Present Simple

The present simple tense uses the base form of the verb (except for the verb be). In singular, with the third person (she/he/it), we add an –s.
✅I like dark chocolate, but my friend likes milk chocolate.

We use the present simple:

1️⃣ to talk about something that is true in the present,

✅It’s Friday.

✅I love you.

2️⃣to talk about general facts that are always true and permanent (or we think that they are),

✅Two times two is four. (general fact)

✅Mount Everest is the highest mountain. (general fact)

✅Taylor Swift is the Queen of Pop. (opinion)

3️⃣to talk about regular or habitual events,

✅When I wake up, I brush my teeth. (habitual)

✅When I wake up, birds sing and the sun shines through my bedroom window. (regular)

✅Do you smoke? I don’t smoke anymore. (habitual)

4️⃣to talk about a timetable or a fixed plan,

✅My school starts at 9 am.

✅The train leaves at 8.20 am.

5️⃣to give instructions or directions,

✅Please finish this task and help Peter. (instructions)

✅Take the first left, then walk across the bridge. (directions)

6️⃣in the first and the zero conditionals.

✅(If/When) you come, we will play together.

✅(If/When) you touch snow, it melts.

	Subject	Auxiliary verb		Main verb
+	I, you, we, they			like	chocolate.
+	He, she, it			likes	chocolate.
–	I, you, we, they	do	not	like	chocolate.
–	He, she, it	does	not	like	chocolate.
?	Do	I, you, we, they		like	chocolate?
?	Does	he, she, it		like	chocolate?

Present simple positive

‘be’ is different from the other verbs in the present simple tense.

Positive	Positive Short Form	Negative	Negative short form
I am	I‘m	I am not	I‘m not
you are	you‘re	you are not	you aren’t
he is	he‘s	he is not	he isn’t
she is	she‘s	she is not	she isn’t
it is	it‘s	it is not	it isn’t
we are	we‘re	we are not	we aren’t
they are	they‘re	they are not	they aren’t

All other present simple verbs

Make the present simple by using the verb, with an extra ‘s’ if the subject is ‘he’, ‘she’, or ‘it’.There are also a few verbs that are irregular in the present simple. In the third person ‘have’ becomes ‘has’, ‘do’ becomes ‘does’ and ‘go’ becomes ‘goes.

Positive (he/she/it – add an extra ‘s’)	Positive Short Form	Negative (You only add ‘not’)	Negative short form (Use don’t or doesn’t)
I like / I go	–	I do not go	I don’t go
you like / you go	–	you do not go	you don’t go
he likes / he goes	–	he does not go	he doesn’t go
she likes / she goes	–	she does not go	she doesn’t go
it likes / it goes	–	it does not go	it doesn’t go
we like / we go	–	we do not go	we don’t go
they like / they go	–	they do not go	they don’t go

Present simple negative

To create a present simple negative form of a verb, simply add ‘not’.

✅I do not like this.

✅You do not like this.

✅ We do not like this.

✅He does not like this.

✅She does not like this.

The short form

Simply use ‘don’t’ instead of ‘do not’ and ‘doesn’t’ instead of ‘does not’.

✅I don’t know.

✅You don’t know.

✅They don’t know.

✅He doesn’t know.

✅ She doesn’t know.

Present simple questions

Yes / No Questions
Am I?
Are you?
Is he?
Is she?
Is it?
Are we?
Are they?

You can use do and does to make questions with the present simple. ‘Does’ is used for the third person singular (she/he/it) and ‘do’ for the others.

✅Do I like parties?

✅Do you like ice cream?

✅Do they know where to go?

✅Does he live far away?

✅Does she need our help?

‘Do’ and ‘does’ can also be used with question words like ‘where’, ‘what’, ‘when’, ‘why’, ‘who’ and ‘how‘.

✅Where do I live?

✅What time do you want me to be there?

✅When does she need to be back home?

✅Why do they travel by bus?

✅Who does she want to see?

✅How much does the ticket cost?

You don’t always need to use ‘do’ or ‘does’ in questions beginning with ‘where’, ‘what’, ‘when’, ‘why’, ‘who’ and ‘how’.

✅Who lives in Birmingham?

✅Who plays tennis every week?

✅Who is ready?

✅Where is your house?

✅What time is the party?

✅When is the next bank holiday?

✅Why is the window open?

✅How many people are there?https://youtu.be/cYuaQTUEoDo