Present Simple

We use PRESENT SIMPLE to describe an action that is regular, true or normal.

We use the present tense:
1. For repeated or regular actions in the present time period.

 I take the train to the office.

 The train to Tabriz leaves every hour.
 Sara sleeps eight hours every night during the week.

2. For facts.

 The President of The USA lives in The White House.

 A dog has four legs.
 We come from Iran.

3. For habits.

 I get up early every day.

 Mina brushes her teeth twice a day.
 They travel to their country house every weekend.

4. For things that are always / generally true.

 It rains a lot in winter.

 The Queen of England lives in Buckingham Palace.
 They speak English at work.
Verb Conjugation & Spelling
Don’t forget : in the third person we add 'S' in the third person.

Subject Verb The Rest of the sentence

I / you / we / they speak / learn English at home

he / she / it speaks / learns English at home
The spelling for the verb in the third person differs depending on the ending of
that verb:
1. For verbs that end in -O, -CH, -SH, -SS, -X, or -Z we add -ES in the third person.

 go – goes
 catch – catches
 wash – washes
 kiss – kisses
 fix – fixes
 buzz – buzzes

2. For verbs that end in a consonant + Y, we remove the Y and add -IES.

 marry – marries
 study – studies
 carry – carries
 worry – worries

NOTE: For verbs that end in a vowel + Y, we just add -S.

 play – plays
 enjoy – enjoys

Negative Sentences in the Simple Present Tense

To make a negative sentence in English we normally use Don't or Doesn't with all
verbs EXCEPT To Be and Modal verbs (can, might, should etc.).
  Affirmative: You speak French.
Negative: You don't speak French.

You will see that we add don't between the subject and the verb. We
use Don't when the subject is I, you, we or they.

 Affirmative: He speaks German.

Negative: He doesn't speak German.

When the subject is he, she or it, we add doesn't between the subject and the verb
to make a negative sentence. Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb in the
affirmative sentence (because it is in third person) disappears in the negative
sentence. We will see the reason why below.

Negative Contractions
Don't = Do not
Doesn't = Does not
There is no difference in meaning though we normally use contractions in spoken
English.

Word Order of Negative Sentences

The following is the word order to construct a basic negative sentence in English in
the Present Tense using Don't or Doesn't.

Subject don't/doesn't Verb* The Rest of the sentence

I / you / we / they don't have / buy

cereal for breakfast
he / she / it doesn't eat / like etc.
* Verb: The verb that goes here is the base form of the infinitive = The infinitive
without TO before the verb. Instead of the infinitive To have it is just the have part.
Remember that the infinitive is the verb before it is conjugated (changed) and it
begins with TO. For example: to have, to eat, to go, to live, to speak etc.
Examples of Negative Sentences with Don't and Doesn't:

 You don't speak Arabic.

 Saman doesn't speak Italian.
 We don't have time for a rest.
 It doesn't move.
 They don't want to go to the party.
 She doesn't like fish.

Questions in the Simple Present Tense

To make a question in English we normally use Do or Does. It has no translation in
Spanish though it is essential to show we are making a question. It is normally put
at the beginning of the question.

 Affirmative: You speak English.

Question: Do you speak English?

You will see that we add DO at the beginning of the affirmative sentence to make it
a question. We use Do when the subject is I, you, we or they.

 Affirmative: He speaks French.

Question: Does he speak French?

When the subject is he, she or it, we add DOES at the beginning to make the
affirmative sentence a question. Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb in
the affirmative sentence (because it is in third person) disappears in the question.
We will see the reason why below.

Word Order of Questions with Do and Does

The following is the word order to construct a basic question in English
using Do or Does.
Do/Does Subject Verb* The Rest of the sentence

Do I / you / we / they have / need

a new bike?
Does he / she / it want etc.
*Verb: The verb that goes here is the base form of the infinitive = The infinitive
without TO before the verb. Instead of the infinitive To have it is just the have part.
Remember that the infinitive is the verb before it is conjugated (changed) and it
begins with TO. For example: to have, to eat, to go, to live, to speak etc.
Examples of Questions with Do and Does:

 Do you need a dictionary?

 Does Maryam need a dictionary?
 Do we have a meeting now?
 Does it rain a lot in winter?
 Do they want to go to the party?

Short Answers with Do and Does

In questions that use do/does it is possible to give short answers to direct
questions as follows:

Short Answer Short Answer

Sample Questions
(Affirmative) (Negative)

Do you like chocolate? Yes, I do. No, I don't.

Do I need a pencil? Yes, you do. No, you don't.
Do you both like chocolate? Yes, we do. No, we don't.
Do they like chocolate? Yes, they do. No, they don't.
Does he like chocolate? Yes, he does. No, he doesn't.
Does she like chocolate? Yes, she does. No, she doesn't.
Does it have four wheels? Yes, it does. No, it doesn't.
 Expressions used with the Present Simple

Frequency adverbs: always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never

(they are placed before the main verb)

Time expressions: every day / week / Friday…

on Mondays / Sundays…
at the weekend…
in the morning / afternoon…
in winter / spring…
once a day / week…

A. Write the third person singular of the following verbs.

play ____________ go ____________

wash ____________ teach ____________

drive ____________ carry ____________

fly ____________ start ____________

help ____________ kiss ____________

watch ____________ tidy ____________

like ____________ enjoy ____________

cry ____________ mix ____________

B. Complete the sentences with the Present Simple of the verbs in brackets.

1. Peter and his friends __________ to school by bus. (go)

2. Elephants __________ leaves and grass. (eat)

3. David's father __________ in a hospital. (work)

4. The bank opens at 9.30 and __________ at 4.30. (close)

5. Tom and Jim __________ football every day after school. (play)

6. Mr Jones is a teacher. He __________ History. (teach)

7. Our lessons __________ at 9.00 and __________ at 3.30. (start / finish)

8. My pen friend __________ in Japan. (live)

9. Mary and her brother __________ cartoons every Sunday morning. (watch)

10. John __________ his room every day. (tidy)

C. Complete the blanks with the Present Simple of the verbs in the box.

go work ride deliver love jog rest fish walk

Mr Letty is a postman. He doesn't work in the post

office. He always works outside in the streets.

He __________ letters to all the people in the

neighbourhood every day. He doesn't __________

but he __________ his motorbike.

At the weekend, Mr Letty doesn't work.

He __________. He __________ the countryside,

so he always __________ to his country house with

his wife. Mr and Mrs Letty __________ in the river

and they __________ in the woods every weekend.

D. Look at the pictures and write questions and answers, as in the example.

1. play / the guitar / in the afternoon

Does he play the guitar in the aftenoon?

No he doesn’t play the guitar in the afternoon.
He plays the accordion.
2. walk / after lunch

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

3. ride / their / bicycles / to work / every day

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________
 4. listen / to the radio / every Sunday

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

5. clean / the house / on Mondays

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

6. watch / TV / after school

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

E. Complete the blanks with the negative or the interrogative form of the
Present Simple of the verbs in brackets.

Mark: Hi, Tess! What are you doing?

Tess: I'm watching the football team.

Mark: Do you watch (watch) them every day?

Tess: No, I don't. They __________ (not play)

every day. They play four times a week.

Mark: __________ you __________ (have)

a favourite player?

Tess: No, I __________ (not have) a favourite player. Everyone on the team is

good.

Mark: __________ the attacker __________ (move) fast?

Tess: No, he __________ (not move) fast, but he's very clever. __________

you __________ (like) football, Mark?

Mark: No, I __________ (not like) it. I like basketball. It's a great sport.
 www.english-area.com

Simple Present (interrogative)

1. Write questions as in the example.

1. You / speak English. Do you speak English?

2. She / work hard.
3. They / have dinner at eight
4. Jill and Tom / study at university
5. You / do your homework every day
6. John / watch TV after dinner.
7. He / wash the car at the weekend.
8. Her friends / live in London.
9. You / have any brothers or sisters.
10. Your friends / go to the cinema very often.

2. Complete the questions with do or does.

1. ...... she take her gog for a walk in the morning?

2. ...... your friend Paul work in the shop over there?
3. ...... they know the answers to the exam?
4. ...... your parents know that you smoke?
5. ...... Bill teach maths?
6. Where ....... your sister live?
7. What time ...... the lessons finish?
8. ...... you go to the coast in summer?
9. ...... it rain very often in Ireland?
10. Why ...... they ask so many questions in class?

3. Write short answers to these questions (yes, I do / no, I don´t / yes, she does /
no, she doesn´t, ....)

1. Do you speak French? ................ 6. Does your father work? .............

2. Does your mother like chocolate? ............ 7. Do you go to the cinema? ............
3. Do you study a lot? .............. 8. Does your best friend study? .......
4. Do you usually watch TV at night? ............ 9. Does it rain a lot in Africa? ...........
5. Do you play a musical instrument? ........... 10. Do you live in a flat? ...........

Los mejores recursos gratuitos para aprender y enseñar inglés

A. Complete the sentences using the verbs in brackets.
1- Mr Green is a teacher, he ........................ (teach) history.
2- Jim and Nick .......................... (play) football everyday
after school.
3- Leslie ........................... (tidy) her room once a week.
4- Peter and his friends ........................... (go) to school
by bus.
5- The bank .................... (open) at 9,00 and
.......................... (close) at 4,00 P.M.
6- We .......................... (wash) our car every Saturday.
7- Stanley ......................... (like) Kikki’s music.

B. Correct the sentenses. Use the negative form.

1-Fish swim in the sky. Fish doesn’t swim in the sky.

2-Kikki plays the piano. _____________________

3-Teachers work in banks. _____________________

4-A banker sells meat. _____________________

5-Panda’s eat fish. _____________________

6-Leopards live in Antarctica. _____________________

C.Form questions.

1-you/walk to school. ................................................................

2-your brother/like horror films ...............................................................

3-we need/any eggs. .................................................................

4-it/ rain a lot in your country. .................................................................

5-Mike and Paul/live in this street. ...............................................................

6-Mr Jones/teach Geography. .................................................................

Mmmmm… Once a
How often do
month!
you go to the
cinema?

iSLCollective.com