C Present simple

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Tips and advice for foreign students in the UK
Over 150,000 overseas students live and study in the UK.

Read what some of them think.

Do people in the UK seem friendly?

My experience is very positive. British people like meeting people

from other countries.
Rosa, Chile

What differences do you notice?

People say the English are very punctual but I don’t think it ’s true.
For example, my physics class never starts on time.
Frank, Switzerland

Presentation
Use the present simple tense to talk about... Affirmative
• facts (things that are always or currently true): I /You /W e /They live
Over 150,000 overseas students live and study in the ------------------------------------------------------in the UK.
He /She /It lives
UK.
• repeated events and routines:
Negative
I have a Physics classes every Monday at 9 a.m.
It never starts on time! I / You / We / They don’t (do not)
------------------------------------------------------- think it’s true.
• likes/dislikes and opinions: He / She / It does not (doesn’t)
British people like meeting people from other
countries. You usually use the contracted forms dont/doesn’t when
I d o n t think its true. speaking and writing informally.

Third person (he/she/it) -s: key spelling rules Questions and short answers
You usually add -s: live lives Do I / you / we / they
---------------------------------------- seem friendly?
However, there are exceptions: Does he / she / it
1 Add -es to verbs ending in -ch, -o, -s, -ss, -sh,
and -x: watch -» watches, go goes I am. I’m not.
2 Change verbs ending in consonant + y to -i: Yes, you / we / they are. No, you / we / they aren’t
study studies he / she / it is. he / she / it isn’t.

3 Do NOT change the ending -y after a vowel:

do I / you / we / they
buy buys NOT buies Where ------------------------------------ come from?
does he / she / it
4 Note also have -> has
See page 233: Spelling rules

22
Exercises
1 Complete the sentences with the present simple form of the verbs in the box.
catch cost enjoy feel §e have live study travel understand

1 Ricki 9oes to English lessons twice a week.

2 The US President in the White House,
3 We always the bus to work at eight in the morning,
4 This bicycle over €500.
5 He playing computer games with his friends.
6 Most people in France their summer holiday in July and August,
7 Nigel and Bruce for their exams in the evenings,
8 The moon round the Earth at 3,683 kilometres per hour,
9 How do you today? Are you better?
10 I don’t this question. Can you help me?

2 (2n S 3 Complete the interview for a school magazine. Use the present simple form
of the verbs in brackets. Then listen and check.

Gabi Teschner, a German exchange student, is spending three months in the USA.
In te rv ie w e r: W h at 1 4 ° Y?. u C € ... (n o tice) about stud ents in the U SA ?

G a b i: They 2 ..^.P... (get up) very early for school.

In te rv ie w e r: W h at tim e 3 ...................................... (school/start) in G erm any?

G a b i: W e also 4 ........................(b eg in ) at eight o ’clo ck b u t in the U SA the

school day 3 ....................... (last) longer. A lso the tim etable 6 ................

(n o t give) m u ch tim e fo r breaks and lunch.

Gabi Teschner
In te rv ie w e r: W h at 7 ....................... (you th in k ) o f A m erican food, G abi?

G a b i: I 8 ....................... (like) th e b reak fasts becau se they are sim ilar to G erm any

but the sch oo l lun ch 9 ....................... (n o t taste) very good. I t’s always

burgers or pizza and fries.

In te rv ie w e r: A nd w h a t 10....................... (stu d ents do) in th eir free tim e?

G a b i: Sp o rt is very im p o rtan t in the U SA so they 11........................ (play)

baseball or fo otb all after school.

In te rv ie w e r: 12....................... (you play) these sports in G erm any?

G a b i: Yes, I’m in a w o m en ’s fo otb all team but we 13......................... (n o t use)

an oval ball. O u r fo otb alls, or so ccer balls, are round!

3 Correct the sentences. Three sentences are correct.

1 Everyone has a mobile phone these days. / 6 The children like the cake.
2 What time does you get up? 7 How often does he goes to the gym?
3 I doesn’t believe everything in 8 It not feel very comfortable.
newspapers. 9 My sister studys modern languages at
4 Do they like meeting people? university.
5 The postman bring the letters in the 10 What similarities you see between the two
morning. nationalities?