Table of Contents

In this module you will learn to use the simple present to talk about the activities you do everyday. You will also learn to make negative sentences and questions in the simple present using the auxiliary verb "do".

Repeated events

use the simple present for repeated actions, not for actions happening now.

The simple present is a verb tense used to express events that happen repeatedly or habitually, such as actions that are performed every day, every year, or frequently.

  • Joan sees her parents every day.
  • We run in the Montreal marathon every year.
  • I usually eat Chinese food on Thursdays.

We also use simple present for actions that are a permanent state or condition.

  • They live in Mexico.
  • We have two children.
  • I want a new car.

Surprisingly, we do not usually use simple present for actions that are happening in the present, right now! We will see in a future module how to use simple continuous for actions happening right now.

Conjugation

Only change 3rd person singular

"Conjugation" means changing the form of the verb according to the subject and tense. The conjugation of the simple present is very easy. Just put an s on the end of the base form of the verb in the third person singular. All other subjects take the base form with no ending.

subject subject pronoun to eat to run to see
base form eat run see
1st person singular I eat run see
2nd person singular you eat run see
3rd person singular he, she, it eats runs sees
1st person plural we eat run see
2nd person plural you eat run see
3rd person plural they eat run see

Here are some more examples. Notice that verbs in the third person singular have an s on the end.

  • In the afternoons, we sit on the grass and have a picnic.
  • Jake builds furniture for his family on the weekends.
  • Eloise and Linda live in Dubai.
  • When we have meat for dinner, the dog eats the bones.
  • The quarterback throws the ball and the receiver catches it.

Don't forget the s!



  • He eats chicken for dinner.
  • Donald Trump lives in Florida.
  • The cat sits on the grass.

Conjugate!

Write the correct form of the verb in brackets.

Ex.   My brother (eat) more than me.
  • 1.   I (run) in the park every day. run
  • 2.   Zoe (live) on the third floor. lives
  • 3.   The President (speak) to the people on TV. speaks
  • 4.   My wife and I (like) to dance every Saturday. like
  • 5.   Mexico (win) the World Cup. wins
Exceptions

Most simple present words take -s in the third person singular, but some take -es or -ies.

-es ending

Add -es if the base form ends in -ch, -s, -sh, -x, or -z.

base form ending third person singular
watch -ch she watches
guess -s he guesses
wish -sh Jack wishes
fix -x Jane fixes
fizz -z the soda fizzes

Be sure to pronounce the -es as a separate syllable. Listen to these examples:

-ies ending

If the base form ends in a consonant + y, remove the y and add -ies.

base form third person singular
fly the drone flies
try the dog tries
cry the baby cries
go and do

The verbs go and do both take -es in the third person singular.

base form third person singular
go he goes
do she does

However, the pronunciations are different for each verb. Listen.

have

We have already seen in a previous module that the verb have becomes has in the third person singular.

base form third person singular
have The man has
say

The verb say takes -s in the third person singular, but the pronunciation changes. While say is pronounced with a long a sound, says is pronounced with a short e. Listen to these examples:

to be and modal verbs

The verb to be and the modal verbs such as can, may, should, would and could have their own conjugation rules which we will review in later modules.

Conjugation rules

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of each verb. The base form of the verb is in brackets.

Ex.   The man (shout) at his dog.
  • 1.   Mrs. Abbott (go) to church every Sunday. goes
  • 2.   We (have) many types of fish in our aquarium. have
  • 3.   This plane (fly) to Bangkok. flies
  • 4.   The team (run) in the park. runs
  • 5.   Me and my brother (live) together. live
  • 6.   Stella (watch) TV in her room. watches
  • 7.   Now you (see) it, now you don't. see
  • 8.   She (wish) she could stay longer. wishes
  • 9.   The elephant at the zoo (eat) all the grass in the enclosure. eats
  • 10.   I (want) to go to Cancun for Christmas. want

Simple present verbs

Click card to zoom.
"The family lives in a large house." live to reside, inhabit; to have life
phrase
"He makes model rockets in his free time." make to construct or build
phrase
"My grandfather can't hear anything these days." hear to perceive a sound
phrase
"I open the door to let the cat go outside." open to clear a passage or aperture
phrase
"The children jump on the trampoline." jump to propel yourself into the air
phrase
"Harold runs very quickly." run to move quickly with your legs
phrase
""Look over there!" the man shouts." shout to call loudly
phrase
"The boy catches butterflies with a net." catch to grab or arrest something
phrase
"Peek-a-boo. I see you." see to perceive something with your eyes
phrase
""Hello", says Mary to her friends." say to make a statement or utterance
phrase
"The boy wants a candy." want to desire something
phrase
"I swim with dolphins." swim to move yourself through the water
phrase
"The boy sits on the grass." sit to rest or settle on a surface
phrase
"Jake throws a water balloon." throw to propel something through the air
phrase
"Trudy eats rice with chopsticks." eat to ingest food
phrase
  • "The family lives in a large house." live to reside, inhabit; to have life
    phrase
  • "He makes model rockets in his free time." make to construct or build
    phrase
  • "My grandfather can't hear anything these days." hear to perceive a sound
    phrase
  • "I open the door to let the cat go outside." open to clear a passage or aperture
    phrase
  • "The children jump on the trampoline." jump to propel yourself into the air
    phrase
  • "Harold runs very quickly." run to move quickly with your legs
    phrase
  • ""Look over there!" the man shouts." shout to call loudly
    phrase
  • "The boy catches butterflies with a net." catch to grab or arrest something
    phrase
  • "Peek-a-boo. I see you." see to perceive something with your eyes
    phrase
  • ""Hello", says Mary to her friends." say to make a statement or utterance
    phrase
  • "The boy wants a candy." want to desire something
    phrase
  • "I swim with dolphins." swim to move yourself through the water
    phrase
  • "The boy sits on the grass." sit to rest or settle on a surface
    phrase
  • "Jake throws a water balloon." throw to propel something through the air
    phrase
  • "Trudy eats rice with chopsticks." eat to ingest food
    phrase

Vocabulary quiz

Choose the best word from the vocabulary flash cards for each blank. Each verb is used just once. Don't forget to conjugate the verbs correctly.

live, make, hear, open, jump, run, shout, catch, see, say, want, swim, sit, throw, eat

  • 1.   On weekends, my father furniture in his workshop. makes
  • 2.   The manager his employees to work harder wants
  • 3.   We many animals in the zoo. see
  • 4.   The children on the bed until mother tells them to stop. jump
  • 5.   Jim a ball for his dog in the park. throws
  • 6.   Jim's dog balls in his mouth. catches
  • 7.   Helen's dog faster than Jim's dog. runs
  • 8.   On winter nights I often the wind in the trees. hear
  • 9.   Our boss always at people who are late for meetings. shouts
  • 10.   Some people it is dangerous to walk around here alone. say
  • 11.   Whales often into the harbor. swim
  • 12.   A family of squirrels in that tree. lives
  • 13.   My mother always the window when it is sunny. opens
  • 14.   If I in the grass, ants will bite me. sit
  • 15.   The baby three times a day. eat

Negatives and questions

to make negative sentences and questions, you must use the auxiliary verb "do"

With most verbs, to make negative sentences and questions, you need a second auxiliary verb: to do. This is conjugated just like any other verb in the simple present.

1st person singular I do
2nd person singular you do
3rd person singular he, she, it does
1st person plural we do
2nd person plural you do
3rd person plural they do
questions

Questions take the form of Do/does followed by the subject and the main verb.

Do / does subject main verb rest of sentence
Do you like pizza?
Do they live in Dubai?
Does she swim in the lake?

To convert an affirmative sentence to a question, simply place the auxiliary verb do in front of the subject. In these examples, click the button to see how an affirmative sentence is transformed into a question.

  • Do yYou want a piece of cake.?
  • Do tThey live in Dubai.?
  • Do I go to school today.?

Check it out!

Why do we remove the s from the main verb in questions and negatives?

If a sentence has more than one verb, only the first verb is conjugated. In negatives and questions, the conjugated verb is the auxiliary do. The main verb remains in the base form. You only observe the change in the third person singular, because this is the only case where the verb is conjugated differently from the base form.

If the verb is in the 3rd person singular, you use does instead of do, and remove the s, es or ies ending from the main verb. Note how the s disappears from the main verb in these examples.

  • Does sShe swims in the lake.?
  • Does tThe horse runs fast.?
  • Does mMy dad swims every day in the lake.?

Don't forget to remove the s from the main verb!



  • Does your dog wants to go for a walk?
  • Does the girl sits there every day?
  • Does your sister lives in Costa Rica all year?

Questions practice

Complete the questions using the subject and verb provided.

Ex.   (Peter / want) an ice cream?
  • 1.   (dog / catch) the ball? Does the dog catch
  • 2.   (his grandfather / hear) everything? Does his grandfather hear
  • 3.   (these machines / make) good pizza? Do these machines make
  • 4.   (the lifeguard / shout) at the swimmer? Does the lifeguard shout
  • 5.   (they / run) through the city? Do they run
negative

To make a negative sentence, put the auxiliary do /does + not in front of the main verb.

Subject do / does not main verb rest of sentence
I do not catch the frisbee
They do not live in Dubai
The dog does not eat the bone

In these examples, click the button to see how an affirmative sentence is transformed into negative.

  • We do not want to go home.
  • They do not live in a big house.
  • I do not swim in the local swimming pool.

As with questions, when the subject is 3rd person singular, you must use does instead of do, and the main verb reverts to the base form. Notice how the s disappears from the main verb in these examples.

  • The old man does not says many unbelievable things.
  • He does not sees very well at night.
  • The Queen of England does not lives in Buckingham Palace.
Contractions

For convenience, do not and does not are often contracted to don't and doesn't. The meaning is the same and it is entirely optional which form you use. Contractions are more common when speaking than writing.

  • I don't do not want to go home.
  • The old man doesn't does not say many unbelievable things.
  • He doesn't does not see very well at night.

Listen to the pronunciation of the contractions...

Don't use the auxiliary with "to be" (or modals)!



You do not use the auxiliary "do" with the verb "to be" (or the modal verbs, such as "can", "should", "would" etc).

  • Does Iis the weather cold today?
  • The dog doesn't is not hungry.
  • My son doesn't can not swim

Negative practice - no contractions

Complete these negative sentences with the provided verb. Use the expanded form (ie. do not use contractions).

Ex.   Vegetarians (eat) meat.
  • 1.   Shane (see) his friend at the mall. does not see
  • 2.   I (swim) very well. do no't swim
  • 3.   We (catch) fish in the lake. do not catch

Negative practice - contractions

Complete these negative sentences with the provided verb. Use the contracted form

Ex.   The pitcher (throw) the ball to the first baseman.
  • 1.   The weatherman (say) the weather will be nice. doesn't say
  • 2.   Kangaroos (jump) more than 10 meters. don't jump
  • 3.   The mother (shout) to her child. doesn't shout

Review

Send your answers to the teacher for correction

A Main verb or auxiliary

Decide if the blank needs an auxiliary or a main verb. If it needs an auxiliary put "do", "does", "don't" or "doesn't". If it needs a main verb, use one from the vocabulary list above.

Examples

  • Mr. Abass swims in the lake every morning.
  • The Petzinger children don't see their grandmother very often.
  • 1.   I’m a vegetarian. I eat meat. don't
  • 2.   you listen to classical music? Do
  • 3.   He tell me any secrets. doesn't
  • 4.   My son a Playstation for his birthday. wants
  • 5.   Does she in marathons? run
  • 6.   he live in Ottawa? Does
  • 7.   they swim in the sea? Do
  • 8.   Mr. Goldman and his wife want any visitors. don't
  • 9.   Listen! Do you that strange noise? hear
  • 10.   My dog doesn't frisbees. catch

B Convert to negative

Rewrite these sentences as negatives

Example
The man jumps in the river.


  • 1.   This app tells you the time.
  • 2.   The dog catches the ball.
  • 3.   The policeman shouts at the driver.
  • 4.   We run on the street.
  • 5.   The family lives in a big house.
  • 6.   My son jumps on me in the morning.
  • 7.   Everybody says the plan will fail.
  • 8.   Helen does the housework for me.

C Convert to questions

Rewrite these sentences as questions

Example
They throw a ball in the street.


  • 1.   He makes a lot of money.
  • 2.   I want to see them.
  • 3.   She sits at the corner table.
  • 4.   My daughter does the dishes every evening.
  • 5.   We look at the house for sale.
  • 6.   Mr. Peterson listens to heavy metal.
  • 7.   Annabelle swims across the English Channel.
  • 8.   Hank throws me the keys.

D Answer the questions

Listen to the audio questions, then write answers using full sentences.

  • 1.  
    listen
  • 2.  
    listen
  • 3.  
    listen
  • 4.  
    listen
  • 5.  
    listen

E What's the question?

Listen to these answers. Write the question that matches the answer. Use full sentences.

  • 1.  
    listen
  • 2.  
    listen
  • 3.  
    listen

F What does Cheater want?

Listen to this story then answer the questions out loud. Record your answers by clicking the purple record button.

Has deshabilitado el microfono. Para rehabilitarlo, favor de refrescar el navagador.
  • 1.   Where does Teresa live?

    grabar

  • 2.   What does Cheater do when they come to the lake?

    grabar

  • 3.   What does Teresa say when she buys a bag of chips?

    grabar

  • 4.   What does the man do with his dog?

    grabar

  • 5.   What does Cheater want?

    grabar