Grammar: The Present Simple!

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use the PRESENT SIMPLE for talking about habits, facts and true things. Listen to the audio explanation so you can hear how to say the words or expressions.

We can use the Present Simple to talk about habits, facts and true things. For example:

• Tuesday comes after Monday.
• Berlin is the capital of Germany.
• Pete lives in Seattle.
• I get up late at the weekend.

For example: Casey works in a bank. She started work there 2 years ago, and she’ll be there for a few more years. So, this is a fact, and she can talk about this now by saying:
“I work in a bank!”

Most forms in the Present Simple are the same: I play, you play, we play, they play… HOWEVER, you need to remember the third person “s” with he / she / it:

• She likes the film.
• He plays tennis at the weekend.

We use do with most negatives and questions:

• They don’t work in this building.
• Do you like the food?

However, we use does with he / she / it:

• He doesn’t live with his parents.
• Does she drive to work?

We often use the Present Simple to talk about our daily routines. For example:

• I wake up at 7 in the morning.
• She has cereal and toast for breakfast.
• They leave home at about 8 o’clock.
• We get to work at about 8:45.
  

We can use question words such as who, what, why, when, where with the Present Simple. We place these at the start of the question:

• What do you do?*
• Where does she live?
• When does he get up?
• Where do they have lunch?

Grammar table

Here’s the full grammar table for this tense.

Affirmative Negative Interrogative
I play tennis. I don’t play tennis. Do I play tennis?
You play tennis. You don’t play tennis. Do you play tennis?
He plays tennis. He doesn’t play tennis. Does he play tennis?
She plays tennis. She doesn’t play tennis. Does she play tennis?
It plays tennis. It doesn’t play tennis. Does it play tennis?
We play tennis. We don’t play tennis. Do we play tennis?
They play tennis. They don’t play tennis. Do they play tennis?

Grammar speaking drills
Now we’re going to practise forming sentences with some language drills. So, just listen to the instructions, and do the exercises orally (speaking)! Good luck! [Scroll down for the answers.]

Language drill 1
Make the sentences negative. Do this orally (speaking). Press play.
Example: They speak French. = They don’t speak French.

1. It snows a lot here. =
2. They have two children. =
3. She opens the office every morning. =
4. They live in Paris. =
5. She reads this newspaper. =
6. He learns Italian. =
7. He phones us once a week. =
8. They have six computers in the office. =

Language drill 2
Answer the questions with full answers. Do this orally (speaking). Invent where necessary.
Example: T: Where do you live? S: I live in Berlin.

Now, try the quiz to see how much you can remember!

Answers

Language drill 1
1. It snows a lot here. = It doesn’t snow a lot here.
2. They have two children. = They don’t have two children.
3. She opens the office every morning. = She doesn’t open the office every morning.
4. They live in Paris. = They don’t live in Paris.
5. She reads this newspaper. = She doesn’t read this newspaper.
6. He learns Italian. = He doesn’t learn Italian.
7. He phones us once a week. = He doesn’t phone us once a week.
8. They have six computers in the office. = They don’t have six computers in the office.

Language drill 2
1. What time do you wake up? Sample: I wake up at…
2. What time do you usually get up? Sample: I usually get up at…
3. What time do you usually get dressed? Sample: I usually get dressed at…
4. What time do you have breakfast? Sample: I usually have breakfast at…
5. What time do you leave the house? Sample: I usually leave the house at…
6. What time do you get to work? Sample: I usually get to work at…
7. What time do you have lunch? Sample: I usually have lunch at…
8. What time do you get home? Sample: I usually get home at…