Practice
Simple present tense: rules and examples
Rosa takes the bus to work every morning. The action happens regularly, so takes is in the simple present. The final -s matches the subject Rosa, which means she.
Use the simple present for habits, routines, facts, and regular situations, with the correct verb form for each subject.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
She works every day /ʃiː wɝːks ˈevri deɪ/
The short answer
Use the simple present for routines and facts. Write I work, you work, we work, and they work. Write he works, she works, and it works. Use do or does for most questions and negatives: Do they work here? She does not work on Fridays.
My brother walks to the library after class.
Why it works: My brother is one person, so the main verb has -s.
5 more examples
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I take the train to work every weekday.
I uses the base form take. Every weekday shows that the action is a routine.
Not this:Maya
takesthe train to work every weekday. What changes: Maya means she, so the verb takes has -s. -
Our class starts at ten on Tuesdays.
A class is one thing, so starts has the third-person singular ending.
Not this:Our classes
startat ten on Tuesdays. What changes: Classes is plural, so the base form start is used. -
She watches a short video after dinner.
Watch ends in -ch, so the third-person singular form is watches.
Not this:They
watcha short video after dinner. What changes: They uses the base form watch without -es. -
Does your cousin speak Spanish?
Does begins a question with one person. The main verb stays in the base form, speak.
Not this:
Doyour cousins speak Spanish? What changes: Cousins is plural, so the question begins with do. -
The museum does not open on Mondays.
Does not makes the sentence negative. Open stays in the base form after does not.
Not this:The museum
openson Tuesdays. What changes: Without does not, the one-word verb opens carries the -s ending.
Read the full guide
First, ask whether the sentence describes a routine, a repeated action, a fact, or a regular situation. Then check the subject. With he, she, or it, add the third-person singular form to an ordinary main verb. With other subjects, use the base form.
Choose the simple present for regular meaning
Use the simple present when an action is a habit or part of a routine. Use it for facts and regular situations too. Time words such as every morning, usually, and on weekends can help you see this meaning.
We eat lunch at home on Saturdays.
On Saturdays shows a repeated schedule, so eat is in the simple present.
Which tense fits a daily routine: simple present or past simple?
Use the simple present for a daily routine.
Add -s for he, she, and it
With he, she, it, or one named person or thing, an ordinary present verb usually ends in -s. Add -es to many verbs ending in -s, -sh, -ch, -x, or -o. With a consonant plus y, change y to -ies.
Leo studies English after work.
Leo means he. Study changes to studies because the verb ends in consonant plus y.
Complete the sentence: My aunt ___ coffee in the morning.
Write drinks: My aunt drinks coffee in the morning.
Keep the base verb with other subjects
Use the base verb with I, you, we, and they. Use the base form with plural nouns too. Do not add -s just because the sentence is about the present.
My friends play volleyball after class.
Friends is plural, so play has no -s ending.
Choose the correct form: They walks to school, or They walk to school?
Use They walk to school. They takes the base verb walk.
Use do and does in questions and negatives
For most ordinary verbs, use do or does to make a question or a negative. Use does with he, she, it, and one person or thing. Use do with I, you, we, they, and plural nouns. The main verb stays in the base form after do or does.
Does Amir cook dinner on Wednesdays?
Does matches Amir, but cook has no -s because does already shows the third-person singular form.
Correct the negative: She does not likes cold weather.
Write: She does not like cold weather. Like stays in the base form after does not.
Use am, is, and are with be
The verb be does not use do or does in the simple present. Use am with I, are with you, we, and they, and is with he, she, it, or one singular noun. Make questions by moving be before the subject.
Are the offices open on Saturdays?
Are comes before the plural subject the offices. The question does not need do.
Choose the correct question: Does she busy today, or Is she busy today?
Use Is she busy today? Busy follows the form of be is.
Before you go
Remember this
Use the simple present for routines, repeated actions, facts, and regular situations. Use the base verb with I, you, we, and they. With he, she, and it, use the third-person singular form. Use do or does for most questions and negatives, then keep the main verb in its base form.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Simple present tense: rules and examples"
When do I use the simple present tense?
Use the simple present for habits, repeated actions, facts, and regular situations. For example, I take the train to work every weekday describes a routine. It can also describe a fact or schedule, such as Our class starts at ten on Tuesdays. Use the surrounding meaning to choose the tense.
I take the train to work every weekday.
Why do he, she, and it take a verb ending in -s?
In the simple present, he, she, and it use the third-person singular form of most ordinary verbs. Add -s in many cases, as in Maya takes the train. Some spellings need -es or -ies: She watches a short video, and Leo studies English. I, you, we, and they use the base form instead.
Maya takes the train to work every weekday.
How do I make a simple present question?
For most ordinary verbs, begin with do or does. Use does with he, she, it, or one person or thing, as in Does your cousin speak Spanish? Use do with I, you, we, they, and plural subjects. After do or does, use the base verb, not a verb ending in -s.
Our class starts at ten on Tuesdays.
How do I make a negative simple present sentence?
Use do not or does not before the base verb. The museum does not open on Mondays is negative because does not comes before open. With I, you, we, they, or plural subjects, use do not. With he, she, it, or one singular noun, use does not.
Our classes start at ten on Tuesdays.
What is the difference between simple present and present continuous?
The simple present usually describes a routine, fact, or regular situation, such as My friends play volleyball after class. The present continuous often describes an action in progress around now: She is talking on the phone. Context can change the intended meaning, so check whether the speaker means a regular pattern or an action happening now.
She watches a short video after dinner.