Present Simple Tense
Present Simple (present tense + common aspect)
- Affirmative: Subject + Base Form of the Verb
*note: for 3rd Person Singular (he/ she/ it) add ‘s’ to the base form
I/ You/ We/ They work in a bank.
He/ She works in a bank.
- Negative: Subject + don’t/ doesn’t + Base Form of the Verb
I/ You/ We/ They don’t (do not) work.
He/ She/ It doesn’t (does not) work.
- Interrogative: Question Word + do/does + Subject + Base Form of the Verb
Where do I/ you/we/they work?
Where does he/ she work?
1. Usual, regular action:
- I usually go fishing at weekends. I don’t go fishing at weekends. Do I go fishing at weekends?
- You always know the answer. You don’t always know the answer. Do you always know the answer?
- She never puts milk in her tea. She doesn’t put milk in her tea. Does she ever put milk in her tea?
- My father plays the violin. My father doesn’t play the violin. Does your father play the violin?
- We sometimes go to the cinema on Friday. We don’t go to the cinema on Friday. Do we go to the cinema on Fridays?
- They never walk in the wood. They don’t walk in the wood. Do they walk in the wood?
2. General existence; stating a fact:
- An ostrich has two legs. A rabbit doesn’t have two legs. How many legs does a spider have?
- The earth goes round the sun. The sun doesn’t go round the earth. Does the moon go round the earth?
- Water is liquid at room temperature. Gold isn’t liquid at room temperature. Is gold solid at room temperature?
3. Dramatic narrative (theatre, sports, etc. events):
- Johnson takes the ball, he bounces it to the floor, then he throws and scores two points.
4. Timetables
- The train leaves at half past four. The train doesn’t leave at five. What time does the train leave?
- The course starts on 1 July. The course doesn’t start in June. When does the course start?