Present Simple

Form

The present simple is the base form of the verb, with -s or -es added after he, she and it (I work, she works).

Verbs ending in -s, -sh, -ch, -x or -o take -es (she watches, he goes), and a consonant + y becomes -ies (study, studies). Negatives use don't or doesn't + the base form (I don't work, she doesn't work), and questions start with do or does (Do you work? Does she work?). The verb be has its own forms (I am, she is, they are), and have becomes has after he, she and it.

When to Use It

1. 1

   Use the present simple for facts and general truths

   The sun rises in the east.

2. 2

   Use it for habits and routines

   I drink coffee every morning.

3. 3

   Use it for permanent situations

   She lives in Chicago.

4. 4

   Use it with verbs for states and feelings, like know, like and want

   I know her brother.

5. 5

   Use it for timetables and schedules

   The train leaves at 6 p.m.

6. 6

   Use it for instructions and directions

   You turn left at the corner.

Common Mistakes

• Missing -s after he, she or it: write He plays soccer, not He play soccer — the -s shows that the subject is one person or thing.
• An -s after does: write She doesn't like it, not She doesn't likes it — does already carries the -s, so the main verb stays in its base form.
• Am, is or are with another verb: write I live near the park, not I am live near the park — most verbs need no form of be in the present simple.
• No do or does in a question: write Where does she live?, not Where she lives? — a question puts do or does before the subject.
• The continuous for a fact: write Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, not Water is boiling at 212 degrees Fahrenheit — something that is always true takes the simple form.