pm. Our holiday starts on 20 May. In providing a commentary on events as they occur: I chop the chives and add them to the mixture. Ronaldo dribbles round the defender and shoots. In describing events in some theoretical or planned situation that is under consideration: According to the manager's new idea, I welcome the guests and you give the presentation. In many dependent clauses referring to the future, particularly condition clauses, clauses expressing place and time, and many relative clauses (see ): If he finds your sweets, he will eat them. We will report as soon as we receive any information. Simple present is also used in zero conditional sentences in both parts of the sentence. Ice melts if you heat it. Plants die if they don't get enough water. In certain situations in a temporal adverbial clause, rather than the present progressive: We can see the light improving as we speak. In colloquial English it is common to use can see, can hear for the present tense of see, hear, etc., and have got for the present tense of have (denoting possession). See . See also Present continuous Simple past Uses of English verb forms References Grammatical tenses