The article attempts to distinguish between three functions of the pre­sent form – praesens historicum, expositional present, renarrative present – in the first translation of the Gospel of John with commentaries by Theopylact of Bulgaria. The translator’s choice between the present tense and the aorist or imperfect as an equivalent for the original present form seems to depend on its function. Thus, praesens historicum, though more frequent than in other ancient redactions of Slavonic translation of the Gospel, is sporadically used in the translation of Gospel within the Theophylact’s work. Еxpositional present belonging to the verbs of speech and renarrative present used in the exegetist’s retelling of the Gospel are rather consequently translated with Church Slavonic present form.