present tense

/ˈprɛzɪnt tɛns/

/ˈprɛzɪnt tɛns/

Other forms: present tenses

In grammar, the present tense is the verb form you use when you talk about what's happening right now. "You are standing on my foot" is in the present tense.

If you describe things you're currently doing, or that you usually do, or a current state, you'll use the present tense without even thinking about it. Sentences like "I feel sad," or "He always gets up late on the weekends," or "Birds chirp more in the morning than they do later in the day" are all in the present tense.

Definitions of present tense

1. noun

   a verb tense that expresses actions or states at the time of speaking
   synonyms: present

   types:

   historical present

   the use of the present tense to describe past actions or states

   type of:

   tense

   a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time