Present simple: affirmative

What you'll learn

Use the present simple for things that happen regularly and facts that are generally true.

• I work every day.
• She lives in London.
• Water boils at 100°C.

Start with these examples

• I get up at seven.
• We study English on Mondays.
• He watches TV after dinner.
• My parents work in a hospital.

The basic form

With I, you, we and they, use the base verb.

• I work.
• You live here.
• They play football.

With he, she and it, usually add -s.

• He works.
• She lives here.
• It rains a lot in winter.

Spelling changes

Add -es after many verbs ending in -s, -sh, -ch, -x or -o.

• watch → watches
• wash → washes
• go → goes

For many verbs ending in consonant + y, change y to -ies.

• study → studies
• try → tries

When do we use it?

Use the present simple for:

• routines: I walk to work every day.
• habits: She drinks tea in the morning.
• timetables: The lesson starts at nine.
• general facts: Cats like warm places.

Common mistakes

• She work here. → She works here.
• He study English. → He studies English.
• My parents works at home. → My parents work at home.
• She go to school by bus. → She goes to school by bus.

Quick check

• I ___ coffee every morning. → drink
• He ___ coffee every morning. → drinks
• My sister ___ English. → studies

Next step

Use do and does to make present-simple questions and negatives.