Introduction

In this unit, we move one step further in building your ability to speak about your daily life. So far, you have learned how to use the verb to be. Now we will focus on another essential structure: the Present Simple. This tense allows you to talk about habits, routines, repeated actions and general facts.

When you say “I wake up at 7”, “She works in an office”, or “They play football on Sunday”, you are using the Present Simple. It is the tense of everyday life. If you want to describe what you normally do, what other people usually do, or facts that are always true, this is the structure you need.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this unit, you will be able to talk about habits and routines using the Present Simple in affirmative and negative forms.

You will form correct sentences with different subjects, understand how the verb changes in the third person, and build negative sentences accurately.

When Do We Use the Present Simple?

We use the Present Simple to describe actions that happen regularly. These are habits, daily routines, and repeated activities. For example, “I drink coffee every morning.” This action is not happening now; it is something that happens regularly.

We also use it for general truths. For example, “The sun rises in the east.” This is always true. It is a fact.

Think about your own life. You wake up, you go to work or school, you eat lunch, you watch television, you study. These repeated actions are expressed with the Present Simple.

Affirmative Form

The structure of the affirmative form is simple: subject + base form of the verb.

For example: “I work.” “You live in Rome.” “We study English.” “They play football.”

However, when the subject is he, she or it, the verb changes. We usually add -s to the verb.

For example: “He works.” “She lives in Rome.” “It rains a lot here.”

In the third person singular, the verb takes -s.

This is one of the most important rules in the Present Simple. If the subject is he, she, or it, you must add -s to the verb in affirmative sentences.

Some verbs require small spelling changes. For example, verbs that end in -ch, -sh, -x, -ss, or -o usually take -es. For example: “He watches TV.” “She goes to work.” “He washes the car.”

Negative Form

To form the negative, we use the auxiliary verb do or does plus not, followed by the base form of the verb.

With I, you, we, and they, we use do not. For example: “I do not work on Sunday.” “They do not live here.”

With he, she, and it, we use does not. For example: “He does not work on Sunday.” “She does not like coffee.”

Notice something very important. After “does not”, the verb returns to its base form. We do not say “He does not works.” We say “He does not work.”

In everyday English, we use contractions: “do not” becomes “don’t” and “does not” becomes “doesn’t”.

Do not add -s in negative sentences.

This is a very common mistake. The -s belongs to “does”, not to the main verb. So you must say “She doesn’t play”, not “She doesn’t plays.”

Real-Life Examples

Let us imagine a typical daily routine. You might say: “I wake up at 7 a.m. I drink coffee. I go to work at 8. I finish work at 5. In the evening, I watch TV and read a book.”

Now imagine another person. “My brother works in a bank. He starts at 9. He finishes at 6. He plays tennis on Saturday.”

If we describe what someone does not do, we say: “He doesn’t work on Sunday.” “She doesn’t drink coffee.” “They don’t go to the gym.”

You can see how the Present Simple allows you to describe everyday life clearly and effectively.

Practice Exercises

Now it is your turn to practice using the Present Simple.

Complete each sentence carefully. Pay attention to the subject and the correct verb form.

1. She ___ (work) in an office.
2. They ___ (play) football on Sunday.
3. He ___ (go) to school by bus.
4. Make negative: I work on Saturday.
5. Make negative: She likes coffee.
6. Make negative: They live in London.
7. Complete: He ___ (watch) TV every evening.
8. Complete: We ___ (study) English twice a week.

Answer Key

1. She works in an office.
2. They play football on Sunday.
3. He goes to school by bus.
4. I do not work on Saturday. / I don’t work on Saturday.
5. She does not like coffee. / She doesn’t like coffee.
6. They do not live in London. / They don’t live in London.
7. He watches TV every evening.
8. We study English twice a week.