Explanation:
What Is the Simple Aspect? (with Examples)
The simple aspect (or indefinite aspect as it's occasionally called) is the verb form used to express a fact. Unlike other aspects (like the progressive aspect or the perfect aspect), the simple aspect does not make it clear whether the action is a complete action or a habitual action. For example:
Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in Britain.
(fact)
We climbed Ben Nevis yesterday.
(This is a fact. Context tells us it's a complete action.)
He climbs Ben Nevis every year.
(This is a fact. Context tells us it's a habitual action.)
Any verb (in the past, present or future) in the indefinite (or simple) tense is said to be in the "simple aspect."
The Simple Aspect Is Not Simple
A verb in the simple aspect relies on a combination of context and tense to clarify whether the action is complete or on going. For example:
He ate cake.
(The tense tell us this is a complete action, but it is unclear whether this was a habitual action or not. The context doesn't make it clear.)
He ate a cake.
(This is also a complete action. This time, context suggests it wasn't a habitual action.)
He eats cake.
(This time, it's unclear whether this is a habitual action or just a fact.)
This aspect's name (i.e., the simple aspect) does not do justice to how complicated it is.
However, with the exception of the simple future tense (which is formed with the auxiliary verb "will"), verbs in the simple aspect are not formed using auxiliary verbs or participles. So, it's quite simple to