Present Simple Tense

For most subjects, the Present Simple uses the base form of the verb — the form you find in the dictionary. There is no change to the verb ending.

When the subject is third person singular (he, she, it, or a singular noun), you must add -s or -es to the verb. There are a few spelling rules:

• I don't drink coffee — I prefer tea.
• She doesn't drive to work; she takes the bus.
• They don't own a car — they cycle everywhere.
• He doesn't know the answer yet.
• It doesn't matter what time you arrive.

• Do you speak French?
• Does she work on Saturdays?
• Where do they live?
• What time does the train leave?
• How often do you go to the gym?

These adverbs and phrases often signal the Present Simple. Frequency adverbs usually go before the main verb but after the verb be.

The Present Simple is used in several different situations. Select an exercise below to practise each one. Each page includes five exercise sets and a full grammar explanation.

• 1
  Present Simple: Habits and States

  Use the Present Simple for things you do regularly as part of your routine, and for states — feelings, thoughts, and permanent situations that do not change moment to moment. Example: She drinks coffee every morning. He knows the answer.

• 2
  Present Simple: General Truths

  Use the Present Simple to express facts about the world that are always true — scientific laws, natural processes, and geographical facts. Example: Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. Light travels faster than sound.

• 3
  Present Simple: Instructions

  Use the Present Simple with you to give instructions in recipes, manuals, and guides. Each step is a permanent, repeatable action. Example: First, you preheat the oven. Then you add the flour.

• 4
  Present Simple: Commentaries

  Use the Present Simple to describe actions as they happen in live sports commentary, cooking demonstrations, and nature documentaries. Each action is reported the instant it occurs. Example: He shoots — and the goalkeeper dives!

• 5
  Present Simple: DO and DOES for Emphasis

  Use the auxiliaries DO and DOES in the affirmative to add strong emphasis — to insist that something is true, to contradict, or to express surprise. Example: I do like it! She does work hard!

• 6
  Present Simple: With Since and When

  Use the Present Simple in clauses that begin with since or when to refer to a point in time or a repeated situation — even when the context is future or conditional. Example: Call me when you arrive. Since she works nights, she sleeps in the day.