The rule, as people use it

The simple present isn't really about now. It's about what's normal: habits, routines, facts, things that stay true. "I work in a bank" is true today, last month and probably next year. For something happening this second, English uses "I'm working".

The form is the base verb, with one change. After he, she, it or one person's name, add -s: I live, she lives; we go, he goes; they watch, it watches. That -s is small, and people notice when it's missing.

Questions and negatives borrow "do" and "does". Do you like sushi? Does he drive? I don't eat meat. She doesn't work on Sundays. Once "does" is in the sentence, the main verb loses its -s: "Does she work?" not "Does she works?"

Words like always, usually, often, sometimes and never love this tense, because they describe how often something happens.

Examples

Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.

Fill the gap

Type the missing words, then check. The full sentence plays when you get it.

  1. 1

    My dad (cook) dinner on Sundays.

  2. 2

    I (not / drink) coffee after lunch.

  3. 3

    (she / speak) Japanese?

  4. 4

    The bank (close) at five.

  5. 5

    We sometimes (go) to the beach in July.

  6. 6

    Elif (not / like) spicy food.

  7. 7

    What time (you / finish) work?

  8. 8

    The train (leave) from platform two.

Practice · 3 min

Describe a normal week. Write one sentence for each line, then read them out loud. Make at least two lines about another person, so you practice the -s.

  • I usually ___ in the morning.
  • I never ___ .
  • My friend ___ every weekend.
  • My neighbor always ___ .
  • I don't ___ on Sundays.
  • Does anyone in your family ___ ? Yes, my ___ does.

Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.