Grammar Card Pack • Grammatical Structure Notes Verbs

Simple-Present-Tense Statements
Language Proficiency Levels
Grades 1–2 12345
Grades 3–5 12345

Simple-Present-Tense Verbs
The simple present tense is used to identify facts and actions that happen repetitively, such as habits or
routines. The simple present tense can be used in statements.

My family and I live in the city. 1

I walk to school with my friend. 2

My friends play in the park often. 1

My father shops at the grocery store near our apartment every week. 2

Simple-Present-Tense Verb Spelling Rules

In statements with simple-present-tense verbs, spelling rules are expressed as follows:

Subject Verb Spelling Rule

I/you/we/they live* Use the base form of the verb.
play*
walk
shop

he/she/it work works If the verb ends in a consonant (b, d, f, g, k, l, m, and so on) or a
sell sells vowel (a, e, i, o, u) + y, add s to the base form of the verb.
buy buys
teach teaches If the verb ends in sh, ch, s, x, z, or o, add -es to the base form of
wash washes the verb.
kiss kisses
do does 2
study studies If the verb ends in a consonant + y, change y to i, and add es to
the base form of the verb

have has Has is an irregular verb, so the form must be memorized.

1
Sentences appear on Grammar Card Grades 1–2.
2
Sentences appear on Grammar Card Grades 3–5.
*Sentences are found on Grammar Card.

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Grammar Card Pack • Grammatical Structure Notes Verbs
Simple-Present-Tense Statements

Language Comparison
Every language shows the present, but how languages depict habits and routines is different. In English,
the base form of the verb is used for I, you, we, and they, and -s or -es is added to base form for he, she, it.
In other languages, the verb can be conjugated for every preposition. In Spanish, for example, the verb
estudiar (to study) changes for every pronoun (estudio, estudias, estudia, estudiamos, and estudian).

The simple present tense is challenging for many English language learners. In some languages, including
Cantonese, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Khmer, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese, verbs do not change form for
person and number. Thus, students omit -s or -es in the simple present tense, for example: She go to school
every day.

Additional Grammar

Simple-Present-Tense Verbs: Words that Signal Habits or Routines

Certain words in English signal habits or routines in the simple present tense. For example, words that begin
with every signal habits. Also, adverbs of frequency signal how often a routine happens.

Words with Every Adverbs of Frequency

My mother takes the bus to work every day.2

I always go to school.
My father shops at the grocery store near our
My friends play in the park often.1
apartment every week.2
She sometimes watches movies.
Every month she watches a movie.
They never visit the doctor.
Every year they visit the doctor.

1
Sentences appear on Grammar Card Grades 1–2.
2
Sentences appear on Grammar Card Grades 3–5.
*Sentences are found on Grammar Card.

2 of 2
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