Explanation
Use the present simple for facts and things that are always true. It is also common for general truths and regular states.
For example, "The sun rises in the east." In this sentence, "The sun" is the subject, "rises" is the present simple verb, and "in the east" tells us where it happens. English often changes the verb for "he," "she," and "it," but Japanese does not change the verb in the same way.
現在形は、事実やいつも成り立つことに使います。一般的な真実や、ふだん変わらない状態にもよく使います。
たとえば "The sun rises in the east." です。この文では、"The sun" が主語、"rises" が現在形の動詞、"in the east" が場所を説明しています。英語では "he"、"she"、"it" のときに動詞の形が変わりますが、日本語は同じように動詞を変えません。
Examples
- Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. 水は100度で沸騰します。
- The Earth goes around the sun. 地球は太陽の周りを回ります。
- My brother lives in Osaka. 私の兄は大阪に住んでいます。
- Do cats like milk? 猫は牛乳が好きですか。
- I don't like cold weather. 私は寒い天気が好きではありません。
- The train leaves at 7:30 every morning. その電車は毎朝7時30分に出ます。
Common Mistakes
Japanese learners often forget the "-s" with he/she/it, for example "He work in Tokyo." → "He works in Tokyo." They may also use "is" for a general fact, such as "The sun is rises in the east," but the correct form is "The sun rises in the east."
日本人学習者は、he/she/it のときに動詞の "-s" を落としやすいです。たとえば "He work in Tokyo." → "He works in Tokyo." です。また、一般的な事実で "is" と動詞を一緒にしてしまい、"The sun is rises in the east." のように書くことがありますが、正しくは "The sun rises in the east." です。