Present Simple (I know)

B1-B1+
Grammar
Verbs and tenses

The Present Simple has two forms (e.g. work, works). We use do and does to make negatives, questions, and short answers.

Positive Sentences
I/we/you/they	work.
He/she/it	works.

Negative Sentences
I/we/you/they	don’t	work.
He/she/it	doesn’t	work.

Questions
Do	I/we/you/they	work?
Does	he/she/it	work?

Short Answers (Positive)
Yes,	I/we/you/they	do.
Yes,	he/she/it	does.

Short Answers (Negative)
No,	I/we/you/they	don’t.
No,	he/she/it	doesn’t.

Present Simple: spelling

	I/you/we/they	he/she/it
After he/she/it, we add -s to most Present Simple verbs:	say make advise	says makes advises
We add -es to verbs that end with -ss, -sh, -ch, -o (e.g. finish, go):	pass finish wish catch go do	passes finishes wishes catches goes does
We change -y to -ies with verbs that end with a consonant + -y:	fly carry study	flies carries studies

Note also:

plural nouns:

The girls eat fast food every day.
The boys don’t eat fast food very often.

singular nouns:

Sarah eats avocado salad very often.
Michael doesn’t eat breakfast.

uncountable nouns (e.g. sugar, water, petrol, information):

Sugar is not good for your teeth.
Water isn’t expensive.

Uncountable nouns

These are some common uncountable nouns:	ice, water, rain, snow, heat, noise, cotton, glass, petrol, money, luggage information, work, homework, advice, news meat, milk, butter, bread, marmalade, food, tea, coffee, sugar, toast, cheese
Uncountable nouns do not have a plural form:	petrol (not petrols) bread (not breads)
We cannot use a/an with an uncountable noun, but we can use some/any, the, much (not many), such, and my/your/his etc:	a : I always have an egg, and then toast* and marmalade for breakfast.* some: I’d like some tea, please. the: Look at the snow* outside.* much: How much luggage* have you got?* such: We’ve had such wonderful news.
Some nouns can be countable or uncountable:	I heard a noise* from downstairs.* (countable) I can’t sleep. The neighbours are making so much noise. (uncountable)

We use the Present Simple to talk about facts:

The Danube River flows through Vienna, Austria.
Does five times five equal twenty-five? ~ Yes, it does.
Fiona doesn’t eat meat.

We use the Present Simple to talk about repeated actions (e.g. habits or routines):

He always gets up at 8 o’clock.
Do you cycle to work? ~ Yes, I do.
I play tennis and football.

We use the Present Simple with expressions of frequency (e.g. twice a week, often):

We eat pizza two or three times a month.
John doesn’t watch TV every day.
I call my mother once a week.

Note that we put adverbs (e.g. never, often, usually) before the main verb (e.g. go, cycle, eat):

I never go to the gym on Sundays.
Do you often cycle to work?
I usually eat lunch at work.

PRACTICE

Now it is time to practise what you have learned.

For each Practice Test, read the instructions carefully.
Complete the exercise and press 'Check' to get your results.

Practice Test A

Practice Test B

Practice Test C

Practice Test D

Practice Test E

Nigel Bailey

Nigel is a qualified Teacher of English as a Foreign Language and has been teaching in Poland since 2003. He has been teaching over the Internet since 2008 and has taught more than 1,000 students in this way.

Contact Me