3. SIMPLE PRESENTSIMPLE PRESENT
Now, let’s read a piece of its lyrics:
There's nothing you can do that can't be done
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game
It's easy
Nothing you can make that can't be made
No one you can save that can't be saved
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time
It's easy
All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need
4. SIMPLE PRESENTSIMPLE PRESENT
The song is about something we need and
about things we can do. Everything is in
the present:
“All you need is love”
“Nothing you can say but you can learn
how to play the game”
5. SIMPLE PRESENTSIMPLE PRESENT
But how do we know when we should use the
Simple Present in English? According to the
British Council, we use it when:
a) We use the present tense to talk about:
something that is true in the present:
I’m nineteen years old.
He lives in London.
I’m a student.
6. SIMPLE PRESENT
b) something that happens again and again
in the present:
I play football every weekend.
*We use words like sometimes, often.
always, and never (adverbs of frequency)
with the present tense:
I sometimes go to the cinema.
She never plays football.
7. SIMPLE PRESENTSIMPLE PRESENT
c) something that is always true:
The adult human body contains 206 bones.
Light travels at almost 300,000 kilometres per
second.
d) something that is fixed in the future.
The school term starts next week.
The train leaves at 1945 this evening.
We fly to Paris next week.
8. SIMPLE PRESENTSIMPLE PRESENT
With the present tense we can make affirmations.
We use the verb in the base form (work/works;
tell, tells; have, has). When it is he, she or it, we
put an ‘s’ in the end of the verb.
Ex: I like to eat ice cream.
She loves dancing.
Sarah has a dog, it barks very loud.
They play video game every day.
9. SIMPLE PRESENTSIMPLE PRESENT
How do we make question using the Simple
Present?
With the present tense, we use do and does to
make questions. We use does for the third
person (she/he/it) and we use do for the others.
Ex:
Do you play the piano?
Where do you live?
Does Jack play football?
10. SIMPLE PRESENTSIMPLE PRESENT
We also use do and does with question
words like where, what and why.
Ex: Where do you live?
Why does she fail the subject?
What do they do on the weekends?
11. SIMPLE PRESENTSIMPLE PRESENT
With the present tense we use do and does to
make negatives. We use does not (doesn’t) for
the third person (she/he/it) and we use do not
(don’t) for the others.
Ex:
I don’t play the piano, but I play the guitar.
They don’t work at the weekend.
John doesn’t live in Manchester.
(doesn’t = does not)
12. SIMPLE PRESENTSIMPLE PRESENT
Let’s listen to another song (Britney Spears
– Lucky) in order to notice how the Simple
Present is used:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vvBAONkY
13. SIMPLE PRESENTSIMPLE PRESENT
Now, check a piece of the lyrics:
This is a story about a girl
named Lucky...
Early morning, she wakes up
Knock, knock, knock on her door
It's time for makeup,
Perfect smile
It's you they're all waiting for
They go...
"Isn't she lovely,
this Hollywood girl?"
And they say...
14. SIMPLE PRESENTSIMPLE PRESENT
Read the excerpt of the book ‘Wonder’ and pay
attention to the bold parts:
“I know I'm not an ordinary ten-year-old kid. I
mean, sure, I do ordinary things. I eat ice
cream. I ride my bike. I play ball. I have an
XBox. Stuff like that makes me ordinary. I
guess. And I feel ordinary. Inside. But I know
ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids
run away screaming in playgrounds. I know
ordinary kids don't get stared at wherever they
go.”
15. SIMPLE PRESENTSIMPLE PRESENT
Let’s practice!
Homework
We’ve studied the Simple Present form.
Now that you know how it works, write a
short text about your routine. You can
choose a day of the week to do it. (It must
have between 5 and 10 lines.)
16. RESOURCESRESOURCES
AZLYRICS. Beatles – All you need is love. Avaliable on:
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/beatles/allyouneedislove.html
COUNCIL, British. Present Tense. Avaliable on:
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/verbs/present-tense/present-simpl
SCHOOLS, Lakewood City. Wonder. Avaliable on:
http://www.lakewoodcityschools.org/userfiles/2658/Wonder%20-%20comp
%203_8%20-%20audiopdf.pdf.
VAGALUME. Britney Spears – Lucky. Avaliable on: https://www.vagalume.com.br/britney-
spears/lucky.html
YouTube. Britney Spears – Lucky. Avaliable on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=4vvBAONkYwI
YouTube. The Beatles - All you need is love. Avaliable on:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWEEaH3QZoI
