Video: Present Simple (3rd Person)

Transcript

Hi! Remember the video about the present simple in the first and second person? In
this video, we will also have a look at the present simple tense. I will show you
when to use it and how to use it with third person singular pronouns: He, she and
it. Are you ready? Let’s get started!

Present simple uses

Remember! We use the simple present tense for repeated actions, preferences,
routines and habits.

Let’s see the examples:

• Sarah wakes up early.

• Mike studies daily.

• Sam watches TV in the afternoon.

Present simple affirmative

We make the affirmative form for the third person singular by following this
structure:

First, we put the subject (He, She or It) + verb with-s,-es or –ies + the
complement.

For example:

• He runs everyday.

• She watches tennis.

• It studies English.
Spelling rules for third person

Let’s look at the spelling of the third person. There are three main rules for the
affirmative form. Now, we will check each one of them.

Rule 1:

We add “s” to most verbs.

For example:

• Adam reads the newspaper in the morning.

• Sally drives her car on weekdays.

• The cat runs in the house.

Rule 2:

We add “es” to verbs ending in –s,-x,-sh,-ch and -o.

For example:

• Adam watches TV in the morning.

• Sally fixes her car every Saturday.

• The dog goes to the park on weekend.

Rule 3:

We add “ies” to verb ending in consonant + “y”.

As in: He tidies… or She studies…

But only add-s in verbs ending in vowels + “y”

As in: She plays…

For example:

• Mark tidies his bedroom every weekend.

• Calire studies her lessons in the afternoon.

 • The cat plays outside.

Present simple negative

What about the negative form?

We make the negative form for the third person singular by following this structure.
First, we put the subject (He, She or It) + the auxiliary verb (doesn’t) + the basic
verb (run, play or study).

For example:

He doesn't study.

Now, let’s look at some examples in the negative form of the present simple:

• She doesn't wake up early.

• It doesn't go to the beach in the afternoon.

• He doesn't study French.

Present simple question

What about questions?

Questions have two forms:

Yes/No questions and Wh-questions.

Let’s look at each form.

To make a

Yes/No question, we use:

Does + subject (he,she,it) + basic verb (run, play, study).

We use Short Answers for Yes/ No questions. Now, let’s look at some examples of
Yes/No questions and short answers in present simple:

• Does she wake up early? No, she doesn't.

• Does it go to the beach every afternoon? Yes, it does.

• Does he study French? No, he doesn't.

To make a Wh-question, we use: Question Word (when, where, what or how) +

does + subject + basic verb.

We give full answers for Wh-questions.

Let’s look at the examples of Wh-questions and full answers in present simple:

• When does she run in the park? She runs in the park in the morning.

• Where does it go every afternoon? It goes to the park every afternoon.

• When does he have English class? He has English class on Monday.

Now, you know when to use the present simple tense with the third person singular
pronouns and how to use it. You can form affirmative sentences, negative
sentences and questions. Remember that you can always come back to this video
to review this topic.

See you in another video!