Part 1

Simple Present - Form of affirmative, negative sentences and questions

 Form of the Simple Present

We use the infinitive of the verb. In the 3rd person Singular (he, she, it - or a name) we put an -s at the end of the infinitive.

infinitive - 3rd person Singular (he, she, it) infinitive + -s

Affirmative sentences:

I/we/you/they play football.
He/she/it plays football.

NOTE: he, she, it - Do not forget the -s.

Negative sentences:

We use the auxiliary do.
I/we/you/they do not play football.
He/she/it does not play football.

NOTE: We often use short forms in negative sentences in the Simple Present:
I/we/you/they don't play football.
He/she/it doesn't play football.

Questions:

Do I/we/you/they play football?
Does he/she/it play football?

Simple Present - Short and long forms (Contracted forms)

Long forms and short forms in the Simple Present

We often use short forms of the auxiliaries. The Simple Present is formed with a full verb. Short forms are only used in negative phrases.

affirmative
long form	short form
I, we, you, they:	-
I read	-
he, she, it:	-
he reads	-

 

negative (do not)
long form	short form
I, we, you, they:	I, we, you, they:
I do not read	I don't read
he, she, it:	he, she, it:
he does not read	he doesn't read

Part 2

Simple Present - Signal words

These words tell you what tense you have to use. For the Simple Present these are adverbs of frequency:

always
often
usually
sometimes
seldom
never

Other phrases of time can occur, like:
every day
every week
every year
on Mondays
after school

Simple Present - Special verbs

Special verbs in the Simple Present

1) have as a full verb
affirmative sentence	negative sentence	question
I, we, you, they:
I have a book.	I do not have a book.	Do I have a book?
he, she, it:
He has a book.	He does not have a book.	Does he have a book?

 

2) be as a full verb
affirmative sentence	negative sentence	question
I am from Britain.	I am not from Britain.	Am I from Britain?
he, she, it:
He is from Britain.	He is not from Britain.	Is he from Britain?
we, you, they:
We are from Britain.	We are not from Britain.	Are we from Britain?

We often use the short forms with this verb.

3) do as a full verb
affirmative sentence	negative sentence	question
I, we, you, they:
I do an exercise.	I do not do an exercise.	Do I do an exercise?
he, she, it:
He does an exercise.	He does not do an exercise.	Does he do an exercise?

 

4) modal auxiliaries can, could, may, must, need, will etc.
affirmative sentence	negative sentence	question
every time regardless the subject (I, he, she, it, we, you, they):
I can play tennis.	I cannot play tennis.	Can I play tennis?

NOTE:
We can subtitute don't (can't) for do not (cannot).

Modals have the same form every time regardless the subject. We do not add an -s to the infinitive.

Part 3

Simple Present - Spelling

Be careful with some words when using the 3rd person singular.

1) verbs ending in a sibilant [s] [z] [ʃ] [ʒ] [ʧ] [ʤ] or verbs ending in -o preceded by a consonant

We add -es to the infinitive.

We add -es to the infinitive.

Examples:
I watch - he watches
I pass - he passes
I go - he goes
I do - he does

2) verbs ending in -y

verbs ending in 'y' preceded by a vowel (a, e, i, o, u): Add -s.

Example:
I play - he plays

verbs ending in 'y' preceded by a consonant: Change 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'.

Example:
I hurry - he hurries

Simple Present - Summary

Use

1) repeated actions

My friend often draws nice posters.

2) things in general

The sun rises in the East.

3) fixed arrangements, scheduled events

The plane flies to London every Monday.

4) actions in the present - one follows after the other

First I get up, then I have breakfast.

5) instructions

Open your books at page 34.

6) with special verbs

I understand English.

Signal words

every day, often, always, sometimes, never

Form

infinitive (3rd person singular he, she, it: infinitive + -s)

Examples

Affirmative sentences:

I read books.	My brother reads books.
We sing pop songs.	She sings pop songs.
I play handball.	John plays handball.

Negative sentences:

You must not negate a full verb in English. Always use the auxiliary do for negations.

I		like	computers.
I	don't	like	computers at all.

.

My friend		likes	computers.
My mum	doesn't	like	computers at all.

Questions:

Use the auxiliary do.
Do you play football?
Does he play football?

Part 4

Simple Present - Use

The Simple Present is frequently used in English. It is also called Present Simple. Have a look at the following examples:

1) repeated actions (every day, always, often, sometimes or never)

My friend often draws nice posters.
I never drink milk.

2) things in general

The sun rises in the East.

3) fixed arrangements, scheduled events (e.g. timetable)

The plane flies to London every Monday.

4) actions in the present - one follows after the other (first - then, after that)

First I get up, then I have breakfast.

5) instructions

Open your books at page 34.

6) after special verbs, which are normally not used with the Present Progressive (These verbs express states, possessions, feelings etc.)
be, believe, belong, hate, hear, like, love, mean, prefer, remain, realize, see, seem, smell, think, understand, want, wish

I understand English.
He doesn't like fish.