Present Simple: statements
Present Simple describes things that are true, actions that happen many times, and simple statements of fact.
- I live in London.
- I work in a bank.
- I go to work every day.
- I play football on Sundays.
To make Present Simple, we use the base (infinitive) form of the verb without “to”:
- To live → I live in London.
- To work → I work in a bank.
- To go → I go to work every day.
- To play → I play football on Sundays.
With “he”, “she”, “it”, add “-s” to the verb:
- I drink coffee.
- She drinks tea.
- It tastes good.
Spelling rules for adding ‘-s’
- If the verb ends in -o, -ch, -sh, -ss or -x, add “-es”.
- I go to work. She goes to college.
- I teach English. He teaches French.
- I wash my face. She washes her hands.
- I kiss her. She kisses me back.
- I mix the drinks. She relaxes on the couch.
- If the verb ends in a consonant (b, c, d, etc.) + –y, replace the –y with “-ies”:
- To carry → She carries a bag.
- To study → He studies history.
- To fly → An airplane flies.
3. For the verb ‘have’ we say ‘he/she/it has’:
- I have a pen and he has a pencil.
- She has a book and she reads it.
Present Simple is often used with words like usually, sometimes, never or when talking about specific time (at 10.30, every Sunday, in winter, etc.):
- I usually have lunch in a small cafe around the corner, but on Sundays we go to a restaurant.