Present Simple Tense

Key Table

How Sentences are Constructed

The structure of a sentence in the Present Simple tense depends on who the subject of the sentence is.

👍 Affirmative Sentences

You can use the base form of the verb if the subject is I / You / We / They.

Examples:

• I read books every evening.
• You work in a big company.
• We study English together.
• They live in a small town.

If the subject is He / She / It, then you need to add the ending "s" or "es" to the base form of the verb.

Examples:

• He drives to work every morning.
• She teaches math in the local school.
• It smells good in the kitchen.

For information on how to correctly determine the ending, read here.

🙅‍♂️ Negative Sentences

Just like affirmative sentences, negative sentences in the Present Simple tense depend on the subject of the sentence.

For I / You / We / They, you need to use the auxiliary verb do not (or its contracted form – don't)..

Examples:

• I don’t like coffee.
• You don’t watch TV in the morning.
• We don’t go to the gym on Sundays.
• They don’t play football after school.

For He / She / It, the auxiliary verb is does not (contracted form – doesn't).

Examples:

• He doesn’t play the piano.
• She doesn’t eat meat.
• It doesn’t rain in the summer.

❓ Interrogative Sentences

To form an interrogative sentence, you need to place the auxiliary verb Do / Does at the beginning of the sentence, and the formulation of the question also depends on the subject.

For I / You / We / They, the auxiliary verb is do.

Examples:

• Do I need to study tonight?
• Do you live in this neighborhood?
• Do we have a meeting today?
• Do they speak English?

For He / She / It, the auxiliary verb is does.

Examples:

• Does he drive to work every day?
• Does she like to read books?
• Does it work properly?