Practice
Simple present tense exercise 1: describe routines and facts
Maya takes the train to work every weekday. That routine needs the simple present, even when she is not on the train now.
Use the simple present to describe routines and facts, including accurate third-person singular verb forms.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
She works from home on Fridays. /ʃiː wɜːks frəm həʊm ɒn ˈfraɪdeɪz/
The short answer
Use the simple present for routines, repeated actions, schedules, and general facts. With he, she, and it, add -s or -es to most affirmative verbs.
Our library opens at nine on Saturdays.
Why it works: The opening time is a regular schedule, so opens is in the simple present.
5 more examples
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I check my calendar before each meeting.
This is a repeated work routine, so check stays in the base form after I.
Not this:I
am checkingmy calendar right now. What changes: Use the present continuous when the action is happening at this moment. -
Nadia teaches science at a local school.
Nadia is one person, so teach becomes teaches in an affirmative simple-present statement.
Not this:Nadia
teach scienceat a local school. What changes: The third-person singular subject needs teaches, not teach. -
The café closes at six every evening.
A regular closing time is a schedule, so the simple present is natural.
Not this:The café
is closingat six every evening. What changes: This can suggest a temporary arrangement; the simple present is clearer for the normal timetable. -
Water freezes at zero degrees Celsius.
This is a general scientific fact, so freezes takes the third-person singular ending.
Not this:Water
is freezingat zero degrees Celsius. What changes: That form describes a process in a particular situation, not the general fact. -
Do your neighbours recycle glass and paper?
After do in a question, use the base verb recycle.
Not this:Do your neighbours
recyclesglass and paper? What changes: Do already marks the question, so the main verb must stay in the base form.
Read the full guide
Look for time words such as every day, usually, on Fridays, and often. They often point to a routine. Then check the subject: I, you, we, and they use the base verb, while he, she, and it usually need a third-person singular ending.
Use the simple present for routines
A routine is something you do regularly. It may happen daily, weekly, or whenever a familiar situation occurs. The simple present names the pattern rather than one single occasion.
We have lunch together on Thursdays.
On Thursdays shows that this action is a regular pattern.
My brother usually walks to the station.
Usually tells you that walking to the station is his normal habit.
Choose the routine word: every morning or at the moment?
Every morning. It signals a repeated action, which often uses the simple present.
Use it for facts and stable situations
The simple present can describe facts that are generally true and situations that do not change from moment to moment. It is useful for basic information about people, places, and things.
The Earth moves around the Sun.
This sentence gives a general fact, not a live report of one event.
Our office has two meeting rooms.
Has describes a stable fact about the office.
Which tense fits a general fact about a city?
The simple present. Use it for information that is generally true, such as a city has a river or a station.
Match the verb to the subject
With I, you, we, and they, use the base form: work, live, study. With he, she, and it, most affirmative verbs take -s. This small ending is easy to miss, so check the subject before you finish the sentence.
They play tennis after work.
They uses the base verb play.
He plays tennis after work.
He is third-person singular, so play becomes plays.
Complete the sentence: My aunt ___ nearby. (live)
My aunt lives nearby. A singular person needs lives in this affirmative statement.
Know when to add -es and change y
Many third-person singular verbs simply add -s, but some spellings need a different ending. Add -es after verbs ending in -s, -sh, -ch, -x, or -o. When a consonant comes before final y, change y to ies.
The bus passes our street every ten minutes.
Pass ends in -ss, so it becomes passes with the singular subject the bus.
She studies in the library after class.
Study changes to studies because a consonant comes before y.
What is the correct form after it: go, goes, or gose?
Use goes. Go takes -es with he, she, or it.
Make questions and negatives with do or does
For most simple-present questions and negatives, put do or does before the main verb. Does is for he, she, and it. After do or does, the main verb always returns to the base form.
Does the train stop at this platform?
Does carries the third-person singular grammar, so stop has no -s.
She does not drink coffee in the evening.
Does not is followed by the base form drink, not drinks.
Choose the natural question: Does he drives here or Does he drive here?
Use Does he drive here? The verb after does stays in the base form.
Contrast routines with actions happening now
The simple present tells you what is normal or repeated. The present continuous tells you what is in progress now. Both forms can be correct, but they answer different questions.
Leila writes a report every Monday.
This names a regular work task, so it uses writes.
Leila is writing a report at her desk now.
This focuses on the activity in progress at this moment.
Which form fits the words right now: works or is working?
Use is working. Right now points to an action in progress.
Before you go
Remember this
Use the simple present for regular actions, schedules, and general facts. Add -s or -es with he, she, and it in affirmative statements. Use do or does for questions and negatives, then return the main verb to its base form. Choose the present continuous when you mean an action happening now.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Simple present tense exercise 1: describe routines and facts"
When do I use the simple present tense?
Use the simple present for routines, repeated actions, schedules, and general facts. For example, the café closes at six every evening describes its normal timetable rather than one event in progress.
I check my calendar before each meeting.
Why does the verb change with he, she, and it?
In affirmative simple-present statements, a third-person singular subject usually needs -s or -es on the verb. Nadia teaches science is correct because Nadia is one person; they teach science uses the base form.
I am checking my calendar right now.
How do I make a simple present question?
Use do or does before the subject and the base verb after it. Do your neighbours recycle glass and paper? uses do because neighbours is plural, and recycle does not take an extra ending.
Nadia teaches science at a local school.
What is the difference between simple present and present continuous?
The simple present describes a usual pattern, while the present continuous describes an activity in progress. I check my calendar before each meeting is a routine; I am checking my calendar right now refers to this moment.
Nadia teach science at a local school.
When do I add -es or change y to ies?
With he, she, or it, add -es to many verbs ending in -s, -sh, -ch, -x, or -o, such as closes and goes. Change consonant plus y to ies, so she studies is correct.
The café closes at six every evening.
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