Present simple: habits, facts and everyday questions
Describe routines and facts, add the right ending, and make questions and negatives with do and does.
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Learn
Read the examples, then check each idea as you go.
Use the present simple to describe a routine, a fact or a situation that is true now. A daily habit can be true even when you are not doing it at this moment. Start with the subject, then choose the verb form and the statement, negative or question pattern you need.
Describe a routine or a fact
The present simple tells us what happens regularly or what is generally true. A routine can happen every day, once a week or only sometimes. It does not have to be happening while you speak.
Use it also for a current situation, such as where someone lives or what they like. Current does not mean permanent forever. A person can live in one place now and move later. Time phrases help the reader understand whether you mean a regular action.
I study English.
The library closes at six.
My aunt lives near the sea.
Use the base form with I, you, we and they
The base form is the verb as you usually find it in a dictionary, such as work, read or play. In a positive present simple statement, use that form with I, you, we and they.
Put the subject before the verb. Add the object or other information after the verb. A plural noun such as my friends follows the same pattern as they. Do not put am, is or are before the base verb in this pattern.
We read after lunch.
My friends play basketball.
I work at a café.
Add an ending with he, she or it
In a positive statement, a verb usually ends in -s when the subject is he, she or it. One named person or thing normally follows the same pattern. Think of the subject first, rather than choosing the verb from the closest word.
The ending belongs to the verb, not to the noun before it. Compare a person who works with two people who work. I and you are different: they take the base form even when they refer to just one person.
She reads on the bus.
My brother works at a hotel.
Our two teachers work here.
You work here, too.
Check -s, -es, -ies and has
Most verbs simply add -s: read becomes reads. Verbs ending in -ch, -sh, -ss, -x or -zz usually add -es: watch becomes watches and fix becomes fixes. For a consonant followed by y, change y to i and add -es: study becomes studies.
After a vowel plus y, keep the y and add -s: play becomes plays. Learn three frequent forms separately: go becomes goes, do becomes does, and have becomes has. These changes apply to positive statements with he, she, it or another singular subject of that kind.
Mina watches a short video after class.
Her friend studies at home.
Leo plays the guitar.
My neighbor has two cats.
Make negatives with don't or doesn't
With ordinary verbs, use do not or don't after I, you, we and they. Use does not or doesn't after he, she and it, and after a singular noun such as my brother.
The verb after don't or doesn't stays in its base form. Doesn't already marks the he/she/it pattern, so the main verb needs no extra ending. This also means using have after doesn't, even though a positive sentence uses has.
I don't eat meat.
She doesn't drive to work.
The room doesn't have a window.
Ask with do or does
For most present simple yes-or-no questions with ordinary verbs, put do or does before the subject. Use do with I, you, we and they, and does with he, she and it. The main verb comes after the subject in its base form.
A short answer repeats do or does rather than the main verb. Choose the pronoun from the answerer's point of view: a question about you can get an answer with I. A negative short answer uses don't or doesn't.
Do you need a bag? Yes, I do.
Does the bus stop here? No, it doesn't.
Do your friends like tea? Yes, they do.
Put a question word before do or does
To ask where, when, what or how often someone does something, start with the question word. Follow it with do or does, the subject, and the base verb. Where asks for a place; how often asks about frequency.
When who is itself the subject, use a different pattern: who + verb, usually with the he/she/it ending. You are asking which person does the action, so you do not add a second subject or an ordinary do/does helper. Compare asking where a person works with asking who works there.
Where does Ana work?
How often do you call your uncle?
Who works at the front desk?
Say how often something happens
Always, usually, often, sometimes and never can describe how often an action happens. A useful usual position is between the subject and the main verb. Longer phrases such as every day or twice a week often go at the end.
With be, these frequency words normally come after am, is or are. Never already has a negative meaning, so it does not need don't or doesn't in an ordinary negative statement. Sometimes can also go at the beginning or end; the middle position is not the only possible one.
I usually bring lunch.
She practices twice a week.
The shop is often busy.
We never leave the door open.
Keep be and ordinary verbs separate
Be is also used in the present simple, but its forms are am, is and are. It connects a subject to a description or place. Ordinary verbs such as live, work and like use the patterns with do and does that you have practiced.
Choose the question pattern from the verb. A description with be asks with is or are; a statement with work asks with do or does. Do not add be before a base verb just because your sentence describes a present situation.
She is tired. Is she tired?
She works nearby. Does she work nearby?
They aren't busy. They don't work today.
Practice
Try the questions in order. Use a hint when you need one, then read the explanation after checking.
Use it in your own words
Write four sentences about a real or imagined weekday routine: two about yourself and two about another person. Include one negative and one word such as usually or never. Then write two questions you could ask that person about their routine.
Write in English, then compare your writing with the checklist. This activity uses self-review, so it does not give a score.
Check your writing
Read an example response
I usually leave home at eight. I don't drive to work. My friend works near the station. She has lunch at one. Do you eat at work? What time do you finish?
Test
Answer without hints. Your result shows which questions to review; you can change your answers and try again.
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Helpful before this lesson
Subject pronouns and be: I am, you are, she isReview subject pronouns before choosing a verb form.
