Present simple
Uses of the present simple
Present simple is used to talk about:
- permanent/long-term situations: I live in London
- habits and routines: My sister cycles to school every day
- feelings and opinions (state verbs): I love chocolate
- General facts: The US President lives in the White House
Present simple Quiz : Exercise 1 and 2
How to conjugate the Present Simple…
The third person singular (he/she/it) is the only form of the verb that changes.
For regular verbs we just add an “s”:
To speak: He/She/It speaks |
For verbs ending in the following letters we add +es:
Ch to watch = he watches S to miss = she misses Sh to wish = he wishes Z to buzz = it buzzes X to fix = she fixes |
For the verbs go and do we also add “es”
|
For verbs ending in consonant +Y – remove the “Y” and add “ies:
To fly = he flies |
And remember, these irregular verbs which we use a lot too…
To be | To have |
I am You are he/she/it is We are You are They are | I have You have he/she/it has We have You have They have |
Word Bank
Once = 1 time e.g. My birthday is once a year. In the same way, we can use “twice” for two times e.g. I go on holiday twice a year.
For numbers after two we just use the word “times” e.g. I go swimming three times a week.
To speak and to talk are generally synonyms, but we say to speak a language ***Not to talk a language
To watch TV ** generally we watch things which move and we look at things which are static
Put the following verbs in the right form:
TO BE
Positive | Negative |
I am/I’m You are/you’re he/she/it is /he’s/she’s/it’s We are/we’re You are/you’re They are/They’re | I am not = I’m not You are not = You’re not/you aren’t he/she/it is not = he she/it isn’t We are not = we aren’t You are not = you aren’t They are not = they aren’t |
*** You can choose to use the long version or the short version. The long version is more formal, and the short version is more common in spoken English. In written formal English it is necessary to use the long version.
****When you respond to a present simple question it is not possible to contract the verb to be in the positive form unless it is followed by an adjective or complement. This is possible for the negative form:
- Yes, they are NOT yes, they’re
- No, they are not OR no, they aren’t
BUT
If the verb is followed by an adjective or complement then you can contract the verb to be.:
- Is it sunny in San Diego? Yes it is/Yes it’s sunny
Complete these sentences using the verb to be in negative form
Adverbs of Frequency
Often
Sometimes
Never
Once/twice/three times…
Usually
0% 100%
I__________I___________I_______________I____________I___________I
Never Rarely Sometimes Often Usually Always
Here are some examples:
She rarely goes to the cinema, it’s very expensive.
You often read a book before bed.
Rachel usually goes swimming after school.
Alex never eats fruit.
I don’t always go to bed at midnight.
You often have lunch at midday?
To Be Negative Form:
Ella is a Marketing Executive and _______(work) in London. She______(live) in Bristol and _______ (take) the train to work every day. Her office _______ (not be) far from the train station. She usually _______ (meet) two friends for lunch. On Fridays, they _______ (go) to an expensive restaurant near her office. Ella’s friends _______ (be) Marketing Executives too, so
they often ______(talk) about work together. Ella _______ (try) to leave the office at 5pm, but sometimes she ______ (have) too much work and leaves at 6pm. When she_______ (get) home, her children _______ (help) her make dinner and they _______ (eat) together at around 7pm. If the children ________ (not have) homework, then they _______ (watch) a film together. Ella ________ (go) to bed at around 10pm and ______ (read) a book before she _______ (fall) asleep.