Phrase guide

simple present

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The present tense; a verb or sentence in this tense.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: present simple, present indefinite

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From simple (“accompanied by no modal or auxiliary verb”) + present (“current time”).

Across languages

Translations

12 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 一般現在時 /一般现在时 (yībān xiànzàishí) — present tense
  • Dutch: onvoltooid tegenwoordige tijd v O.V.T. — present tense
  • Finnish: preesens — present tense
  • French: indicatif présent — present tense
  • French: présent — present tense
  • German: Gegenwart — present tense
  • Italian: presente indicativo — present tense
  • Italian: indicativo presente — present tense
  • Malayalam: സാധാരണവർത്തമാനകാലം (sādhāraṇavaṟttamānakālaṁ) — present tense
  • Persian: حال ساده (hâl-e sâde) — present tense
  • Spanish: presente — present tense
  • Vietnamese: thì hiện tại đơn — present tense