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One of the purposes for using present simple is to speak about facts:

E.g. "She lives in London" ... here I know 100% that she lives there, so I use present simple grammar and I add "s" to the verb when I speak about "he, she, it"

But when I use the word "think" or "maybe", should I still use the present simple grammar, because in this case I am not sure 100% that she lives in London? There is doubt about where she lives.


First question:

Should I say "I think she lives in London", or "I think she live in London"?


Second question related to the first one:

Is the using of present simple only for telling facts, or can I use it in telling fictional story or imaginary situation?

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    We usually refer to one of the reasons for using something, rather than one of the purposes for using it. Commented Apr 29, 2021 at 17:17
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    Welcome on the ELU! Perhaps you think that the usual conventions about writing English do not matter, but they do. I advise you to check your text and use capitals, question marks and other punctuation where needed, as well as s's that you apparently can place correctly at the end of verbs. After that people on the ELU wont mind to correct your errors involving real difficulties.
    – LPH
    Commented Apr 29, 2021 at 17:19
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    It makes no difference to the verb form of lives whether you're making the bald assertion She lives there or "qualifying" it as I think she lives there. The difference arises if you use an auxiliary verb to convey your uncertainty, in which case only the auxiliary verb is "tensed", and the "main" verb is in the infinitive form: She might live there. Commented Apr 29, 2021 at 17:22
  • Stories are usually told in the past tense, but it is possible to tell a story in the present tense to give the reader the feeling of actually being there. Commented Apr 29, 2021 at 18:45

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The correct way to say it is, "I think she lives in London" or "maybe she lives in London."

More examples: "I'm not positive, but I think he likes to eat cake." "I'm not sure, but I think she rides her bike in the morning."

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