time clauses, the timetabled future and the present with stative
verbs. Phwoar! Brilliant! If you liked the video don't forget to SMASH that like button, subscribe
if you haven't already, leave a comment down below! My name is Toby and this was SMASH English!