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Remember this!

The present tense form of 'pretend' is pretend or pretends. Example: He pretends to be interested in the conversation. (He pretends to be interested in the conversation.)

Definition of “pretend”

to behave as if something is true when it is not
to make believe or feign

Tense sentence structure and examples:

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Notes from a Native English Speaker

Here are the general structures of a present and past participle. Remember, some verbs have an irregular form and may not follow this structure: Present Participle: [Verb] -ing Past Participle: [Verb] -ed

Present Simple	pretend
Present Continuous	pretending
Present Perfect	pretended

Present Simple

The simple present tense is used to describe habitual, regular, or general facts.

Subject + Verb + (Object)

Example

She pretends to be confident in public.

Example

They pretend to be friends.

Present Continuous

The present continuous tense is used to describe actions happening at the moment of speaking or future plans.

Subject + am/is/are + Present Participle + (Object)

Example

I am pretending to be a detective in the game.

Example

They are pretending to be aliens.

Present Perfect

The present perfect tense is used to indicate actions completed at some point in the past but relevant to the present.

Subject + have/has + Past Participle + (Object)

Example

She has pretended to be someone else before.

Example

They have pretended to like the food.

pretend Subject-Verb Agreement

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Notes from a Native English Speaker

Subject-verb agreement means that a subject and its verb match. They’re either both plural or both singular. A singular subject takes a singular verb. - Example: The cat is sleeping. A plural subject takes a plural verb. - Example: The cats are sleeping.

In the present tense, 'pretend' follows the typical rule of adding 's' when the subject is third person singular (he, she, it), but it remains the same for all other subjects (first person, second person, and plural subjects).