English present simple. English Tenses for Beginners: Present Simple Present Simple

Let's start a series of articles about the tenses of the English language from the simplest tense - Present Simple, present simple. Indeed, there should be no difficulties either with the construction of this time or with its use.

In some textbooks, you can see the name Present Indefinite. Don't be scared - it's exactly the same as Present Simple. Indefinite means indefinite, that is, without any features that need to be conveyed about the action in the sentence.

How is the Present Simple formed?

Let's start with how the Present Simple is formed. Here, from the very beginning, a slight difficulty lies in wait for you - the time of Present Simple looks different for the verb to be (to be) and for all other verbs. Why exactly the verb “to be” is so honored - because it is the most common verb in the English language and therefore a lot will happen to it, not like everyone else, in a special way. But for now, let's start with everyone else.

Present Simple for all verbs except the verb to be

Present Simple is a really simple time, and not only by the standards of the English language, but also by the standards of other languages.
However, in order to appreciate how simple everything is arranged in English, let's take a step back and remember from school what the verb conjugation is. In simple words, these are different forms for different actors. For example me I'm watching, you look, is he looks, we we look, you see, they watching. It turns out that in Russian there are 6 different forms for each verb. In Italian, Spanish and French - also 6 different forms. In German, a little simpler - 4 forms. And now, attention - in English there are only 2 different forms!

So, for all persons and numbers, except for he / she / it (that is, for me, you, we, you and they) we take the form that is in the dictionary - see (I see, I see, I see, I see, I see), and for he/she/it we add -s (or –es): sees (sees). That's all - there are only two forms and they are formed simply elementarily. Isn't it much easier than Russian?

I see dead people. I see dead people. (Movie “The Sixth Sense”)
Moscow never sleeps. Moscow never sleeps. (Extremely affectionate musical composition, which, I hope, will not let you forget about -s in the third person singular)

Present Simple for the verb to be

Now a small fly in the ointment in this idyll. There is one verb that in Present Simple becomes completely different from its original form - this is the verb to be, to be.

Surely you remember from school how you memorized I - am, you - are, he / she / it - is, we - are, you - are, they - are. This is the verb to be in Present Simple. If you still do not know these forms, then you must learn them. If there are things that you can’t do without, and this is just one of them. However, am, are and is will appear in every second sentence - and it will be simply impossible not to remember them.

By the way, there are only 3 different conjugations for the verb to be: am, are, is. All the same, it is twice as simple as conjugations of Russian verbs. Ironically, in Russian, on the contrary, the verb “is” in the present tense will remain in the same form: “is”, no matter how you conjugate it.

Another note: the verb to be is very often used in the form of abbreviated forms when it merges with a noun into one word: I am = I'm, you are = you're, he is = he's. There is no difference between them, it's just easier and faster to pronounce them.

This is a table. This is – table. (The phrase is the apotheosis of school English).
You're beautiful. You're beautiful. You're beautiful, it's true. You are beautiful, you are beautiful, you are beautiful and it's true. (James Blunt, song "You're beautiful").
I'm the king of the world. I am the king of the world (Movie "Titanic").

When is Present Simple tense used?

The use of tenses in English is a complex, multifaceted topic, and, of course, the use of Present Simple is not limited to these five cases. However, these five cases are quite suitable for the first idea of when and how the Present Simple is used.

1. General facts

The Present Simple should be used for general facts about life that are always true. Whether these are facts from physics and mathematics known to all mankind, or facts from personal experience that no one knows except you, Present Simple is suitable for everyone.

Ice melts at 0 degrees. Ice melts at 0 degrees.
London is the capital of Great Britain. London - Capital of the UK. (Another hello from the Soviet school).
My name is Pasha, I'm from Russia. My name is Pasha, I'm from Russia.

2. Things and phenomena that are more or less permanent

In the article she wrote briefly and simply about the present simple Present Simple:

- rules of use,
How to say a regular sentence in simple tense
- how to ask a question in Present Simple,
- negative sentences - "He does not, does not know, etc.",
- video from a native speaker about Present Simple,
- strengthening exercises
— and why is it necessary to study the material aloud?

Present Simple - education

To say:

I working,
You you work
They are work,
We we work - we use a verb without endings.

I You They We work.

Check out the full example:

I drink coffee in the morning. I drink coffee in the morning.
You drink coffee in the morning. You/you drink/drink coffee in the morning.
They drink coffee in the morning. They drink coffee in the morning.
We drink coffee in the morning. We drink coffee in the morning.

To say:

He works,
She is works,
It works - add to the verb at the end - s -

He she works.

He drinks coffee in the morning. He drinks coffee in the morning.
She drinks coffee in the morning. She drinks coffee in the morning.
It drinks coffee in the morning. It drinks coffee in the morning.

Remember:

1. The simple present tense is used in cases that make up your daily life or in English it sounds daily life - daily routine.
2. There are NO word endings /noun adjective/, as in Russian or German, in English there is NO, only the letter -s- in the verb and that's it. This greatly facilitates the process of learning English.

Negative sentences in Present Simple

To say:

I I do not work,
You you don't work
They are Does not work,
We DO NOT work - do not is used after the pronoun. .

I You They We do not work.

See an example:

I do not drink coffee in the morning. I don't drink coffee in the morning.
You do not drink coffee in the morning. You/You don't drink/drink coffee in the morning.
They don't drink coffee in the morning. They don't drink coffee in the morning.
We do not drink coffee in the morning. We don't drink coffee in the morning.

To say:

He Does not work,
She is Does not work,
It Does NOT work - does not is used after the pronoun.

He she does not work.

He does not drink coffee in the morning. He doesn't drink coffee in the morning.
She does not drink coffee in the morning. She doesn't drink coffee in the morning.
It does not drink coffee in the morning. It doesn't drink coffee in the morning.

Interrogative sentences in Present Simple

To ask:

I working?
You are you working?
They are work?
We working? - at the very beginning we put Do.

Do I You They We work?

Do I drink coffee in the morning?
Do you drink coffee in the morning?
Do they drink coffee in the morning?
Do we drink coffee in the morning?

To ask:

He works?
She is works?
It works? - at the very beginning we put Does.

Does He she work?

Does he drink coffee in the morning?
Does she drink coffee in the morning?
Does it drink coffee in the morning?

If question words are used, they are placed first.

when do I you we they wake up on the morning?
When does he she wake up on the morning?

When to use Present Simple

1. If you need to talk about your habits, about your daily life, customs, in general:

– work, wake up in the morning, have breakfast, brush your teeth,
- live, study at school, teach lessons, attend circles,
– think, watch TV, visit friends, etc.

then we say:

I work, I live, I think, I drink, I watch.

We you they

We work, They live, You think, you drink.

We work, They live, You think, You drink.

If you need to say the same thing, but about someone / something:

He/She lives, works, looks, thinks, eats breakfast.
There is a third party It- train, house, tree, dog.

In these cases, add to the verb -s- and then in English we say this:

She works - She works.
He lives - He lives.
He has - He has.
She thinks - She thinks.
The train leaves - The train is leaving.

2. If you need to speak about facts:

Gasoline costs 40 rubles per liter - Gasoline costs 40 rubles per liter.

Snow in Moscow today It's snowing in Moscow today.

Cats love milk - Cats love milk.

Putin is the president of our country, and so on. — Putin is the president of our country.

3. If you need to talk about what is already planned, is happening according to the established schedule:

Working day starts at 9 am The working day starts at 9 am.

The train leaves at 11 o'clock at night - The train leaves at night at 11 o'clock.

The plane arrives in the evening - The plane arrives in the evening.

Total: if all of the above happens constantly, daily, often, usually, sometimes, rarely, we speak in Present Simple.

ATTENTION:

If, all of the above actions, facts, events occur right now, at the time of the conversation, is used Present Continuous- about him in the next post.

** In Russian grammar books you will find information that the words indicators are usually used in Present Simple: usually, seldom, often, every day, always +
In fact, in life, these markers are rarely used and should NOT be guided by them.

Below I have posted additional examples to consolidate the material.

Video from a native about simple English time

What is good about listening to any material from native speakers, as if it is grammar or topics - this develops an important skill - to be able to understand English speech. They all speak very well, with acceptable vocabulary, and usually have English subtitles. They do not pour water, as our teachers do. They try to make the video as informative, short and useful as possible. I strongly advise everyone who learns English to watch and listen to learning videos only from native speakers.

Offers in Present Simple

Affirmative sentences in Present Simple

I have a car. I have a car.
I already know the answer. I already know the answer.
I love this highway. I love this road.
She wants to talk to you about it right now. She wants to talk to you about this right now.

He cares about me. He takes care of me.
We do prints, posters, and art books. We make prints, posters and art books.
Everybody lies. Everyone lies.
They live a simple, happy life. They live a simple happy life.
They have rights. They have rights.
He respects her. He respects her.

Imperative sentences

deep breath. Breathe deeply.
Hold her hand. Hold her hand.
Forget it. Forget.
Come back. Come back.
Do it. Do it.

Strengthening exercises

Practice 20 times out loud / this is important! / next questions:

Do I work?
Do you work?
Does he/she/it work?
Do we work?
Do they work?

Say in English out loud:

I work for Apple.
I live in Moscow.
My wife loves ice cream.
My son goes to school.

I do not smoke.
I don't drink coffee in the morning.
They don't know it.
We don't fight.

Does she live in New York?
Does he drive a BMW?
Do you want to learn English?

Why do you need to work out loud?

First, speak out loud phrases from life, not from a textbook.
What you use every day: you eat by car, you get up in the morning, you go on vacation - it is the phrases from your daily life that will give you the skill in the future not only to speak living English, and not in bookish, but also to understand native speakers.

Speaking new material allows your tongue and brain to remember what you have learned, and in the future automatically “give out” it when necessary.

My personal example

At this stage, I read, watch and listen to all kinds of books and videos.
Before, I tried to write down all the words and phrases I did not know in the dictionary.
As a result, the notebook grew in size, and new words remained in the passive.
It would seem that I write, thereby training visual memory, but there are no special results of this skill for speaking English, because writing helps only to remember the correct spelling of words and recognize them in books.

But after I started read aloud, repeating new phrases after natives, NOT writing anything in a notebook, I noticed that later, the words themselves seem to “crawl out” and it’s easy for you to translate something from the text, immediately remember this or that idiom and put it into context . Those. our memory is somehow so cunningly arranged, it gives us, on occasion, everything that we have spoken before. In any case, that's how I have it.

Therefore, always, after gaining new knowledge, speak the material out loud not once or 10 times, but from 20 or more times. The results will surprise you.

Here you can take a lesson on the topic: Present simple tense in English. Other verbs. Present Simple Tense. other verbs.

In this lesson, we will look at the simplest, at the same time, the main tense in the English language - present simple, which is already a little familiar to us from the use of the verb to be. It is believed that Present Simple time is most similar to the usual present time in Russian, and is used to indicate habitual actions and indisputable facts.

In addition to the verb to be, there are over 200 other verbs in English that can also be used in affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences. Each sentence form has its own general rules, along with some pitfalls.

1. Yes, affirmative sentences in Present Simple, with rare exceptions, they have a fixed word order: subject-predicate-object-adverb. For example:

He reads newspapers every day. - He reads newspapers every day.

It follows from this that the verb in affirmative sentences is always put after the noun. In the present simple tense, the verb does not change by gender or number, as in some other languages, but by person. to the verb in 3rd person singular the ending -s or -es is added. Consider these changes using the example of the verb "walk" (walk):

I walk - I walk
you walk - you are walking / you are walking
he walks - he walks
she walks - she walks
it walks - he/she (inanimate or animal) walks
we walk - we walk
they walk - they walk

The ending -es is added only if the verbs end in -s, -x, -ch, -sh, -o , and is read as /iz/ in most words. For example:

kiss - kisses / "kisiz / (kiss)
relax - relaxes / ri "læksiz / (relax, rest)
watch - watches /"wɔtʃiz/ (watch)
wash - washes /"wɔʃiz/ (wash, wash)
go - goes / "gouz / (go, walk)

A special exception is the verb have (to have). In 3rd person singular, it changes to has /haez/:

I have a younger sister. - I have a younger sister.
He has a new bicycle. - He has a new bike.

There are also cases where the verb ends in the letter -y, then when adding the letter -s to the 3rd person singular verb, the ending becomes -ies. For example: carry - carries (wear), fly-flies (fly), study - studies (teach), tidy - tidies (clean), cry - cries (cry), etc.

The boy carries a heavy bag. The boy is carrying a heavy bag.
Mary studies at high school. Mary is in high school.

Exceptions: play - plays (play), enjoy - enjoys (enjoy), buy - buys (buy), say - says (to tell), stay- stays (stop), pay - pays (to pay) .

Consider a few more examples of affirmative sentences in Present Simple with various verbs:

I like chocolate. - I like chocolate.
You go to English classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. - You go to English classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Mike goes to the gym every day. Mike goes to the gym every day.
Leila watches TV in the evening. Leila watch TV in the evening.
The cheetah runs faster than any other animal. - The cheetah runs faster than any other animal.
We always wash our hands before supper. - We always wash our hands before dinner.
I have two brothers and she has two sisters. -
Ann studies in the evenings. Anna studies in the evenings.
He always buys presents for his little daughter. He always buys gifts for his little daughter.

In English sentences of the simple present tense, words such as always (always), usually (usually), often(often), sometimes (sometimes), hardly ever (extremely rare, almost never), never (never), rarely (rarely). These are adverbs of frequency, indicating that the actions are everyday, ordinary, routine. If the verb in the sentence is to be, then these adverbs follow immediately after it, and if these are any other verbs, then before them. Let's look at an example:

She is often late. - She is often late.
They always buy goods in this store. - They always buy goods in this store.
I "m hardly ever at home. - I almost never go home.
It rarely rains here. - It rarely rains here.
We hardly ever see each other. We hardly see each other.

There are also other expressions that indicate that the actions are habitual. For example: every day (every day), every week (every week), every month (every month), once a day (once a day), twice a week (twice a week), three times a month (three times a month ), four times a year (four times a year), in the evenings (in the evenings), on Fridays (on Fridays), etc. All these "temporary" expressions show that the actions are ordinary, and are included in the daily routine. Almost all of the above words are placed at the end of the sentence. The expression "every day" can also be placed at the beginning of a sentence. Let's look at examples:

John takes his dog for a walk twice a day. John walks his dog twice a day.
That woman comes to the shop every day. That woman comes to the store every day.
I watch TV in the evenings. - I watch TV in the evenings.
She visits her relatives every weekend. She visits her relatives every weekend.
Ed does sport on Mondays and Wednesdays. Ed goes in for sports on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Every day I go for a walk in the park. - Every day I go for a walk in the park.

2. Negative sentences in the present simple tense are built using the "not" particle. However, unlike the verb to be, all other verbs need the help of an auxiliary verb do or does.

Thus, the particle "not" is merged with auxiliary verbs, and this is what we get: do not = don"t , does not = doesn"t. The abbreviated form is more commonly used. The words don "t and doesn" t in a sentence are usually placed before the verb. Let's look at examples:

We don "t watch TV much. - We don't watch TV much.
I don "t like meat. - I don't like meat.

The choice between the auxiliary verbs don "t or doesn" t depends on the person. Namely, the auxiliary verb doesn "t is used only with 3rd person singular. For example:

He doesn't want to join the army. - He doesn't want to join the army.
She doesn't get up early. - She doesn't get up early.
It doesn't matter. - It doesn't matter.

As you can see from the examples, the negative word doesn "t takes the ending of the 3rd person singular -s. For clarity, here are a few more examples:

Lewis doesn't go to school. - Lewis doesn't go to school.
She doesn't live here anymore. - She doesn't live here anymore.
My dog doesn't like cats. - My dog doesn't like cats.
Jim doesn't find this film interesting. - Jim doesn't find this film interesting.

With the negatives don "t and doesn" t, "temporary" words or adverbs of frequency can also be used. Everything except the words never, rarely and hardly ever, since they already carry a negative meaning, and in English sentences there can be only one negation. Let's look at some examples:

He doesn't eat fish at all. = He never eats fish. - He at all / never eats fish.
He doesn't never eat fish. (would be wrong)

It doesn't rain much here. = It hardly ever rains here. - Here almost never / very rarely it's raining.
It doesn't hardly ever rain here. (won't be right)

We don "t travel much. = We rarely travel. - We not very often / rarely we travel.
We don "t rarely travel. (Will be wrong).

3. Interrogative sentences in the present simple tense are also formed using the auxiliary verbs do and does, except when the main verb in the sentence to be. Let's compare with an example:

Are you from Wales? - Are you from Wales?
Do you come from Wales? - Are you from Wales?

As can be seen from the examples, the auxiliary verb do, as well as the verb to be in questions, is put before the noun. In case the noun is 3rd person singular, to build a question, the auxiliary verb does is used, while the ending -s of the verb itself is lost. Let's look at examples:

Does he like ham? - Does he like ham?
Does she read a lot? - She read a lot?
Does it hurt? - Doesn't it hurt?
Does Theo drink tea or coffee? Does Theo drink tea or coffee?

Many people have a question, what to do when the main verb in the sentence is already do, and is it possible to use 2 words in the sentence at once do. It's surprisingly possible. For example:

Do you do your homework in the afternoon or in the evening? - Do you do your homework during the day or in the evening?
Does he do any sports? - Does he play any sports?

The above questions are general and require short answers: yes or no. And, as you know, short answers in English take into account the auxiliary verb used in the question and the subject. For example:

Do you speak French? -Yes, I do ./ -No, I don "t. - Do you speak French? -Yes./ -No.
Does he do martial art? -Yes, he does ./ -No, he doesn't. - Does he practice martial arts? -Yes./ -No.

In Present Simple time, you can also set special questions beginning with question words: who (who?), what (what?), when (when?), where (where? where?), which (what?), why (why?), whom (whom?), whose (whose?), how many / how much (how much?); and requiring specific answers. In such questions, these interrogative words go before the auxiliary verbs and the noun. Let's look at some examples:

What does he do? - He works as a bank manager. - What does he do? - He works as a bank manager.
Where does she work? -She works in an office. - Where does she work? -She works in the office.
When do you get up? -I get up at 6.30 every day. - When do you wake up? -I wake up at 6:30 every day.
Which food do you like? -I like pizza and sushi. - What kind of food do you like? -I love pizza and sushi.
Who do you take after more? -I take after my father. - Who do you look more like? -I look like my father.
How many days do you work a week? -I work 5 days a week. - How many days a week do you work? - I work 5 days a week.

See also full answers to specific questions. These are ordinary affirmative sentences with various verbs that change according to persons.

In English proverbs and sayings, Present Simple is the most popular tense. Here are some examples folk wisdom:

A new broom sweep clean. - A new broom sweeps in a new way.
Oil and water don't mix. - Water and oil are not mixed. / A goose is not a comrade to a pig.
It never rains but it pours. - The rain never comes drop by drop, but falls in a downpour. / Trouble does not come alone.
Little pitchers have big ears. - Small pitchers have big ears. / Curious Varvara's nose was torn off at the market.
Still water run deep. - Quiet waters flow deeply. / Devils live in a still pool.
Practice makes perfect. - Practice is the way to perfection. / Repetition is the mother of learning.
Pride comes before a fall. - Pride precedes the fall. / Pride does not lead to good.
Opportunity only knocks once. - A favorable chance knocks on the door only once. / Once in a lifetime, everyone gets a lucky break.

There are 12 tenses in English instead of 3 habitual for Russian people. Today we will look at Present Simple Tense (or Present Indefinite). It is translated into Russian as "simple present tense".

With it, we talk about our habits and preferences, skills and daily activities.

This time is constantly used in English. Therefore, it is very important to fully understand and learn how to use it from the very beginning.

In the article, I will explain to you how and when to use the Present Simple, and also tell you about all the nuances of its use.

Affirmative sentences in Present Simple
Verb endings -s and -es in Present simple

The use of Present Simple tense in English

Present Simple Tense is the simple present tense in English. This tense is used when we talk about activities that happen regularly.

For example: "She does exercises in the morning."

There are the following cases of using Present Simple:

1. About the activities that we do regularly, usually.
We go to work; he reads books; we play sports.

2. About someone's habits and preferences.
Do you enjoy watching comedies? she likes to eat sushi.

3. About the daily schedule, daily routine.
The bus arrives at 10:00; the plane to Paris leaves at 22:00

4. About your skills.
I read (I can read, but don't confuse it with "I'm currently reading"). He swims (he can swim). I speak English (I can speak English).

Please note that this is the time we do not use when talking about actions that are happening right now. For example: "I'm cooking (at the moment)."

Education rules affirmative sentences in Present Simple

The affirmative form of Present Simple is formed about a simple scheme:

1. If the action is performed:

I - I
you - you / you,
we - we
they - they

the verb does not change. Look at the table:

I
You	drive	a car
We	want	a bus
They

Sentence examples

I go to work every day.

They usually get up early.
They usually get up early.

2. When actions are performed:

He - he
she - she
it - it

then the ending is added to the verb s/es. Pay attention to the verbs in the table.

He	lik es
She	want s	a car
It	drive es

Sentence examples

He play s football every Friday.
He plays football every Friday.

She like s green tea.
She likes green tea.

Verb endings -s and -es in Present Simple

Let us consider in more detail how the endings change if we use the pronouns he, she, it. The ending es we put in the following cases.

verb ends in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -z, -o

ki ss(kiss) - kiss es;
cat ch(grab) - catch es;
fi x(fix) - fix es;
g o(to go) - go es;

Examples

He wash es(wash-washes) his car often.
He often washes his car.

She miss es her brother (miss - misses).
She misses her brother.

verb ends in -y and preceded by a consonant. In this case we replace -y with -i and add an ending -es.

fl y(fly) - fl ies;
hurr y(hurry up) - hurr ies.

for example

She stud ies(study - studies) five new words every day.
She learns five new words every day.

The ending -s we bet in all other cases.

Note: if the verb ends in -y and standing in front of her vowel, then we just add the ending -s.

l ay(put) - la ys;
st ay(stay) - sta ys.

for example

She pla ys tennis twice a week.
She plays tennis twice a week.

Special words used in Present Simple

There are some words that indicate and help determine what we have in front of Present Simple. All these words have in common that they show that the action is happening (or not happening) periodically.

Always - always;
often - often;
usually - usually;
sometimes - sometimes;
rarely - rarely;
never - never;
every time, every morning, every evening, every day - every time, every morning, every evening, every day.

Seeing these words, you can immediately understand that we are talking about some kind of regular, usual action for us.

for example

She cook dinner usually by herself.
She is usually cooks dinner by herself.

They never play football.
They are never don't play football.

Negative form in Present Simple

A negative sentence will be built in the same way as in Russian: using the particle not. For example, I go to work. Let's add "not" and it will turn out: I do not go to work.

The Present Simple particle not consists of an auxiliary verb do or does and particles not.

To make a sentence negative, we need to put "not" in front of the verb. That is, the proposal will be built according to the following scheme:

Actor + do/does not + action (initial verb).

Does we use when we are talking about one person (he, she, it), and in all other cases we must use do.

I
You	do
We			like	to sleep
They		not	want	to buy a car
He			go	to work
She	does
It

Sentence examples

Note that when we use do not and does not the ending s/es is no longer added to the verb. After all, it is these auxiliary verbs that show the time (read the article " Auxiliary verbs in English"). Why is it necessary to show 2 times that this is a real repeating tense?

See.

He does not read_books.
He doesn't read books.

We don't speak

He does not reads books.

How can do not and does not be abbreviated?

We can abbreviate not in the following way.

Don't = don't.
Does not = doesn't.

Interrogative form in Present Simple

To ask a question, you need to put auxiliary verbs do or does first in the proposal. In this case, the word order does not change, that is, it will be the same as in the affirmative form. The scheme for constructing a question in Present Simple is as follows

Do/does + actor + action (initial verb)?

As usual, we use does with he, she, it. In all other cases, we use do.

	I
Do	you
	we	like	to sleep?
	they	want	to buy a car?
	she	go	to work?
Does	he
	it

Please note that in the question the verb is in the initial form and its ending does not change.

Do es she like_ sweets?
Does she like sweets?

Statement

She usually drink s coffee in the morning.
She usually drinks coffee in the morning.

They eat different fruits every day.
They eat fruit every day.

Question

Does she usually drink coffee in the morning?
Does she usually drink coffee in the morning?

Do they eat different fruits every day?
Do they eat fruit every day?

Answering questions in Present Simple

Short positive answer will contain an auxiliary verb do/does, which will replace the action itself (drinks, eats).

Yes, she does.
Yes, he drinks.

Yes, they do.
Yes, they eat.

Full positive response will be constructed as an affirmative sentence.

Yes, she usually drink s coffee in the morning.
Yes, she usually drinks coffee in the morning.

Yes, they eat different fruits every day.
Yes, they eat fruit every day.

AT short negative answer to do/does we add not.

No, she does not.
No, he doesn't drink.

No, they do not.
No, they don't eat.

Full negative answer constructed as a negative sentence:

No, she does not drink coffee in the morning.
No, she doesn't usually drink coffee in the morning.

No, they do not eat different fruits every day.
No, they don't eat fruit every day.

Examples

Do do you speak English? - Yes, I do.
Do you speak English? - Yes talking.

Do do you speak English? - No, I do not.
Do you speak English? - No I do not speak.

Do they like to dance? Yes, they like to dance.
Do they like to dance? Yes, they like to dance.

Do they like to dance? - No, they do not like to dance.
Do they like to dance? - No, they don't like to dance.

Does she play_tennis? - Yes, she does.
She plays tennis? - Yes, he plays.

Does she play_tennis? - No, she does not.
She plays tennis? - No, he doesn't play.

Does he like to travel? - Yes, he likes s to travel.
Does he like to travel? Yes, he likes to travel.

Does he like to travel? - No, he does not like to travel.
Does he like to travel? - No, he doesn't like to travel.

Special questions in Present Simple

They should be used when you want to get some additional information. Word list:

what - what,
where - where,
which - what,
why - why,
when - when
who - who,
how - how.

Question words + do/does + character + action (initial verb)?

What		I
Where	do	you
Which		we	like	to sleep?
why		they	want	to buy a car?
When		she	go	to work?
Who	does	he
how		it

Examples

Why does he go to work?
Why does he go to work?

Where do you usually go?
Where do you usually go?

When does she come back?
When is she coming back?

What do they usually watch?
What do they usually watch?

Which tea does she drink?
What kind of tea does she drink?

Who do you live with?
Who do you live with?

The verb to be in Present Simple

There is a special verb in English - to be. This verb has three forms in the present tense: am, is, are.

Very often learners of English are confused when to use it in the present tense and when not. Because of this, mistakes are made.

Remember that we use the verb to be in Present Simple when we want to say:

who what who/what is (she is a nurse);
who what what is (my cat is grey);
who what where is (dad at work).

That is, if we want describe the location something condition something or what is this object/person, then we use the verb to be.

for example

I am a doctor.
I am a doctor.

She is at home.
She is at home.

We are good singers.
We are good singers.

When you say a phrase and doubt whether it is necessary to put the verb be there, you can always check yourself by asking questions to the sentence: am I who / what, find tsya where, is what? If in translation the words “is, is, is” give the sentence a logical meaning, then in English such a sentence will be correct.

And now let's summarize briefly and look at the general table of using Present Simple time.

General table of time usage Present Simple

So, Present Simple (simple present tense) is used in the following cases:

1. When talking about activities that we do regularly, usually.
2. When talking about someone's habits and preferences.
3. When it comes to daily schedule, daily routine.
4. When we talk about our skills.

Let's look at the formation of all types of sentences in this tense.

Offer	Education Formula	Examples
affirmative	Actor + action (verb in the initial form).For she, he, it: Actor + action ending in -s/es.	I go to work every day. I go to work every day. She like s green tea. She likes green tea.
negative	Actor + do/does not + action (initial verb).	We do not* like coffee.* We not* love coffee.* She does not* smoke.* She is not* smokes.*
interrogative	Do/does + actor + action (initial verb)?	Do do you speak English? Do you speak English? Does she play tennis? She plays tennis?

We have analyzed the time of Present Simple. It is quite simple, but you need to know how to use it correctly. If something remains unclear to you, feel free to ask your questions in the comments.

Useful related articles:

Reinforcement task

Now let's practice using Present Simple tense. I propose to translate the following sentences into English.

1. I love animals.
2. He doesn't work on weekends.
3. Do your parents travel every summer?
4. My brother doesn't go to the gym.
5. I am never late.

You perform many activities regularly or periodically. Sometimes you go to the cinema, do exercises often, always brush your teeth, have breakfast or lunch every day.
How to say it in English? The actions that we perform every day, regularly and periodically, are simple things that people have long been accustomed to. And since you are describing the actions that take place every day in the present, then you will use the present tense. Regular actions in the present describes Present simple tense (Present Simple).

The English use Present Simple when they talk about everyday life, routine and what they always do. Even if a person says something in Present Simple, without mentioning that this action is always or often performed, he has already let you know that he is talking about something ordinary and familiar. But in a sentence in the present simple tense (Present Simple), phrases are often used that make it clear how often actions are performed.

USUALLY - USUALLY
ALWAYS - ALWAYS
NEVER - NEVER
EVERY DAY - EVERY DAY
TWICE A WEEK - TWICE A WEEK
4 TIMES A MONTH - 4 TIMES A MONTH
SUNDAYS - ON SUNDAYS
AT WEEK-ENDS, ON ONE'S FREE DAYS
ON WEEK-DAYS
IN THE MORNING(S)
EVENING - IN THE EVENING(S)
OFTEN - OFTEN

RARE - SELDOM
SOMETIMES - SOMETIMES
ALMOST EVER - HARDLY EVER
HARDLY EVER
QUITE OFTEN - QUITE OFTEN
PRETTY RARE - RATHER SELDOM
VERY OFTEN
EVERY SATURDAY - EVERY SATURDAY
IN WINTER
IN SUMMER - IN SUMMER
SPRING - IN SPRING
IN AUTUMN

These words are always placed before the verb. Combined with the phrase in the morning- in the morning, in the afternoon- in the afternoon, in the evening- in the evening, they also serve as indicators that the action takes place regularly. These phrases are always placed at the beginning or end of a sentence.

The formation of "Present Simple" (Present Simple)

To begin with, it is worth remembering that we always talking about the tense of the verb (action). We cannot talk about the time of an object or characteristic. For the formation of "Present Simple Tense" take a verb(read, write, find, eat) and put it after the main object sentences (I, we, they). The main object in the sentence will be the object that performs the action. This is how “Present Simple Tense” is formed simply. For example: I eat every day. We have breakfast in the morning.

The structure of the affirmative sentence remains unchanged:

WHO?	WHAT IS HE DOING?	Other parts of the offer
We	live	in a big house
We	live	in the big house
They	like	coffee
They are	love	coffee

True, there is some nuance here. Verbs in a sentence always depend on the main objects. And the main objects will affect the endings of the verbs. The rule is simple: if the main object is in the plural (I, we, you, they, cats, dogs, people), then the verb is used without an ending. If the object is in the singular (he, she, it, a man, a student, a cat), then the verb gets the ending -s or -es.
We add the ending -s to most of the verbs in Present Simple and it is read as /z/ after voiced consonants and vowels (plays, finds) and as /s/ after voiceless consonants (eats, cooks).

Add the ending -es if:

1) Verbs end in hissing and whistling letters: s, ss, ch, tch, sh.

For example:

(look) wa tch-wa tches;
(wash) wa sh-wa she's;
(transmit) pa ss-pa sses

This ending reads as / iz /

2) Verbs end in " o».

For example:

(to do) d o-d oes ;
(walk) g o-g oes.

This ending reads as / z /

3) Verbs end in " y» after a consonant. In this case, with the letter " y interesting changes are taking place. When we add the ending " es", then " y»
changes to " i».

For example: (learn) stud y- stud ies;

If the letter " y» stands after a vowel, then it does not change, and we just add
the ending " s».

For example: (play) pl ay-pl ays.
This ending reads as / z /.

The exception is the word "have" (to have), which completely changes its form, after objects in the singular. It turns out that this verb has two forms:
have(after plural I, we, you, they) and has(after singular he, she, it).

Sentences with the verb "have" are translated into Russian as " I have" or " he has", and not "I have", "he has"; although literally the English say exactly that.

Let's briefly summarize what we know about present simple tense:

1) Use this time when talking about activities that you do often, regularly, that are characteristic of you. For example, "I brush my teeth and wash my face every day", or "I usually eat porridge for breakfast."

2) Form this tense with the verb in the first form. If the verb is worth
after the object in singular or pronouns he, she, it, add to it the ending " -s" or " -es". The exception to this rule is the verb " have", which changes its form to " has» after objects in the singular.

3) Use special pointer words that indicate that the action you are talking about is regular, and not one that is happening at the moment. These words include the following: always, often, usually, seldom, never. Use always, often, usually, seldom, never before the verb. And phrases in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, which indicate the time of the event, put at the beginning or end of the sentence. For example, In the morning I always eat sandwiches. They often drink coffee with cream. We usually cook salad. He seldom eats in the evening. She never drinks milk.

Offer in Russian	main object	Verb	Other parts of the offer
I drink tea every day.	I	drink	tea every day
We love milk.	We	like	milk
They have glasses, cups and plates.	They	have	glasses, cups and plates
I want (some) coffee.	I	want	some coffee
He eats sandwiches.	He	eats	sandwiches
He has a menu.	He	has	a menu
She has a drink.	She	has	a drink
She drinks coffee with sugar and cream.	She	drinks	coffee with sugar and cream
Masha washes dishes every day.	Masha	washes	plates every day
Petya prepares meat and salad in the evening.	Pete	cooks	meat and salad in the evening

negative suggestions. Negative Sentences.

Let's imagine that you want to tell others about what you never do, or just to tell about what you don't like. Then you need to use negative sentences. Remember this old joke: “I don’t like cats,” one friend says to another. And he answers him: “You just don’t know how to cook them.” “I don’t like cats” and “you don’t know how to cook them” are just examples of negative sentences that we will talk about. How are they built?

We take the word "no" from the negative answer (" no”) and get a negative sentence. That is, it turns out that you have long learned how to build them and now you have only learned about how they are called. Below, for clarification, the formula of negative proposals is presented.

Remember that you can use the abbreviated form of the verb " do"and particles" not».
Namely: " do not = don't; does not = doesn't».

official uniform		colloquial form
do not		don't
does not		doesn't
I do not		I don't
You don't		You don't
We do not		We don't
They don't		They don't
He does not		He doesn't
She doesn't		She doesn't
It does not		It doesn't

Negative sentences can be supplemented with correct information. For example, "I don't have a sister. I have a brother!” - "I have no sister. I have a brother!" or "My father doesn't write books. He writes only notes. “My father doesn't write books. He only writes notes. Here are some examples of negative sentences:

main object	Auxiliary the verb "do"	Negative particle "not"	semantic verb	Other parts suggestions	Translation
Mary	does	not	like	her job	Mary doesn't like her job
Pete and John	do	not	go	to work on Mondays	Pete and John don't go to work on Mondays.
I	do	not	watch	TV very often	I don't watch TV very often
Our cat	does	not	eat	much fish	Our cat doesn't eat a lot of fish.

Questions in Present Simple Tense (Present Simple)

You are already quite good at talking about the actions that you perform regularly. But what if you need to ask about something or disagree with something? Ask a question or say a negative sentence. Questions use the standard pattern we learned earlier:

In English there is such a thing as strong and weak verbs (this is a conditional division). Strong verbs, for example, include the verb "be", and weak verbs - all the rest. And the difference between these verbs lies precisely in the fact that strong verbs can independently and without support form questions and negations. For example, "Is it a pen" and "No, it isn't".

Weak verbs are completely devoid of this luxury. Since they are weak, it means that they need outside support. And this support, one might say, humanitarian assistance, is provided to all verbs by a simple verb “do”. Since it provides support, let's call it an auxiliary verb (linguists call it that). The verb, on which the meaning of the entire statement rests (it indicates what kind of action is being performed or happening), is called semantic. The difference between semantic and auxiliary verbs is that the main verb is translated into Russian, but the auxiliary is not. We can say that the auxiliary verb is a ghost verb, it seems to be there, but it does not add meaning to the sentence.

The verb “do” removes from the main verb, which is called semantic, the obligation to carry endings and generally change at least somehow. Remember that when talking about regular actions, you add the ending "s" or "es" if the semantic verb comes after the object in the singular (he, she, it, a cat).

For example, "He likes pizza", "She has breakfast every morning" or "She does her homework every day". When negating and in questions, the verb "do" ( acting as an auxiliary verb!!!) takes over all the endings of semantic verbs. The semantic verbs themselves, since the endings have already been given away, remain in the first (dictionary) form. So, once again - the formula of the question:

General question
Regular offer		main object	semantic verb	Other parts of the offer
I like food	Do	you/I	like	food?
He goes to school	Does	he	go	to school?
Mary reads books every day	Does	she/Mary	read	books every day?
Special question
question word	Auxiliary verb (do/does)	main object	semantic verb	Other parts of the offer
What	do	you/I	like
Where	does	he	go
What	does	she/Mary	read	every day?
Alternative question
Auxiliary verb (do/does)	main object	semantic verb	Alternative	Other parts of the offer
Do	you/I	like	food or drink?
Does	he	go	to school or home?
Does	she/Mary	read	books or copy-books	every day?
What does	she/Mary	read	books or copy-books	every day?

As you noticed, if the verb is in a regular sentence with the ending "s" or "es", then it does not occur in the question. In a question with an ending, there is only an auxiliary verb. And since there is already one verb with an ending, why use it again?
Special mention also deserves special questions to the main object.
They are built so simply that it did not even make sense to include them in the plate above. If you want to ask a question to the main object, then build a declarative sentence in which the main object is replaced by " Who"(if the question is asked to an animate) or" What” (if the question is asked to an inanimate object). In these questions, you do not need an auxiliary verb and do not need to change the word order in the sentence. Everything in it remains as it is.

For example:

"Who goes to school every day?" - "Who goes to school every day?"

Who is here? - "Who's here?"
"What is in your bag?" - "What's in your bag?"

Answer these questions by substituting the main object for the words "who" and "what":
"My brother goes to school every day" - "My brother goes to school every day"
"I am here" - "I am here"
"Pens are in my bag" - "Pens in my bag."

How do you answer all these kinds of questions? And answer them according to the schemes studied earlier. For general questions, the answer formula is standard:

Positive response:

Question	Answer "Yes"	Main An object (from question, always pronoun)	Auxiliary verb (taken from question)	Translation
Do you have friends?	yes,	I	do.	Yes.
Does he like to watch TV?	yes,	he	does.	Yes.
Does Ann learn English?	yes,	she	does.	Yes.
Do you do morning exercises? (here the verb "do" is semantic, so it occurs 2 times in the sentence: once as auxiliary, and the second - as semantic).	yes,	we/I	do.	Yes.

Negative answer:

Question	Answer "Not"	main object (from the question always pronoun)	Auxiliary verb(taken from question)	negative particle "not"	Translation
Do you have friends?	no,	I	do	not.	Not
Does he like to watch TV?	no,	he	does	not.	Not
Does Ann learn English?	no,	she	does	not.	Not
Do you do morning exercises?	no,	we/I	do	not.	Not