The word tense is connected to the word time. A verb tense shows us when in time something is happening.
Verbs in the present simple tense show that something is happening right now – in the present.
I eat. I run. I sing.
You eat. You run. You sing.
We eat. We run. We sing.
They eat. They run. They sing.
These verbs are all present tense verbs for I, you, we, and they.
With other subjects, the verb form changes. We add an -s onto the verb, like this:
She eats. She runs. She sings.
Mary eats. Mary runs. Mary sings.
He eats. He runs. He sings.
John eats. John runs. John sings.
He, she, John, Mary are singular nouns.
Singular nouns go with singular verbs. Singular verbs have an -s at the end in present tense.
Verbs with plural nouns have no -s at the end.
The baby sleeps.
The babies sleep.
The cricket chirps.
The crickets chirp.
The rocket blasts into space.
The rockets blast into space.
The dog barks.
The dogs bark.
Remember – Present simple tense shows action happening right at this moment.
Verbs with singular nouns add an -s. Verbs with plural nouns do not.