- Use the Present Simple for habits, routines and facts
- Add the -s/-es ending correctly after he, she and it
- Make negatives and questions with do/does
- Put adverbs of frequency (always, usually, sometimes, never) in the right place
Look at Murad's day: Murad gets up at seven. He has breakfast, and then he goes to school. In the evening he does his homework. These sentences describe things that happen every day. In English we use the Present Simple for actions like these — it is one of the most common tenses.
When do we use it?
- Habits and repeated actions: I get up at 7 every day. We play football on Sundays.
- Facts and general truths: Water boils at 100 °C. The sun rises in the east.
- Permanent situations: My aunt lives in Sheki. I speak three languages.
- Timetables and schedules: The train leaves at 8:15. The lesson starts at 9.
- Likes, wants and knowledge: I like music. She knows the answer.
The forms
The positive form of the Present Simple is just the base verb: I work, you work, we work, they work. The only change is in the third person singular: after he, she, it we add -s: she works. For negatives and questions we need a helping verb: do, or does for he, she and it.
| Sentence | I / you / we / they | he / she / it |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | I work in Baku. | She works in Baku. |
| Negative | I don't (do not) work. | She doesn't (does not) work. |
| Question | Do you work? | Does she work? |
| Short answer | Yes, I do. / No, I don't. | Yes, she does. / No, she doesn't. |
| Wh- question | Where do you work? | Where does she work? |
He, she, it: the -s ending
| Rule | Examples |
|---|---|
| Most verbs: +s | work → works, play → plays, read → reads |
| Ending in -s, -sh, -ch, -x, -o: +es | miss → misses, wash → washes, watch → watches, fix → fixes, go → goes, do → does |
| Consonant + y: y → ies | study → studies, fly → flies, cry → cries |
| Vowel + y: +s | play → plays, buy → buys |
| Irregular | have → has |
The ending has three pronunciations: /s/ after voiceless sounds — works, stops; /z/ after voiced sounds and vowels — plays, reads; and /ɪz/ after hissing sounds like s, sh and ch — watches, washes, misses.
Adverbs of frequency
| Adverb | How often? | Example |
|---|---|---|
| always | every time (100%) | I always brush my teeth in the morning. |
| usually | most of the time (≈ 80%) | She usually walks to school. |
| often | many times (≈ 60%) | We often eat fish. |
| sometimes | now and then (≈ 40%) | He sometimes plays chess. |
| rarely | not often (≈ 10%) | They rarely watch TV. |
| never | not at all (0%) | I never drink coffee. |
An adverb of frequency goes before the main verb but after the verb to be: I always get up early. — She is never late. Note that never is already negative, so we don't add don't: I don't never drink coffee. ✗
Put the verbs in brackets into the Present Simple:
1) Leyla ___ (live) in Baku.
2) She ___ (go) to school every day.
3) She ___ (not / like) cold weather.
4) ___ she ___ (speak) English? — Yes, she ___.
5) Her brothers ___ (study) at university.
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2) She goes to school every day. — go ends in -o → +es.
3) She doesn't like cold weather. — doesn't + base verb.
4) Does she speak English? — Yes, she does.
5) Her brothers study at university. — no -s with they.
- 1.My uncle (work) in a hospital.
- 2.Water (boil) at 100 °C.
- 3.Aysel (watch) TV in the evenings.
- 4.My brother (study) English every day.
- 5.I (not / drink) coffee.
- 6. your sister play the piano? — Yes, she does.
- 7.He doesn't (like) cold weather.
- 8.Murad (have) breakfast at seven every day.
Key points
- The Present Simple is used for habits, facts, permanent situations and timetables.
- With he, she and it the verb takes -s/-es: works, goes, studies, has.
- Negatives and questions use do/does: I don't know. Does she work?
- After does and doesn't the verb has no -s: Does he play? He doesn't play.
- Adverbs of frequency go before the main verb and after to be: I always walk. She is always happy.
Check yourself
10 questions. Every correct answer earns XP.