Welcome to your friendly guide to mastering the Present Simple tense in English! If you’re learning English and want to talk about your daily routines, habits, and facts, then this grammar lesson is perfect for you. The Present Simple is a fundamental part of English, and understanding it will greatly improve your spoken and written English. Let’s make learning grammar easy and fun!

What is the Present Simple?

The Present Simple tense is used to describe actions that happen regularly, habits, general truths, and facts. It’s called “simple” because it’s one of the basic tenses and quite straightforward to learn. Think about things you do every day, things that are always true, or things that are scheduled – that’s where the Present Simple comes in!

For example, you use the Present Simple when you say:

• I drink coffee every morning. (habit)
• The sun rises in the east. (general truth)
• My class starts at 9 am. (scheduled event)

How to Form the Present Simple: Basic Rules

Forming the Present Simple is quite easy. It mainly involves using the base form of the verb. However, there’s a small but important change for he, she, and it!

Affirmative Form (+):

For most subjects (I, you, we, they), we use the base form of the verb:

• I eat breakfast.
• You speak English.
• We live in London.
• They work at the office.

For the third person singular (he, she, it), we usually add -s to the base form of the verb:

• He eats breakfast.
• She speaks Spanish.
• It rains a lot here.

Important Note: For some verbs ending in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -o, we add -es for he, she, it:

• He watches TV. (watch + es)
• She goes to school. (go + es)
• It washes the car. (wash + es)

For verbs ending in consonant + -y, we change -y to -ies:

• He studies English. (study -> studies)
• She flies to Paris. (fly -> flies)

Negative Form (-):

To make the Present Simple negative, we use “do not” or “does not” before the base form of the verb. We often use contractions: don’t (do not) and doesn’t (does not).

• I do not (don’t) drink tea.
• You do not (don’t) like spicy food.
• We do not (don’t) play football.
• They do not (don’t) watch TV.

For he, she, it, we use “does not (doesn’t)“:

• He does not (doesn’t) eat meat.
• She does not (doesn’t) speak Russian.
• It does not (doesn’t) snow in summer.

Question Form (?):

To form questions in the Present Simple, we use “Do” or “Does” at the beginning of the sentence, before the subject, followed by the base form of the verb.

• Do I need a pen?
• Do you understand?
• Do we have time?
• Do they live here?

For he, she, it, we use “Does“:

• Does he play guitar?
• Does she work hard?
• Does it rain often?

When to Use the Present Simple: Key Uses in Everyday English

Understanding when to use the Present Simple is just as important as knowing how to form it. Here are the main situations where you’ll use this tense:

1. Habits and Routines:

We use the Present Simple to talk about habits and routines – things we do regularly, often with frequency adverbs like always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never, every day, once a week, etc.

• I always wake up at 7 am.
• She usually drinks coffee in the morning.
• They often go to the park on weekends.
• He sometimes eats chocolate.
• We never watch horror movies.
• I go to the gym every day.
• She visits her grandparents once a week.

2. General Truths and Facts:

Use the Present Simple to state facts that are always true or generally true.

• The sun rises in the east.
• Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
• Cats like milk.
• London is the capital of England.

3. Scheduled Events in the Future:

We can use the Present Simple to talk about future events that are scheduled or on a timetable, especially for transport, films, and classes.

• The train leaves at 6 pm.
• My class starts at 9 am tomorrow.
• The movie begins at 7:30 tonight.
• The plane arrives at 10:00.

4. States, Not Actions (Stative Verbs):

Some verbs describe states, feelings, or opinions rather than actions. We often use these in the Present Simple. These are sometimes called “stative verbs.” Examples include: like, love, hate, know, believe, understand, want, need, see, hear, smell, taste, be, have (for possession).

• I like pizza.
• She loves chocolate.
• They know the answer.
• He believes in ghosts.
• We understand the lesson.
• I want a new car.
• She has a dog.

Let’s Practice! Present Simple Exercises

Now it’s time to practice what you’ve learned! Complete the sentences below using the Present Simple form of the verbs in brackets.

1. I ________ (drink) coffee every morning.
2. She ________ (play) tennis on Sundays.
3. They ________ (not/watch) TV very often.
4. ________ (you/like) pizza?
5. He ________ (go) to school by bus.
6. We ________ (live) in a big city.
7. The sun ________ (rise) in the east.
8. My class ________ (start) at 10 am.
9. She ________ (not/speak) French.
10. ________ (he/work) in an office?

Answers:

1. I drink coffee every morning.
2. She plays tennis on Sundays.
3. They do not/don’t watch TV very often.
4. Do you like pizza?
5. He goes to school by bus.
6. We live in a big city.
7. The sun rises in the east.
8. My class starts at 10 am.
9. She does not/doesn’t speak French.
10. Does he work in an office?

Speak English with Confidence: Practice the Present Simple with Lingofrnd

Learning grammar is important, but speaking is key to fluency! To really master the Present Simple, you need to use it in conversation. How can you practice speaking and using the Present Simple in real-life scenarios?

Introducing Lingofrnd.com, your AI-powered spoken English teacher! Lingofrnd is designed to help you practice speaking English anytime, anywhere. You can practice using the Present Simple by talking about your daily routines, habits, and interests with Lingofrnd. It’s a fantastic way to improve your spoken English and build confidence.

Here’s how Lingofrnd can help you:

• Practice Speaking: Talk about your day, your hobbies, your family – all using the Present Simple.
• Get Instant Feedback: Lingofrnd provides feedback to help you improve your pronunciation and grammar.
• Boost Confidence: Practice in a safe and friendly environment and become more comfortable speaking English.

Ready to take your English speaking to the next level? Visit Lingofrnd.com and start practicing today! You can also Download App to practice on the go. Start speaking English confidently with Lingofrnd and master the Present Simple in real conversations!

Keep practicing, and you’ll be using the Present Simple like a pro in no time! Happy learning!