Look at these examples to see how we use the present simple.
I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables.
My dad phones me every day.
She doesn't like her job.
What time do you get up at weekends?
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
We can use the present simple to talk about things we do regularly.
I go to the gym three times a week.
We drink coffee at work.
We can also use it for things which are generally true.
She loves her job.
A lot of people work at home now.
Remember that we add s or es for he, she and it. Sometimes we also change y to i.
My favourite TV show starts at 8 o'clock.
She finishes work early on Fridays.
My brother studies at university.
The he, she and it forms for have, do and go are irregular.
He has a flat in the city centre.
She does yoga on Tuesdays.
My dog goes for a walk every morning.
For the negative, we use don't or doesn't.
We don't eat meat.
She doesn't have a lot of free time.
For questions, we use do or does.
Do you watch a lot of films?
Does he speak English?
| + Affirmative | - Negative | ? Question |
|---|---|---|
| I like ice cream. | I don't like ice cream. | Do I like ice cream? |
| You go to the gym. | You don't go to the gym. | Do you go to the gym? |
| He/she/it eats meat. | He/she/it doesn't eat meat. | Does he/she/it eat meat? |
| We watch a lot of films. | We don't watch a lot of films. | Do we watch a lot of films? |
| They work at home. | They don't work at home. | Do they work at home? |
Short answers
We can answer questions with Yes, I/you/we/they do, Yes, he/she/it does, or No, I/you/we/they don't or No, he/she/it doesn't.
Do you like cheese?
Yes, I do.Does she play football on Saturdays?
No, she doesn't.
Questions with question words
We can also put question words like what, where, who or what time before do or does.
Where do you work?
What time does he have lunch?
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Clarification on the Correct Usage of "Who" in WH Questions
I need clarification regarding the correct usage of "Who" as a subject and as an object in WH questions. Could you please confirm the correctness of the following examples?
Examples:
Using "Who" with "I am":
Using "Who" with "I have":
Using "Who" with "I do it.":
Extended Examples:
Additional Queries:
Could you confirm which of these questions are correct? Additionally, please provide explanations for the rules governing the use of "Who" as the subject and the object in WH questions.
Thank you!
Kesari Prakash, India
Hello Prakash,
This is a little longer than the questions we usually answer on the site. Please remember that we're a very small team here providing a free service to many thousands to users. It's difficult for us to answer questions like this due to the time constraints we have.
The second question is fine. The first would only be used to ask for clarification when we did not understand a reference made by someone else and not used in isolation. For example:
He's an idiot.
Who is?
The guy driving the car in front of us.
The same point applies here with regard to the usage of questions like this. Also, the singular form is much more common when forming questions with 'who'. It is possible to use a plural verb but we do it only when we are sure that we are talking about a group of people; if it is uncertain how many (one or more than one) then we prefer a singular verb.
See the comment above.
I always takes a singular verb - 'do' is a singular form for first and second person (I do / you do). The plural form for the first person is 'we'.
Questions with 'be' are formed by inversion rather than with an auxiliary verb and the verb 'be' agrees with the complement whether singular or plural:
Who am I? / Who are you? / Who is she? / Who are they? etc
Where the complement is a noun rather than a pronoun 'who' takes the third person form, singular or plural:
Who is the teacher? / Who are the teachers?
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Happy New Year Jonathan R, Kirk, Peter M.
When learning English as a beginner, is it more effective to practice sentences with just the subject and verb (e.g., 'I do,' 'I have,' 'I am') to focus on conjugation, or should learners incorporate objects and context from the beginning (e.g., 'I do homework,' 'I have a car,' 'I am a student') for better understanding and application?
(Please Check The Links)
KesariPrakash, India.
Happy New Year to you too!
I'm loathe to make general rules about the best way to teach different elements of English as there are too many variables: the students, their ages, their backgrounds, their existing knowledge, their goals, and the educational system in which they are learning (including exams and so on), to name but a few.
That said, I do think teaching language as it is used in real contexts is wisest. Corpus-based linguistics and neurological research has shown that language is stored not as discrete items connected anew every time we use them, but rather in chunks ready for deployment and combination. The inference is that exposure to such chunks is both wise and necessary for effective language acquisition. In addition, by being exposed to chunks of language students pick up patterns relating to article use, word order, collocation and so on without being explicitly aware of them. They learn to make good guesses even if they don't know the reasons for them.
I hope that helps somewhat.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi hi hi nothing changed in my mind
Hello sir. If in the same sentence we have two verbs, do we put them both in the same time?
Like example:
Do study verb come with (ing) ?
Hello Farahmorgan,
The sentence has a main verb (try) which is in the present continuous (am trying). This is followed by an infinitive (to study). You can read more about verb patterns like this on this page:
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/english-grammar-reference/verbs-followed-infinitive
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello sir. Why is simple present "does not" used rather than "will not" in the sentence: "I assure you that I will take extra precautions to ensure that this kind of accident does not happen again in the future."?
Is "will not" grammatically acceptable in this sentence?
Thanks for your time.
Hello Radioheady,
After ensure (that) you can use present or a modal verb like will:
All of these forms describe future time. Ensure (that) and phrases with similar meanings like make sure (that) and guarantee (that) are very flexible in that way.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you.