LoginPresent Simple For beginners
In this lesson, beginners will learn about English Present Simple Tense with easy explanations, clear examples, and practice exercises.
What Is Present Simple Tense?
The present simple tense in English is the root of the verb without any ending and is used to talk about actions or situations that are regular or always true.
Spelling
In the simple present tense, the third-person singular form (he, she, it) of most verbs is formed by adding 's' to the base form of the verb. For example:
eat → eats
walk → walks
run → runs
If a verbs end in '-ch', '-ss', '-sh', '-x' or '-zz', add '-es' instead of 's':
watch → watches
wash → washes
mix → mixes
If a verb ends in a consonant + -y, change 'y' to 'i' and then add '-es':
study → studies
hurry → hurries
If the verb ends in a vowel + '-y', just add '-s':
pay → pays
enjoy → enjoys
Some verbs are irregular and their third-person form does not follow these rules. For example:
be → is
have → has
Present Simple 'to be'
The verb to be is one of the irregular verbs in English. In the table below, you can see its forms in the present simple tense:
Subject | Be |
|---|---|
I | am |
You | are |
He/She/It | is |
We | are |
You | are |
They | are |
Negation
To make a negative sentence, add 'do not' (don't) or 'does not' (doesn't) before the base form of verbs.
Affirmative | Negative | Short Form |
|---|---|---|
I go to school. | I do not go to school. | I don't go to school. |
You work. | You do not work. | You don't work. |
She runs. | She does not run. | She doesn't run. |
To negate a 'to be' verb, simply add 'not' after it. For example:
To Be | Negation | Short Form |
|---|---|---|
I am a student. | I am not a student. | - |
You are a student. | You are not a student. | You aren't a student. |
He/she is a student. | He/she is not a student. | He/she isn't a student. |
Questions
To make a yes/no question, use 'do/ does + subject + the base form of the verb' at the beginning of the sentence.
Statement | Question |
|---|---|
I run. | Do I run? |
You run. | Do you run? |
He goes to school. | Does he go to school? |
If the main verb of the sentence is 'to be', the question form is made by putting the verb at the beginning of the sentences and putting the subject after it.
Statement | Question |
|---|---|
I am happy. | Am I happy? |
You are a doctor. | Are you a doctor? |
He is nice. | Is he nice? |
Uses
The simple present tense is used to:
Talk about facts:
Mary has a twin sister.
The earth is round.
Talk about routines:
Mary goes to school every day.
I wash the dishes after dinner every night.
Quiz:
Which sentence is correctly formed in the present simple tense for a third-person singular subject?
He walk to school every day.
She studies English on weekends.
It playes outside in the morning.
She watchs a movie every night.
Complete the table with the correct forms of the verb based on the Present Simple tense rules.
| Subject | Verb (base form) | Sentence |
|---|---|---|
I | be | I happy. |
She | She carries the groceries. | |
It | play | It in the yard. |
We | We run in the park. | |
They | watch | They a movie. |
Which option correctly negates the sentence: "She likes chocolate"?
She not like chocolate.
She do not like chocolate.
She does not like chocolate.
She does not likes chocolate.
Sort the words to make a negative sentence.
Choose the correct form of the verb to complete the sentence.
We
not eat lunch at noon.
she like reading books?
Sarah
not have a pet.
they enjoy playing soccer?
I
not like to wake up early every day.
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