The present simple
Introduction
I love my dog!!
Definition
The present simple is one of the two present tenses. The other one is the present continuous.
Construction
Affirmative
Subject + verb/verb with s or es - I like cheese.
We add s or es to the end of regular verbs with he, she or it.
Anne loves chocolate.
Thierry misses his wife.
The train arrives at 10 o'clock.
It is important to pronounce the s or es.
Negative
Subject + do + not + bare infinitive - I don't like cheese.
Interrogative
Do + subject + bare infinitive - Do you like cheese?
| Negative | Interrogative |
|
I don't work You don't work He doesn't work She doesn't work It doesn't work We don't work They don't work |
Do I work? Do you work? Does he work? Does she work? Does it work? Do we work? Do they work?
|
Does sounds like dʌz.
Doesn't sounds like dʌzənt.
Irregular verbs
There are some irregular verbs, including 'do', 'go' and 'have'.
| Regular verbs | Do | Go | Have |
|
I work You work He works She works It works We work They work
|
I do You do He does She does It does We do They do |
I go You go He goes She goes It goes We go They go |
I have You have He has She has It has We have They have |
Uses
| Uses | Examples |
|
To state general facts
|
The sun rises in the east. Australians speak English.
|
|
To give information
|
I like coffee. She lives in London. He plays tennis. This plane flies to Paris.
|
|
To talk about repeated actions, habits or routines
|
I leave work at 5pm. I go to the gym on Fridays.
|
Examples
I don't work on Fridays.
He doesn't like his job.
She doesn't drink coffee in the evening.
He doesn't play tennis.
They don't live in London.
Does he work in this office?
Do Bill and Ted drink tea or coffee?
Do Mexicans speak Spanish?
Does she have an appointment?
Do you wash your hair every day?
Time phrases
We use time phrases with the present simple: We have a team meeting every week. I take the children to school every morning. I go to the dentist one time a year. She does the shopping on Saturdays.
Pronunciation of present tense regular verbs
| /s/ sound after soft consonants
no extra syllable | /z/ sound after hard consonants and vowel sounds
no extra syllable
| /Iz/ sound after /s/, /ʃ/, /tʃ/, z, /ks/ and /dʒ/
this adds an extra syllable
| Change y to i and add es when verb ends in a consonant and y.
no extra syllable |
| likes shops talks stops walks laughs works wants waits sits drinks eats
| orders plays ends listens loves needs lives arrives learns
| misses watches finishes manages fixes washes
| hurry hurr fly flies study studies
|
Example
Xavier goes to work at 8am but he sometimes misses the bus. On Friday afternoons, he does the shopping and he watches TV in the evenings. He washes his car every Sunday and fixes any problems. He has a son. He helps his father.
