Present Simple

When do you use the present simple?

You use the present simple to talk about:

Daily routines

Things you do every day or often.

• "I brush my teeth every morning."
• "He goes to school at 8."

Habits

Things you do again and again.

• "She drinks coffee every day."
• "We watch TV in the evening."

Facts and general truths

Things that are always true.

• "Ice melts in the sun."
• "The sun rises in the east."

Permanent situations

Things that are true for a long time.

• "I live in London."
• "She works as a nurse."

Timetables and schedules

(especially for transport, classes, or official times)

• "The bus leaves at 6:30."
• "The class starts at 9."

Remember: this lesson focuses on the present simple with main verbs like work, eat, and live. The verb be uses different forms: am / is / are.

Positive sentences

To make a positive sentence, we use the main verb. With he / she / it, we usually add -s or -es to the verb.

Structure

I/You/We/They + base verb + rest of sentence

He/She/It + verb with -s/-es + rest of sentence

Let's use the verb eat as an example.

Examples

With I / you / we / they:

• "I eat pizza."
• "You eat pizza."
• "We eat pizza."
• "They eat pizza."

With he / she / it:

• "He eats pizza."
• "She eats pizza."
• "It eats pizza."

Spelling Rules for the 3rd Person Singular

For he / she / it, the verb usually changes. Here are the main spelling rules.

Add -s

Most verbs:

• work → works
• live → lives
• sit → sits

Add -es

Verbs ending in -s, -sh, -ch, -x, -o

• go → goes
• watch → watches
• fix → fixes
• pass → passes

Change -y to -ies

If the verb ends in consonant + y:

• study → studies
• carry → carries

But:

• play → plays (vowel + y)

There are a few irregular verbs

• have → has
• do → does

Negative sentences

To make a negative sentence, we use:
do not / don’t or does not / doesn’t + the base verb

Structure

I/You/We/They + do not (don't) + base verb

He/She/It + does not (doesn't) + base verb

Examples

With I / you / we / they:

• I do not eat pizza. / I don't eat pizza.
• You do not eat pizza. / You don't eat pizza.
• We do not eat pizza. / We don't eat pizza.
• They do not eat pizza. / They don't eat pizza.

With he / she / it:

• He does not eat pizza. / He doesn't eat pizza.
• She does not eat pizza. / She doesn't eat pizza.
• It does not eat pizza. / It doesn't eat pizza.

Important rule:

After doesn't, the verb stays in the base form.

Correct: He doesn't eat pizza. (NOT: He doesn't eats pizza.)

Questions

Do + I/You/We/They + base verb + ...?

Does + He/She/It + base verb + ...?

Examples

With I / you / we / they:

• Do I eat pizza?
• Do you eat pizza?
• Do we eat pizza?
• Do they eat pizza?

Do you eat pizza every week?

With he / she / it:

• Does he eat pizza?
• Does she eat pizza?
• Does it eat pizza?

Does she work in a hospital?

Short answers:

• Do you eat pizza? — Yes, I do.
• Does he eat pizza? — No, he doesn’t.

Present simple with be vs. other verbs (reminder)

• be: She is happy. / Is she happy? / She isn't happy.
• other verbs: She works here. / Does she work here? / She doesn't work here.