1.

Present Simple is the tense that refers to: repeated actions, preferences,general
truths and scheduled events.
2. Present Simple requires the first form of the verb. (Verbs have three forms. You will learn
about them in the following lessons

Present Simple is used for repeated actions, preferences, general truths and scheduled
events.

repeated actions daily routine: I wake up at 7 every day.

repeated actions habits: I usually swim at the weekend.

likes and dislikes: I like horror movies.

general truths: Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.

generalizations: People talk too much.

scheduled events: The plane takes off at w

do I recognize Present Simple?

Present Simple is often marked by explicit or implicit adverbs or time expressions that indicate
frequency.

always, usually, regularly, normally, often, sometimes, occasionally, rarely, seldom, never (a
dverbs of frequency)

every day = daily, every week = weekly, every month = monthly, every year = yearly

once a day, twice a week, three times a month, four times a year

in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, at night

on Mondays, on Thursdays, on Saturdays et

Read the sentences in the next table. They are at Present Simple. Then read the following
section How do I form Present Simple? to understand how Present Simple works in
the affirmative, interrogative and negative forms.

Affirmative
1st person
Singular

Interrogative

I wake up at 7 every day. Do I wake up at 7 every day?

2nd person

You like apples.

Singular

Do you like apples?

Negative

I do not wake up at
7 every day.

You do not like apples.

He does not
He plays football on

Does he play football on

play football on

3 person

Tuesdays.

Tuesdays?

Tuesdays.

Singular

She travels in summer.

Does she travel in summer?

She does not travel in

It takes off at 9.

Does it take off at 9?

summer.

rd

It does not take off at 9.

1st person

We pay our bills monthly.

Do we pay our bills monthly?

You eat twice a day.

Do you eat twice a day?

3rd person

They usually ski in

Do they usually ski in

Plural

December.

December?

Plural
2nd person
Plural

We do not pay our

bills monthly.
You do not eat twice a
day.
They do
not usually ski in
December.

How do I form Present Simple?

Affirmative
Subject

Verb

e.g.: I (subject) wake up (verb) at 7 every day.

1st person, sg. I read daily.

1st person, sg. I often watch TV.

3rd person, sg. He reads daily.

3rd person, sg. He often watches TV.

Remember that:

(...)

For the 1st person (sg. and pl.), the 2nd person (sg. and pl.) and the 3rd person pl., the verb
has the same form. Only the 3rd person sg. functions differently.

The verb is used in its first form, e.g.: I read. The first form is the infinitive form without to. At
the 3rd person sg., we add an s at the end of the verb, e.g.: He reads.

Some verbs take an es (instead of an s) at the end for the 3rd person sg., e.g.:He
watches TV.

The verbs to be and to have behave differently: a) See how to use the verb to be; b) The
verb to have has an irregular form for the 3rd person sg. He hasan apple.

Interrogative
Do

Does

Subject

Verb

(...)

e.g.: Do I (subject) wake up (verb) at 7 every day?

1st person, sg. Do I read daily?

3rd person, sg. Does he read daily?

1st person, sg. Do I often watch TV?

3rd person, sg. Does he
often watch TV?

Remember that:

In interrogative sentences, we use the auxiliary verbs do or does.

We use do for the 1st and 2nd persons (sg. and pl.) and for the 3 rd person pl..We use does for
the 3rd person sg..

In interrogative sentences, we do NOT add s or es at the end of the verb for the 3 rd person
sg..

The short answer for a Present Simple question is:

o Affirmative: Yes, I do (for I, you, we, you, they) or Yes, he does(for he, she, it)
o Negative: No, I don't = No, I do not (for I, you, we, you, they) orNo, he doesn't = No,
he does not (for he, she, it)

Negative

Subject

Do

Not

Does

Not

Verb

(...)

e.g.: I (subject) do not wake up (verb) at 7 every day.

1st person, sg. I do not read daily.
3rd person, sg. He does not
read daily.

1st person, sg. I do not watch TV often.

3rd person, sg. He does not watch TV often.

Remember that:

In negative sentences, we use the auxiliary verbs do or does and the adverbnot.

We use do not for the 1st and 2nd persons (sg. and pl.) and for the 3 rd person pl.. We
use does not for the 3rd person sg..

In negative sentences, we do NOT add s or es at the end of the verb for the 3rd person sg..

The short form of do not is don't. The short form of does not is doesn't. e.g.:I don't like
horror movies. He doesn't like action movies

Place adverbs after the subject and the verb. e.g.: I walk every day. Do I walkevery day? I
don't walk every day.