Why is the word "present" as in "birthday present" pronounced differently than "I present you with a gift"?

Question

The word "present" is spelled the same, but is pronounced differently. In the first example, the word "present" has the stress on the second part, "sent," while in the second example, "present" has the stress on the first part, "pre."

Answer 1

Hello! In the General American Accent, "present" as a noun (meaning a gift) is pronounced "PREH-zint." The stress is on the first syllable. "Present" as an adjective (meaning being in attendance) is pronounced the same way, "PREH-zint." "Present" as a verb (meaning to show and/or tell about) is pronounces as "pree-ZEHNT."

Here are some examples:

She gave him a PREH-zint.

We were PREH-zint at the meeting.

I pree-ZENT-ed my project to the class.

Answer 2

The pronunciation of the word "present" varies depending on whether it's being used as a noun or a verb. If we are referring to "present" as meaning a gift, it sounds like "prez-ent" with a stress on the second syllable. Similarly, when used as an adjective, it has the same pronunciation, such as "I am present for today's meeting." However, when used as a verb, where there's an action of giving something, showing something, performing something, the word sounds like "pre-zent" with the stress on the first syllable. Example: "He presented us with a solution."