The Present Simple Tense (also called the Simple Present Tense)
Simple present tense with 'be'
The verb 'be' is different from the other verbs in this tense. Let's look at 'be' first.
Here's the positive form (positive means a normal sentence, not a negative or a question. This is
sometimes called 'affirmative').
Positive Positive short form
I am I'm
you are you're
he is he's
she is she's
it is it's
we are we're
they are they're
For example:
I'm Scottish.
She's hungry.
They're always late.
Next, here's the negative. It's very easy. You only add 'not'.
Negative Negative short form
I am not I'm not
you are not you aren't
he is not he isn't
she is not she isn't
it is not it isn't
we are not we aren't
they are not they aren't
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For example:
I'm not cold.
He isn't from Spain.
We aren't at home.
Here's the 'yes / no' question form.
Yes / no questions
Am I…?
Are you…?
Is he…?
Is she…?
Is it…?
Are we…?
Are they…?
For example:
Am I next in the queue?
Are you from Tokyo?
Is he at the library at the moment?
If you'd like to make a 'wh-' question, you just put the question word at the front.
Wh- questions
Where am I?
What are you?
Why is he?
Who is she?
What is it?
When are we?
How are they?
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For example:
Where are you from?
Who is that girl?
Why are they still at work?
Present simple tense with other verbs
With all other verbs, we make the present simple in the same way.
The positive is really easy. It's just the verb, with an extra 's' if the subject is 'he', 'she', or 'it'.
Let's take the verb 'play' as an example.
Positive
I play
you play
he plays
she plays
it plays
we play
they play
For example:
I play tennis every week.
He likes chocolate.
They usually go to the cinema on Fridays.
Don't forget the 's'! Even really advanced students do this.
For a few verbs, there is a spelling change with 'he', 'she' and 'it' before the 's'. For example,
'study' becomes 'studies'. (See spelling changes PDF for more information).
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There are also few verbs which are irregular in the present simple.:
'have' becomes 'has'
'do' becomes 'does'
'go' becomes 'goes'
To make the negative form, you need to use 'do not' (don't) or 'does not' (doesn't).
Negative (of 'play') Negative short form
I do not play I don't play
you do not play you don't play
he does not play he doesn't play
she does not play she doesn't play
it does not play it doesn't play
we do not play we don't play
they do not play they don't play
For example:
You don't study very much.
Julie doesn't like sport.
We don't live in London.
We use 'do' or 'does' before the subject to make the 'yes / no' question.
Yes / no questions
Do I play?
Do you play?
Does he play?
Does she play?
Does it play?
Do we play?
Do they play?
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For example:
Do you work in an office?
Does John play cricket every weekend?
Do they like travelling?
Just like with 'be', if you'd like to make a 'wh-' question, you put the question word at the front.
Wh- questions
Where do I play?
What do you play?
Why does he play?
Who does she play?
How does it play?
When do we play?
How do they play?
For example:
Where do you live?
What does she like to eat?
Why do they work so hard?
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Present Simple Positive with 'Be' – Mixed exercise 1
Make sentences with 'be' using the short forms (choose positive, negative or question).
1. (he / be / French)
2. (we / not / be / cold)
3. (he / be / a footballer?)
4. (where / be / John?)
5. (we / be / German)
6. (he / not / be / a journalist)
7. (we / not / be / singers)
8. (you / be / a nurse?)
9. (they / be / from Libya)
10. (where / be / David?)
11. (how / be / your mother?)
12. (we / be / thirsty)
13. (how long / be / the film?)
14. (how often / be / you in London?)
15. (he / be / handsome)
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16. (I / not / be / English)
17. (you / not / be / a doctor)
18. (she / not / be / Italian)
19. (he / be / my brother)
20. (you / not / be / Egyptian)
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Present Simple with 'Be' – Mixed Exercise 2
Make present simple sentences with 'be' (positive, negative or question).
1. (you / be / hungry)
2. (they / not / be / at home)
3. (when / be / the party?)
4. (Julie and Ann / be / on the bus?)
5. (she / be / kind?)
6. (they / be / German?)
7. (you / be / late?)
8. (I / be / early?)
9. (you / be / from London?)
10. (they / be / sad)
11. (she / be / beautiful)
12. (we / be / in love)
13. (where / be / you?)
14. (I / be / happy)
15. (what / be / this?)
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16. (I / not / be / too hot)
17. (she / not / be / called Julia)
18. (how old / be / she?)
19. (what time / be / the train?)
20. (he / not / be / an accountant)
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Present Simple Mixed Exercise 1 - other verbs
Make the present simple (choose positive, negative or question).
1. (he / drive to work every day)
2. (I / not / think you're right)
3. (we / have enough time?)
4. (I / eat cereal in the morning)
5. (they / write e-mails every day?)
6. (you / watch a lot of TV)
7. (he / not / read the newspaper)
8. (she / dance often?)
9. (where / I / come on Mondays?)
10. (what / you / do at the weekend?)
11. (you / not / drink much tea)
12. (how / he / travel to work?)
13. (they / not / like vegetables)
14. (she / catch a cold every winter)
15. (I / go out often?)
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16. (you / speak English?)
17. (we / take the bus often)
18. (she / not / walk to school)
19. (what / you / buy in the supermarket?)
20. (how / he / carry such a heavy bag?)
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Present Simple Mixed Exercise 2 - other verbs
Make the present simple (choose positive, negative or question).
1. (they / wear suits to work?)
2. (he / not / say much)
3. (when / she / study?)
4. (she / know a lot about cooking)
5. (we / make dinner at the weekends)
6. (I / not / leave work on time very often)
7. (she / meet her brother every week?)
8. (they / find London's weather cold)
9. (we / use the computer every day?)
10. (you / not / smoke)
11. (why / we / always get into trouble?)
12. (what/ they / usually cook?)
13. (what / we / need?)
14. (they / not / win at tennis)
15. (what / they / like to watch on TV?)
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16. (I / do my homework every night)
17. (why / she / swim every morning?)
18. (you / walk to the station every day)
19. (he / teach in a school?)
20. (he / study English at a night class)
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Present Simple Mixed Exercise 3 - other verbs
Make the present simple tense (choose positive, negative or question)
1. (we / not / go out much)
2. (they / think it's a good idea)
3. (he / know how to play the violin?)
4. (why / I / have to clean up?)
5. (she / not / sleep late at the weekends)
6. (I / love studying languages?)
7. (we / not / believe the Prime Minister)
8. (you / understand the question?)
9. (she / not / want to go to the cinema)
10. (I / like trying new kinds of food)
11. (David / want some coffee?)
12. (what / Lucy / do at the weekends?)
13. (they / not / work late on Fridays)
14. (she / have three daughters)
15. (you / own a car?)
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16. (where / Alicia / work?)
17. (when / she / go to her Chinese class?)
18. (I / not / believe you)
19. (she / think about her holidays often)
20. (you / like going to restaurants?)
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