SIMPLE PRESENT

The simple present expresses an action in the present taking place once, never or several times. It is also used for actions that take place one after another and for actions that are set by a timetable or schedule. The simple present also expresses facts in the present.

Form

Forming a sentence in the Present Simple is easy. To form a affirmative sentence, all you need is the subject of the sentence (e.g. I, you, he, a dog) and the verb (e.g. be, talk, swim). Questions and negative sentences are only a little more difficult, because they require an auxiliary verb.

Affirmative Sentences

Subject	+	Verb (present form)
e.g. he, she, a dog, etc.		e.g. go, make, have, etc.

Sharks have sharp teeth (Use 1)

	Examples
	A dog is an animal.
	I learn English twice a week.
	I have two eggs.
	The course starts in April.
	The man enters the room and looks at the clock.

Questions

Questions require the auxiliary verb "to do" or, in the third person singular, "does".

Do or Does	+	Subject	+	Verb (present form)
		e.g. he, she, a dog, etc.		e.g. go, make, have, etc.

Compare these examples:

• Person A: Does she like going to the mountains?
• Person B: Yes, she does.

• Person A: Does John have a dog?
• Person B: No, he doesn't.

When asking a question, the verb does not conjugate:

• Does she have a dog?
• Does she has a dog?

For the verb "to be", we do not use an auxiliary:

• Is he tall?
• Does he be tall?

	Examples
	Is he a lawyer?
	Does Mike go swimming every Sunday?
	Does she live in London?
	Do you turn 40 in April?

Negative Sentences

Subject	+	Don't or Doesn't	+	Verb (present form)
e.g. he, she, a dog, etc.				e.g. go, make, have, etc.

Contracted forms (more)

• do + not = don't
• does + not = doesn't

	Examples
	They don't live in New York anymore.
	I don't like winter.
	He doesn't go to the cinema at all.
	Spring doesn't start in December.

Present Simple exercise

1. Every morning, Mark __________ (drive) his children to school. 2. I ___________ (not, speak) Italian when I'm at school. 3. __________ (like, you) drinking coffee? 4. I hate living here because it ___________ . (rain, always) 5. Those shoes _________ (cost) too much. 6. I ___________ (visit, never) my grandma on Fridays. 7. The earth _____________ (go) around the sun. 8. I ________ (be) broke!