Present simple tense

Used to describe habits, general truths, routines, and facts that are always or generally true.
Also used for scheduled events and to express feelings, opinions, or states.

Structure of Present simple tense

Affirmative:

• Subject + base verb (add -s or -es for 3rd person singular subjects)
• I walk. / She walks.
• I wake up early.
• She likes ice cream.

Subject	Verb	Example Sentence
I	eat	I eat breakfast at 8 AM.
You	like	You like to play football.
He/She/It	eats	She eats an apple every day.
We	go	We go to school daily.
They	study	They study in the library.

Read also: Worksheets Present Simple tense
Negative:

• Subject + do/does + not + base verb
• I do not (don’t) walk. / She does not (doesn’t) walk.
• I do not (don’t) like coffee.
• He does not (doesn’t) play football.

Subject	Helping Verb	Base Verb	Example
I	do not (don’t)	like	I don’t like coffee.
You	do not (don’t)	play	You don’t play cricket.
He/She/It	does not (doesn’t)	study	She doesn’t study at night.
We	do not (don’t)	eat	We don’t eat junk food.
They	do not (don’t)	go	They don’t go to the gym.

correct: He doesn’t like spicy food.
Incorrect: He doesn’t likes spicy food. (Incorrect)

Question:

• Do/Does + subject + base verb?
• Do you walk? / Does she walk?
• Do you like pizza?
• Does she study every day?
• Do you live near here?
• Does she speak English fluently?
• Do they visit their grandparents often?
• Does it rain a lot in your city?

Helping Verb	Subject	Base Verb	Example
Do	I/You/We/They	like	Do you like ice cream?
Does	He/She/It	play	Does she play the piano?

Rules for Adding ‘s’ or ‘es’

Add –s to most verbs with he/she/it
He drinks milk.
 Add ‘es’ if the verb ends in ch, sh, ss, x, o
She watches TV.
He goes to school.
 If the verb ends in a consonant + y, change ‘y’ to ‘ies’
She studies English.

Uses of Present Simple tense

Habitual Actions (Daily Routines)

Present Simple tense

• I wake up at 7 AM every day.
• She brushes her teeth twice a day.
• They go to the gym on Mondays.
• He smokes a cigarette every evening.
• We visit the park every Sunday.

Universal Truths & Facts

Present Simple tense

• The sun rises in the east.
• Water boils at 100°C.
• Cats hate water.
• The Earth revolves around the sun.

Fixed Timetables & Schedules

Present Simple tense

• The bus arrives at 6 PM.
• The train leaves at 10 AM.
• School opens at 7.00 AM.
• Our class starts at 8:30 AM.
• The movie starts at 9 PM.

 Feelings, Emotions & Opinions

Present Simple tense

• I love chocolate.
• She doesn’t like horror movies.
• Do you prefer tea or coffee?
• She hates waking up early.
• I believe in hard work.
• He hates loud music.
• They own a small house. 

Time Expressions Used with Present Simple tense

Always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never, every day, on Sundays, in the morning

• I always drink tea in the morning.
• He usually plays football on Saturdays.
• We never eat junk food.
• She goes to library daily.

 
Additional Examples of Present simple tense

• The teacher explains the lesson clearly.
• Do you enjoy swimming in the summer?
• He doesn’t work on weekends.
• The moon shines brightly tonight.
• Does your brother play the guitar?

 
Common Mistakes & How to Fix Them

Incorrect: He don’t like vegetables.
Correct: He doesn’t like vegetables.
Incorrect: She go to school every day.
Correct: She goes to school every day.
Incorrect: Do she like pizza?
Correct: Does she like pizza?

Read also: 200 Idioms in English

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