When to use the Simple Present Tense
The simple present tense in English is used to describe actions that happen regularly, facts, or general truths.
How the Simple Present Tense is built
The simple present tense is formed by using the base form of the verb, except for the third person singular where ‘s’ or ‘es’ is added to the verb.
Positive Form
In the positive form, we use the base form of the verb without any changes. For example:
- I eat an apple every day.
- She plays the piano beautifully.
- They go to school by bus.
Negative Form
In the negative form, we use the auxiliary verb ‘do not’ or ‘does not’ followed by the base form of the verb. For example:
- I do not eat meat.
- He does not like coffee.
- We do not watch TV in the morning.
Question Form
In the question form, we use the auxiliary verb ‘do’ or ‘does’ at the beginning of the sentence, followed by the subject and the base form of the verb. For example:
- Do you play football?
- Does she speak Spanish?
- Do they live in London?
Exercises
1. Complete the sentence: She ___________ (read) a book every night.
2. Change the following sentence into a negative form: They eat pizza for dinner.
3. Write a question using the word ‘you’ and the verb ‘study’.
4. Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb: My sister _________ (play) the guitar.
5. Make a negative sentence using the verb ‘like’ and the pronoun ‘I’.
6. Rearrange the words to form a question: go / they / to / school / by bus?
7. Choose the correct form of the verb: He _________ (watch / watches) TV every evening.
8. Write a positive sentence using the verb ‘work’ and the pronoun ‘we’.
9. Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb: The cat _________ (sleep) on the sofa.
10. Change the following sentence into a question form: They play basketball.