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Present simple — everyday habits
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Present simple: routines and facts
- Outcome: describe a routine or state, make a negative or full question, and give a short answer. Start with be; its question pattern is different from the do/does pattern practised here.
- The present simple can describe habits, routines and states: I walk on Sundays. I like tea. A habit need not happen every day. I get up at seven. The sun rises in the east. These are some uses of the form, not its only uses.
I drink tea every day. The tea does not get a day off.
Base form, and -s for he / she / it
- In these positive verb patterns, I / you / we / they use the base form: I play. We work. One name or thing usually takes a third-person form: He plays. Mina works. The bus stops here.
- Learn the form, including spelling changes: go → goes; watch → watches; study → studies; have → has. These forms apply to the positive examples here; be and can have other patterns.
- “Salma works here” names one person. “Salma and Kim work here” names two, like “they”. Choose for the complete subject, not just the final name.
- “study → studies” changes consonant + y. “play → plays” keeps y after a vowel. “have → has” changes differently; do not apply one spelling ending to every verb.
Does the verb need -s?
These positive play/work examples use plays/works with he/she/it, and play/work with the other shown pronouns. One name follows the singular pattern too; be, can and questions have other forms.
Choose: He ___ football every day.
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In this positive play example, “he” takes the third-person form “plays”: He plays football. Other verbs can form it differently, such as “have → has”.
Use the present simple for her usual routine: She ___ (go) to school by bus.
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The requested present-simple third-person form is goes. Learn this spelling with the example; it is not a rule for every verb or every sentence containing she.
Translate into English: 我喜欢茶。
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I → base verb: “I like tea.” (not “I likes tea”)
Use the present simple in this positive statement: Omar and Eva ___ (work) here.
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The subject “Omar and Eva” names two people, like “they”. Use the base form “work” for the whole plural subject, not a singular form for the last name only.
Negatives: don't / doesn't
- Use don’t with I / you / we / they and doesn’t with he / she / it or a single name in these main-verb frames: I don’t eat meat. He doesn’t like tea.
- After don’t / doesn’t, use the base main verb. The negative changes what the statement says; do not accidentally change its person or time reference too.
- “Ken likes apples” becomes “Ken doesn’t like apples”. “doesn’t” already carries the third-person form, so the main verb is “like”, not “likes”.
- “She has a bike” becomes “She doesn’t have a bike”. Use the base “have” after does; the positive “has” does not stay in that position.
Is this correct? “He doesn't likes tea.”
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After doesn't, use the base verb: “He doesn't like tea.”
Make “Rae plays chess on Mondays” negative in the present simple.
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Rae names one person, so use “doesn’t” and the base main verb “play”. The third-person form is carried by does, not repeated on plays.
Choose the present-simple negative of “Mira has a bag”.
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After “doesn’t”, use the base form “have”. “has” fits the positive statement, not the main verb after does.
Questions: Do / Does …?
- Full ordinary yes/no questions with verbs such as like/live use Do / Does before the subject and a base main verb: Do you speak English? Does she live here?
- Other frames work differently: Is she tired? Can she swim? Who lives here? With can, use a base verb such as “swim”; do not force every question into a do/does frame.
- “Mina drives to work” becomes “Does Mina drive to work?” The answer can be “Yes, she does” or “No, she doesn’t”. Match the reply to the person and whether the answer is yes or no.
- In “Who lives here?”, “who” stands for the person living here, so this ordinary neutral question directly uses “lives”. Compare “Who does she visit?”: “she” is the subject, while “who” asks which person she visits.
Turn “Sam walks to school” into a full ordinary yes/no question.
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Use “Does” before the single-person subject and keep “walk” in its base form. Do not put the third-person ending on both verbs.
Ask which person lives on this road. Choose the ordinary neutral subject question.
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“Who” asks about the subject here, so the ordinary question directly uses “lives”. This does not mean every question containing who has the same structure.
Common mistakes
- For the straightforward preference here, use “I like English very much” or “I very much like English”, not “I very like English”. The problem is “very” alone before “like”, not every phrase containing very near a verb.
- ❌ “He go to school” → ✓ “He goes to school” in this positive routine statement. After does, the main verb would instead be “go”.
- “Do you like tea?” is a full question. “You like tea?” is also common in conversation, for example for surprise or confirmation. Here the tasks request the full do/does pattern.
Match the verb to its he / she form.
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The supplied forms are “watch → watches” and “go → goes”. “study → studies” changes consonant + y; “play → plays” keeps y after a vowel. Learn the forms in context rather than applying one spelling ending to every verb.
For a straightforward statement meaning “I like music a lot”, which of these supplied sentences uses the natural pattern?
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I like music very much is natural. I very much like music is another natural order, though it is not one of these choices. The problem in I very like music is very alone before like, not a ban on every very phrase near a verb.
- Here we practise present-simple routines, states and factual descriptions. A routine need not occur every day, and the form has other uses too.
- Choose the form for the whole subject and sentence frame. In these positive main-verb statements, a singular name takes the third-person form; after do/does, use a base main verb.
- Be, can and ordinary subject questions can use other frames. Try the fresh practice below, then continue with can: ability and requests. These activities do not certify independent proficiency or spoken performance.
Usage guidance rechecked 21 October 2026: British Council, present simple. Local source checks; independent language, answer and learner review pending.
Write one English present-simple sentence about a daily routine of yours or an imaginary person. The routine happens every day; you do not have to include those exact words.
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Example: “I get up at seven every day.”
Follow the whole subject
- The next items use new people, groups and routines. Identify who performs the action before choosing the positive verb form.
- Keep the requested present-simple frame. A word naming another person or a place later in the sentence does not replace the subject.
Use one present-simple word for the usual routine: My brother ___ (cook) on Sundays.
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My brother is one person. The positive statement uses the third-person form “cooks”.
Use the present simple for this usual arrangement: Anna and Lee ___ (share) a desk at school.
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The complete subject names two people. Use base “share” for that plural group, rather than choosing for the last name alone.
Use one present-simple word for the regular arrival: Our train ___ (arrive) at nine every morning.
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Our train is one train, so the positive statement uses “arrives”. Keep the regular arrival time.
You are addressing one person. Use the present simple: You ___ (write) to your friend every week.
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“you” uses base “write” even with one listener. The number of listeners does not turn you into a third-person singular subject.
Use one present-simple word for the routine: She ___ (have) breakfast at six.
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The positive third-person form of have is “has”. It is not made by simply adding s to have.
Two brothers share this routine. Complete the present-simple statement: They ___ (study) in the evening.
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“they” uses the base form “study”. “studies” would fit a third-person singular subject in a positive statement.
Use one present-simple word for a repeated activity: Ari ___ (try) a new game each weekend.
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Ari names one person. The consonant before y changes the third-person spelling to “tries”.
Use the present simple for this preference: He ___ (enjoy) music.
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A vowel comes before y in enjoy. Keep y and add s for this positive he statement: “enjoys”.
Choose a full present-simple negative about Rin’s habit.
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One person uses “doesn’t” followed by base “drink”. Do not use drinks after doesn’t or don’t with Rin in this target.
Choose do or does for the present-simple negative: My sister ___ not use this computer.
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My sister is one person. Use “does not use” with a base main verb, rather than choosing do for the nearby word my.
Choose the complete frame
- Read whether the task requests a negative, a full ordinary question or a short answer. A main verb after do/does needs its base form.
- Check the intended meaning as well as grammar. A negative reply cannot be replaced by a positive reply merely because its verb agrees.
Choose a complete present-simple negative for the speaker’s usual routine.
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“I” uses “don’t” followed by the base “visit”. Do not add a third-person ending to either form in this sentence.
Choose a full present-simple negative about Maya.
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Use “doesn’t have” with the one-person subject. The main verb after does is base have; time is the thing she lacks in this new context.
Choose Do or Does to start the full present-simple question: ___ they eat lunch at school?
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Use “Do” with they and the base eat: “Do they eat lunch at school?”
Choose the full ordinary present-simple question about your uncle’s routine.
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Your uncle names one person, so use does before it and base sing after it. Choose for the whole noun phrase, not for your as if it were the pronoun you.
Ask whether Leah is your teacher. Choose the complete ordinary question.
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This identity description uses be. Put is before Leah: “Is Leah your teacher?” Do not add do/does to that frame.
You want to know which person teaches English. Choose the ordinary neutral subject question.
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“Who” stands for the person doing the teaching here. Use “teaches” directly in this ordinary subject question; does teaches would duplicate the third-person forms.
Someone asks “Does Ben read at night?” Ben reads at night. Choose the complete positive short answer.
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The question uses does for Ben. The matching positive short answer is “Yes, he does”. Keep does matched to he and keep the positive meaning.
Someone asks “Do your friends use this library?” None of them do. Choose the complete negative short answer for that group.
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The phrase “your friends” names a plural group, represented by they. Use “No, they don’t” to give the supplied negative meaning.
Routine card — person: Lin; activity: call a friend; time: Fridays only. Choose a complete present-simple statement keeping those facts.
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The Friday-only routine does not mean every day. Lin is one person, so the positive form is “calls”. Keep both that form and the supplied time limit.
Ask about Mira’s ability to cook using can. Choose the complete ordinary question.
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Can has its own question frame: “Can Mira cook?” Do not add does, and use the base cook after can. This contrast does not assess spoken ability.
Transfer: use a new profile
- Keep the supplied person, group and time information in the travel card and profile. Do not invent a different routine to avoid a difficult form.
- Write the English statements and full question before revealing the model. Compare the positive form with the base verb after does/doesn’t; equivalent natural wording may fit.
A travel card says: Eli and I usually take the train; we do not cycle. Choose two present-simple statements preserving those facts.
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The complete subject “Eli and I” refers to two people, like “we”. Use base “take” in the positive statement and “don’t cycle” for the stated negative habit. Keep both the train and no-cycling facts.
Nia lives near the park and does not work on Saturdays. Choose a full question about the first fact and a negative keeping the second.
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Nia is one person. Does introduces the question, doesn’t introduces the negative, and both take a base main verb: live/work. Keep the park and Saturday facts.
Use this imaginary profile: Nora works in a library on Saturdays; Nora does not go to school on Sundays. Write two English statements and one full Does-question about the library routine.
Compare the subject, verb frame and supplied facts. Revise a mismatch. The model is one possible response, not automatic writing or speaking assessment.
Return and repair
- Tomorrow, choose a different routine. Write a positive statement, make it negative, and ask a full question. Try recall before rereading; it contains familiar practice, not a fresh assessment.
- Repair both final sentences, then continue with can: ability and requests. Split study across sessions if useful; the planning range is provisional until learner timing is observed.
For a full ordinary present-simple question, is “Does she has a class on Friday?” correct?
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Use the base have after does: “Does she have a class on Friday?” The positive statement “She has a class on Friday” is a different frame.
Repair these two English sentences, keeping have and ride as the main verbs and the Monday reference: Does she has a bike? She doesn’t rides it on Mondays.
Compare the subject, verb frame and supplied facts. Revise a mismatch. The model is one possible response, not automatic writing or speaking assessment.