Simple Present Tense

1. Simple Present Tense

The simple present is one of the most common tenses in English. It is used to
express habitual actions, daily routines, facts, and historic present, that is to say,
all those situations that happen sometimes or all the time, or things that are true in
general.

Examples:

Susan washes her clothes. (habitual action)

I brush my teeth every morning. (daily routine)

They live in Coro. (fact)

Simón Bolivar lives in our mind today. (historic present)

Have a look at the examples “Susan washes her clothes” and
“Simón Bolivar lives in our mind today” and notice that the verbs end in “s”
or “es”. Remember that this is an important aspect of the Simple Present
Tense that you must take into account when working with the third person
singular subjects (he, she, it).

See the examples below, study the changes in the verbs and keep
them in mind.

 Peter watches TV every morning.
 Annie visits her parents on Saturdays.
 The dog barks every night.
 Lidia goes to the gym.
 Galarraga plays baseball. (play)
 The kite flies so high. (fly)
 Carl fixes his car
 My mom washes the dishes.

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2. Simple Present Tense Using Third Person Singular Subject

As it has been explained before, the verb in the simple present tense
changes when working with third person singular subjects (he, she, it). Look at the
chart for further information about the specific situations for adding “-S” or “-ES”
at the end of the verbs.

Verb ending in... How to build 3rd person Examples
singular sentences

s Add –ES  He passes the test

sh Add -ES  She wishes to have a car

ch Add -ES  Susan watches TV

x Add -ES  Peter fixes the car

 The bird flies around the garden
Consonant + y Change Y to I, then add -ES
(fly)

Vowel + y Add -S  She buys a present (buy)

 Carl chooses the car’s color
[Vowels – “O” or
 He sings his favorite song
any other Add -S
 The dog walks fast
Consonant]
 The hunter shoots the gun

 She goes to the cinema every
o Add -ES
week

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3. Simple Present Tense with Verb TO BE

The verb to be in present simple tense is used to convey information about
the subject of the sentence. In contrast to the verbs in the examples presented so
far in the guide, we do not add –S or –ES at the end of the verb TO BE with the
third person singular subjects (he, she, it). Instead, the verb TO BE has its specific
conjugations for each personal pronoun.

Examples:
I am a student.

You are my best friend.

She is a nurse.

It rains a lot in August.

We are in a classroom.

3.1 Simple Present Tense with Verb TO BE in Affirmative and negative
Sentences:
The changes are minimal, but still pay attention to them. We just need to
add the negation “not” right after the verb TO BE. See the examples below, study
the changes in the verbs and keep them in mind.

Affirmative Sentence Negative Sentence

I:

I am from England. I am not from England.

he, she, it:

He is from England. He is not from England.

we, you, they:

We are from England. We are not from England.

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Keep in mind the corresponding conjugation of the verb TO
BE for each personal pronoun as indicated below:

Pronoun To Be

I Am a teacher.

You Are intelligent.

He

She Is here.

It

We

You Are close friends.

They

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4. Check your Progress I

4.1. In the following sentences, identify the corresponding cases (habitual
action, daily routine, fact, and historic present) in each of them. Write the most
suitable choice next to the sentences considering what has been explained so far.
Sometimes more than one option might be used. Guide yourself through the
example:

Example: She lives in Caracas. Fact

Peter likes big cities.

I eat vegetables.

Margaret speaks four languages.

We do a lot of different activities in our free time.

Susan always arrives early at work.

They go to the gym every morning.

Francisco de Miranda is an important hero for all of us.

We drink sodas.

Irma and Marbella read the newspapers.

He sleeps more than eight hours at night.

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4.2. Fill in the blanks with the verbs from the box. Remember to write the
adequate form of the verb depending on the subject.

Read Study Play Write Make

Visit Walk Run Travel Meet

Karen her grandparents every Sunday.

John fast when goes to the marathons.

He English II.

My mother to many countries on vacations.

Chris the guitar very good.

The dog in the garden.

Little Sally the lesson clear and fluently.

The teacher her students outside the classroom every morning.

The chef very delicious dishes.

Armand letters to her family monthly.

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4.3. Complete Susan’s daily routine with the words from the box. Remember
to write the adequate form of the verb attending to the subject.

Every weekday morning I as soon as my alarm .
After 10 minutes I and go to the bathroom. I a
shower, my teeth and my hair. After my shower
I myself with a big towel and go back to the bedroom.

In the bedroom I my makeup and .I
sometimes trousers and a blouse or top with sandals or shoes. Next, I usually go
to the kitchen and myself a cup of tea, although I sometimes drink
coffee instead of tea. For breakfast I often cornflakes, toast with
marmalade and a piece of fruit. After breakfast I my car keys and

to work.

Brush Comb Dry Eat Get dressed Get up Go
Have Make Pick up Put on Ring
Wake up Wear

4.4. Put in the forms of the verb TO BE (am, are, is) into the gaps in the text.

Peter Baker _________ from Manchester, but Paul and John _________ from
London. Manchester and London _________ beautiful cities in England. Hamburg
_________ a city in Germany. Sandra _________ a friend of jack Peter. She
_________ from Hamburg. Jack and Peter _________ her classmates. They
_________ in the same class. Mr and Mrs Baker _________ on a trip to Germany
to visit their cousin Anne. She _________ a nice girl. Peter says will go there too.
He invited Sandra as a guide in Germany. She _________ very happy because she
will visit her relatives after a long time in England.

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5. Interrogative Form

The interrogative form of the simple present tense is structured into
two types of questions: Yes/no questions and Wh questions.

5.1. Yes / No Questions with DO/DOES

To make a yes/no question in English we normally use the auxiliary Do or
Does. It has no translation in Spanish though it is essential to show we are making a
question. It is normally put at the beginning of the question. These kind of
questions are called “yes / no questions” because they ask for an affirmation (yes),
or a negation (no) as answers.

Example:

Affirmative Sentence: You speak English.
Question: Do you speak English?
Answers: Yes, I do (short answer). / Yes, I speak English (long answer).
No, I don`t (short answer). No, I do not speak English (long answer).

We add DO / DOES at the beginning of the affirmative sentence to
make it a question. We use Do when the subject is I, you, we or they. With
the third person singular subjects he, she, it, we use the auxiliary Does.
Use the chart to guide yourself.

Do/Does Subject Verb Complement

Do I / you / we / they … a new bike?
have / need / … a dictionary?
want / like, etc. … a meeting now?
Does he / she / it
… Pizza?

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Examples:
Question: Do you need a new bike?
Answers: Yes, I do (short answer). / Yes, I need a new bike (long answer).
No, I don`t (short answer). No, I do not need a new bike (long answer).

Question: Do you need a dictionary?
Answers: Yes, I do (short answer). / Yes, I need a dictionary (long answer).
No, I don`t (short answer). No, I do not need dictionary (long answer).

Question: Does she need a dictionary?
Answers: Yes, she does (short answer). / Yes, she needs a dictionary (long answer).
No, she doesn`t (short answer). No, she does not need dictionary (long answer).

Question: Do we have a meeting now?
Answers: Yes, we do (short answer). / Yes, we have a meeting now (long answer).
No, we don`t (short answer). No, we do not have a meeting now (long answer).

Question: Does he like pizza?
Answers: Yes, he does (short answer). / Yes, he likes pizza (long answer).
No, he doesn`t (short answer). No, he do not like pizza (long answer).

Question: Does she have a new bike?
Answers: Yes, she does (short answer). / Yes, she has a new bike (long answer).
No, she doesn`t (short answer). No, she does not have a new bike (long answer).

When using the irregular verb To Have in questions with third person singular subjects (he, she,
it), the verb remains the same:
Does she have a new bike?

In affirmative answers, we use has instead of have:
Yes, she has a new bike.

In negative answers, we use the auxiliary DOES NOT and the verb HAVE:

No, she doesn`t have a new bike.

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This happens due to the presence/absence of the auxiliary. That is, when
you use the auxiliary DOES (questions, negative sentences), you won’t
need to put the third person singular form of the verb, because the
auxiliary is already indicating the third person singular form, so put the
auxiliary DOES and the verb HAVE. In the case of absence of the auxiliary
(affirmative sentences), you will need to indicate the third person singular
form by putting HAS.

Use the auxiliary DOES and the base form of the verb (questions). In the
case of absence of the auxiliary (affirmative sentences), you will need to
indicate the third person singular form by adding -S or –ES to most of the
verbs (except verb To Be and Modals).

We DON'T use Do or Does in questions that have the verb To Be or Modal
Verbs (can, must, might, should etc.)

5.2. Yes / No Questions with Verb TO BE

To make a yes/no question in English using the verb TO BE, all we have to
change is the position of the verb an place it BEFORE the subject of the sentence.
These kind of questions with the verb TO BE are also called “yes / no questions” as
the ones explained before, because they ask for an affirmation (yes), or a negation
(no) as answers as well.

Example:
Affirmative Sentence: You are a teacher of English.
Question: Are you a teacher of English?
Answers: Yes, I am (short answer). / Yes, I am a teacher of English (long answer).
No, I am not (short answer). No, I am not a teacher of English (long answer).

Affirmative Sentence: She is outside the classroom.
Question: Is she outside the classroom?
Answers: Yes, she is (short answer). / Yes, she is outside the classroom (long answer).
No, she isn´t (short answer). No, she is not outside the classroom (long answer).

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5.3. WH Questions in Simple Present Tense

To make WH Questions we use the words when, where, who, why,
how, which, what, etc. These kind of questions do not require affirmations
or negations as answers; instead, they ask for specific information:

WH WORD Information Asked
When? Time
Where? Place
Who? Person
Why? Reason
How? Manner
Which (one) Choice of alternatives
What? Object/Idea/Action

Other words can also be used to inquire about specific information:

WH Word Information Asked
Whose? Possession
Whom? Person (objective formal)
How much? Price, amount (non-count)
How many? Quantity (count)
How long? Duration
How often? Frequency
How far? Distance
What kind (of)? Description

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Examples:
Question: Where do they live?
Answer: They live in Coro.

Question: What time is it?
Answer: It’s 8:25 am.

Question: Where are you from?
Answer: I am from Venezuela.

Question: What kind of music do you like?
Answer: I like Rock.

Question: How do you say “hello” in Spanish?
Answer: I say “hola” in Spanish for “hello”

Question: How much does the TV cost?
Answer: The TV costs 250 $.

Question: How often do you use your English outside the classroom?
Answer: I always use my English outside the classroom, especially with my friends.

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6. Check your Progress II
6.1. Change the next sentences into questions using DO/DOES. Then give
affirmative or negative answers to them.
A. Peter lives with his father.
Question:
Answer:

B. You study English.
Question:
Answer:

C. Andrew and Martin ride their bikes to school.
Question:
Answer:

D. They play in the garden.
Question:
Answer:

E. Sandy’s hamster lives in a cage.
Question:
Answer:

F. The cats sit on the wall.
Question:
Answer:

G. We work in front of the computer.
Question:
Answer:

H. They play the drums.
Question:
Answer:

I. Steve wears pullovers.
Question:
Answer:

J. I clean the bathroom.
Question:
Answer:

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6.2. Match the subjects from the left with their corresponding forms of the
verb TO BE.

SUBJECT VERB FORM

I is

You are

are
He

are
She

are
It

is
We

is
You

am
They

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6.3. Answer the next personal questions. Give affirmative or negative
answers when necessary.

Are you a teacher?

Is your father at work now?

Are you in the third semester?

Is your mother a housekeeper?

Are you good at speaking French?

Is your boyfriend/girlfriend in love with you?

Are the shops open at 6 a.m?

Is your father’s car a Ferrari?

Are you good at driving cars?

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6.4. Change the statements to WH questions using the question word in
parenthesis. Check verb tense.
Example: The train arrives at ten o’clock. (what time)
What time does the train arrive?

1. They do their homework at night. (when)

2. Mr. Robertson comes late to work all the time. (who)

3. The car is across the street from the house. (where)

4. I like the red blouse, not the blue one. (which)

5. She feels better after she takes a nap. (how)

6. That is an English book. (what)

7. My sister calls her boyfriend on weekends. (when)

8. The Black berry Bold 6 is $250.50. (how much)

9. My parents have two cars. (how many)

10. They are coming to visit tomorrow. (when)

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Simple Present Tense

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