Simple Present
You can use the simple present to talk about present states (e.g. "I am old") and acts (e.g. "I read a book").
The simple present tense
The simple present tense is one of the basic tenses in the English language. It is the first tense you learn before all other tenses. It is very important to know how to build it.
Positive statements
- With I, you, we, they, verbs in the simple present tense don't have any special ending. You simply use the infinitive form of the verb: I want.., You need.., We go.., They like...
- With he, she, it you need to add -s to the verb: he wants, she needs, he likes, he eats, she meets, it works.
Read the simple present forms of the verb to have. There is an exception to the rule above:
- I have
- You have
- He, she, it has
- We have
- You have
- They have
As you see, you don't just add s to the verb have! You must use the form has with he, she, it.
Note: the verb to have indicates possession: I have a car. She has a dog. They have a new house. You can also use the verb have got to indicate possession: I have got a car. She has got a dog. They have got a new house.
Have or has? Fill in the gaps with the correct form of the verb to have in the simple present tense.
Negative statements
To negate a sentence in the simple present tense, we use "don't" or "doesn't".
Use "don't" with I, you, we, they + infinitive form of the main verb to negate a statement:
- I don't like parties.
- You don't listen to me.
- We don't have a car.
- They don't have any money.
- I don't want any ice-cream.
Use "doesn't" with he, she, it + infinitive form of the main verb to negate a statement:
- He doesn't like apples.
- She doesn't use a computer.
- It doesn't work.
- He doesn't have a swimming lesson today.
- She doesn't know that.
Look at the pictures and answer the questions. When the picture is crossed out, write a negative answer. For example: Does he have a car? 
No, he doesn't have a car.. When there is a picture without a cross, write a positive answer: Does he have a car? Yes, he has a car.
No, he doesn't have a car.. When there is a picture without a cross, write a positive answer: Does he have a car? Yes, he has a car.Questions in the simple present tense
Yes/No Questions with do/does
Yes/No Questions require somebody to make a decision. The answer can be either Yes or No.
To form questions in the simple present tense, you use "do" or "does" + the infinitive of the main verb:
- Use "do" with the pronouns I, you, we, they.
- Use "does" with the pronouns he, she, it.
- I like parties. – Do you like parties?
- You eat ice cream. – Do you eat ice cream?
- He likes music. – Does he like music?
- She plays the drums. – Does she play the drums?
- It works well. – Does it work well?
- We watch TV. – Do we watch TV?
- They like football. – Do they like football?
Note: Use do or does + the infinitive form of the main verb! Do not add s to the verb: Does he plays the drums? That's wrong!
The s for "he, she, it" is already included in the form does!
That's wrong!
The s for "he, she, it" is already included in the form does!Do the sentences start with Do or Does? Decide via drag and drop.
Write questions in the simple present tense. Use the words from the answers. For example: If the answer is Yes, she plays football. then write Does she play football?.
Short answers
Remember how we form Yes/No Questions with the verb "to be": Are you tired?. You've already learned that you don't just answer with Yes or No, because that is sometimes impolite. Instead, you give a short answer: Yes, I am. or No, I am not..
The same rule applies to giving short answers to Yes/No Questions with other main verbs:
- Do you like parties? – Yes, I do. or No, I don't.
- Does he like music? – Yes, he does. or No, he doesn't.
- Does she play the drums? – Yes, she does. or No, she doesn't.
- Does it work well? – Yes, it does. or No, it doesn't.
- Do we watch TV? – Yes, we do. or No, we don't.
- Do they like football? – Yes, they do. or No, they don't.
Yes/No + personal pronoun + do/don't or does/doesn't
Again:
- Use do with I, you, we, they.
- Use does with he, she, it.
Read the following text and spot the mistakes. Select the incorrect use of do or does by clicking on the forms.
Practise short answers in the simple present. Choose the right form and complete the answer.
Use
You use the simple present in two situations:
1. You use it to say that something (usually an action) is a regular routine, event or a fact:
- You always have lunch at 12.30 pm.
- It always does that.
- You never tell us about your parents.
- He sometimes calls me "Honey".
- We usually go to the cinema on the weekend.
All these sentences have special adverbials of frequency like always, never, seldom, rarely, every day, every week, every month, every year, sometimes, usually, normally, regularly, etc. These words often appear with and are an indicator of the simple present!
Be careful with the position of the adverbial: it comes before a main verb like eat, have, like, meet, see, come, call, go, but after the verb "to be":
- He always comes late. BUT He is always late.
- She never calls me back. BUT She is never at home when I call her.
- They sometimes come over to our place. BUT We are never at their place.
Also, there is one more exception: adverbials with every like every morning, every night, every day, every week, every month, every year, every time, … are placed at the end of the sentence:
- We meet our friends every weekend.
- They have dinner at 6.30 pm every night.
- He eats breakfast at 8 o'clock every morning.
2. You use the simple present to talk about a fact or a state like feelings, likes and dislikes that are true for a longer period of time:
- We live in New York.
- He hates vegetables.
- I love you.
- My English teacher is very nice.
- She likes chocolate.
- The dog is 5 years old.
- Her name is Anna.
- They have two cats.
Take a look at the daily routine of the Fernandez family. Then complete the exercise below. Fill in the first gap with the correct day of the week. Then fill in the second gap with the simple present form of the verb (in brackets). For example: On ____ afternoon, she ___ (play) volleyball. On Tuesday afternoon, she plays volleyball. To read again how to form the simple present, click here.
On Tuesday afternoon, she plays volleyball. To read again how to form the simple present, click here.| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday |
| family breakfast at 7 am | Maria art class at 4 pm | Anna with her friends at 3 pm | Anna late school start at 10 am |
| school bus at 7.45 am | Pedro swims in the evening | Pedro's favourite TV show at 7 pm | family cinema at 8 pm |
Listen to the audio file. Then match the times with the actions using Drag and Drop.