The Simple Present Tense is used to describe habits, general truths, repeated actions, and fixed schedules.
Structure
Affirmative
Subject + V1 (+s)
I/You/We/They | V1 |
He/She/It | V1 + 's |
I play football.
She writes novels.
They watch TV every evening.
Negative
Subject + do/does + not + V1
I/You/We/They | do + not+ V1 |
He/She/It | does + not + V1 |
I do not play football. = I don’t play football.
She does not write novels. = She doesn’t write novels.
They do not watch TV every evening. = They don’t watch TV every evening.
Question
Do/Does + Subject + V1
Do | I/You/We/They |
Does | He/She/It |
Do you play football?
Does she write novels?
Do they watch TV every evening?
Auxiliary Verb (Do)
The auxiliary verb "do" is used in negative and interrogative sentences in the Simple Present Tense. It changes its form depending on the subject:
do with ''I", "we," "you," "they," or plural nouns
does with "he," "she," "it," or singular nouns
Main Verb
In the Simple Present Tense, the main verb stays in its base form except when used with he, she, or it, where it takes an -s or -es ending.
When using "does", the main verb stays in its base form (no -s/-es).
✗ She does not eats pizza.
✓ She does not eat pizza.
✗ Does she likes apples?
✓ Does she like apples?
When forming the third-person singular (he, she, it) form of a verb in the Simple Present Tense, we follow specific spelling rules:
For most verbs, simply add "-s" to the base form.
play → plays
eat → eats
read → reads
If the verb ends in -ch, -sh, -x, -o, -zz, or -ss, add "-es" instead of just "-s."
finish → finishes
fix → fixes
go → goes
If the verb ends in a consonant + "y", change the "y" to "i" and add "-es."
try → tries
carry → carries
fly → flies
If the verb ends in a vowel + ''y'', just add "-s".
play → plays
stay → stays