How to Form the Present Simple

The form of the present simple is shown in the tables below.

I/You/We/They

The form of the present simple is the same for: I, You, We and They. We use the bare infinitive.

For example: to eat – They eat

We form questions, short answers and negative sentences with ‘do’.

Do not is contracted to don’t.

Yes/No Question Do you/they/we like tennis?
Short Answers Yes, I/you/they/we do.  No, I/you/they/we don’t .
Question word question Where do you/they/we live?
Positive Sentence I/you/they/we live in London.
Negative Sentence I/you/they/we don’t live in London.

He/She/It

The form of the present simple is the same for: He/She/It.

We use he for men, she for women and it for things and animals.

We form questions, short answers and negative sentences with ‘does’.

In positive sentences, we add –s or –es to the verb.

Does not is contracted to doesn’t.

Yes/No Question Does he/she/it like tennis?
Short Answers Yes, he/she/it does.  No, he/she/it doesn’t.
Question word question Where does  he/she/it live?
Positive Sentence He/she/it lives in London.
Negative Sentence He/she/it doesn’t  live in London.

Adding –s/-es

To form positive sentences with he, she or it in the present simple, we add –s or –es.

In most cases we add –s to the verb.

The table below shows when to add –es.

Verbs which end in –ch Watches, catches
Verbs which end in –sh Wishes, washes
Verbs which in –x Fixes, boxes
Verbs which end in –s Misses, kisses
Verbs which end in –o Goes

Pronunciation of -es

We usually pronounce the –es ending /iz/ with:

Verbs which end in –ch Watches, catches
Verbs which end in –sh Wishes, washes
Verbs which in –x Fixes, boxes
Verbs which end in –s Misses, kisses
Verbs which end in an –s or –z sound Promises, advises

We do not pronounce the –es ending /iz/ with verbs that end in -o

Verbs which end in –o Goes

Present Simple with Be

We do not use ‘do’ or ‘does’ to form the present simple with be.

The form of the present simple with be is shown in the tables below.

I

The ‘I’ form of the present simple with be is: am.

Am not is contracted to I’m not

Yes/No Question Am I here?
Short Answers Yes, I am.  No, I’m not.
Question word question Where am I?
Positive Sentence I’m here.
Negative Sentence I’m not here.

You/We/They

The form of the present simple with be is the same for: You/We/They.

The form is: are (not).

Are not is contracted to aren’t.

Yes/No Question Are /You/they/we here?
Short Answers Yes, You/they/we are.  No, You/they/we aren’t .
Question word question Where are You/We/They?
Positive Sentence You/they/we’re here.
Negative Sentence You/they/we aren’t here.

He/She/It

The form of the present simple with be is the same for: He/She/It.

We use he for men, she for women and it for things and animals.

The form is: is.

Is not is contracted to isn’t or ‘s not.

Yes/No Question Is he/she/it here?
Short Answers Yes, he/she/it is.  No, he/she/it isn’t.
Question word question Where is he?
Positive Sentence He/she/it’s here.
Negative Sentence He/she/it isn’t here.

Click on the links below to learn more about the Present Tenses

The Present Continuous

The Present Perfect Simple

The Present Perfect Continuous

The Present Perfect Simple vs. The Present Perfect Continuous

Be Used To

Get Used To

Verbs of State and Action