What is the present simple?

It is the tense for things that are generally or always true: routines, facts, jobs, and feelings. I work in a shop. She lives in Rome. Water boils at 100 degrees. With most verbs it is just the base form, plus -s for he, she, and it.

When do I add -s to the verb?

When the subject is he, she, it, or a single person or thing: he works, my sister works, the bus stops here. With I, you, we, they, and plural subjects, there is no -s: I work, my sisters work. Have is irregular: she has, not she haves.

What is the difference between do and does?

Both make questions and negatives in the present simple, and the choice depends on the subject. Does goes with he, she, and it: Does he play? He doesn't play. Do goes with I, you, we, and they: Do you play? We don't play. After both, the main verb has no -s.

Why don't I use do with am, is, and are?

Because be makes its own questions and negatives. You move am, is, or are to the front for a question (Is she at home?) and add not for a negative (She isn't at home). Do and does are only needed for verbs that cannot move on their own: Does she live at home?

Is the present simple used for things happening now?

Usually not. For an action happening at this moment, English uses the present continuous: I am reading (right now). The present simple says what is true in general: I read every evening. The exception is state verbs like like, want, know, and understand, which stay in the present simple even for right now: I want a coffee.

English grammar · Beginner

Present Simple: Daily Routines, Facts, and Be vs. Do/Does

Written by Eleanor Whitfield, Lead English Curriculum Editor · Reviewed September 2026

The present simple is the tense for things that are always or regularly true: your daily routine, your job, facts about the world, and what you like and want. With most verbs it is just the base form of the verb (I work, they live), plus -s after he, she, or it (she works). The verb be has its own forms, am, is, and are, and does not use do or does for questions and negatives.

I get up at seven and walk to work.

a daily routine: the same every day

What it is

Use the present simple to talk about what is generally true: things you do every day (I drink coffee in the morning), facts (Water freezes at zero degrees), and states like liking, wanting, and knowing (She likes tea). It is not about what is happening right now, which is the job of the present continuous (I am drinking coffee). The form is easy: the verb as you find it in the dictionary, with an -s added when the subject is he, she, or it. The one verb that behaves differently is be, which has three forms of its own: am, is, and are.

I live in Leeds. She lives in York. (Same verb; the -s appears only with she.) I am a student. She is a teacher. (Be has its own forms.)

How to spot it

If the sentence describes a habit, a routine, a fact, or a feeling that does not change from one moment to the next, you need the present simple. Words like every day, usually, never, and on Mondays are strong signals.

We have lunch at one. (a daily routine)
My dad works in a bank. (a job: true every day, with -s after dad)
It doesn't rain much here. (a general fact in the negative)
Are you hungry? (a question with be: no do)

The -s goes on the verb only when the subject is one person or thing that is not I or you: he, she, it, my brother, the bus. With I, you, we, they, and all plural subjects, the verb has no -s.

Present Simple Quick Reference

Present simple with most verbs and with be

Sentence type	Most verbs (work)	The verb be
Affirmative	I work. She works.	I am tired. She is tired. They are tired.
Negative	I don't work. She doesn't work.	I'm not tired. She isn't tired. They aren't tired.
Yes/no question	Do you work? Does she work?	Are you tired? Is she tired?
Short answer	Yes, I do. No, she doesn't.	Yes, I am. No, she isn't.
Wh-question	Where do you work? What does she do?	Where are you? Who is she?

Common Present Simple Examples in English

Plain examples of the present simple, grouped by what you use it for:

Daily Routines and Habits

I wake up at six every day.: every day: a routine
She takes the bus to school.: her usual way to travel; -s after she
We usually eat dinner at seven.: usually shows a habit
They don't work on Sundays.: a routine in the negative

Routines are the most common use at beginner level. Add a time word and the meaning is clear.

Facts and Things That Are Always True

Ice melts in the sun.: always true; -s after ice
Cats sleep a lot.: a fact about cats in general
My town has two train stations.: a fact about a place; have becomes has
Ice melts in the sun.: a fact of nature

Have is the one common verb with a different -s form: he has, not he haves.

Likes, Feelings, and Opinions

I like chocolate.: a like: a state, not an action
He doesn't like football.: a dislike in the negative
Do you want a coffee?: asking about a wish
She knows the answer.: knowing is a state; -s after she

Like, want, know, need, and understand are almost always in the present simple, even when you mean right now: I want a coffee, not I am wanting.

Describing People and Things with Be

I am from Brazil.: am with I
My sister is a nurse.: is with one person
We are ready.: are with we
Is it cold outside? No, it isn't.: question and short answer with be

Be does not use do or does. The question simply moves am, is, or are to the front.

How the Present Simple Works

Five small rules, in the order a beginner needs them.

The Base Verb, Plus -s for He, She, and It

With I, you, we, and they, use the verb exactly as it is: I work, you play, we live, they eat. With he, she, it, or one person or thing (Anna, my dog, the shop), add -s: he works, Anna plays, the shop opens. A few verbs add -es instead (goes, watches, does), and have becomes has.

I play tennis. My brother plays football.

no -s with I; -s with my brother

He, she, it: add -s.

Negatives Use Don't and Doesn't

To say something is not true, put don't (do not) or doesn't (does not) before the verb. Doesn't is for he, she, and it; don't is for everyone else. After doesn't, the verb loses its -s, because doesn't already shows the he/she/it form.

I don't eat meat. She doesn't eat meat.

doesn't carries the -s, so eat has none

Don't or doesn't + base verb.

Questions Start with Do or Does

To ask a yes/no question, put Do or Does in front of the subject and keep the verb in its base form. Does is for he, she, and it. For a wh-question, put the question word first: Where do you live? What does he do? The answer uses do or does too: Yes, I do. No, he doesn't.

Do you speak English? Does she speak French?

does takes the -s; speak stays plain

Do/Does + subject + base verb?

Be Is Different: Am, Is, Are

Be has its own three forms and never uses do or does. I am, he/she/it is, you/we/they are. The negative adds not (I'm not, she isn't, they aren't), and the question moves the be-form to the front (Am I? Is she? Are they?). Choose be when you describe what someone is, not what they do: a name, a job, a nationality, an age, a feeling.

I am a nurse. Is she a nurse? They aren't nurses.

no do or does anywhere with be

Be: am, is, are, and no do.

Frequency Words Go Before the Verb (But After Be)

Always, usually, often, sometimes, and never sit just before the main verb: I always walk to work. She never drinks coffee. With be they go after the verb: I am always late. Longer time phrases (every day, on Fridays, at nine) go at the end of the sentence.

He usually gets up early. He is usually tired.

usually before gets, after is

Adverb before the verb, after be.

Common Mistakes with Present Simple

Incorrect: She work in a hospital.

Correct: She works in a hospital.

With he, she, or it, the verb needs -s. This small ending is the most common present simple mistake because many languages do not mark the verb for the third person at all.

Incorrect: He don't like fish.

Correct: He doesn't like fish.

The negative for he, she, and it is doesn't. Don't belongs to I, you, we, and they. Note that like has no -s after doesn't: the -s has moved to the helper verb.

Incorrect: Do you are tired?

Correct: Are you tired?

Be never uses do or does. To make a question with be, move am, is, or are to the front. Do and does are only for other verbs: Do you feel tired?

Incorrect: I am agree with you.

Correct: I agree with you.

Agree is an ordinary verb, not an adjective, so it does not need be in front of it. Compare I am happy (adjective, needs be) with I agree, I like, I want (verbs, no be).

Present Simple Forms

Two tables: one for ordinary verbs, using work, and one for the verb be. Learn both together, because the mistake beginners make most is mixing them.

Most verbs: work

The verb stays the same for everyone except he, she, and it, which add -s. Do and does build the negatives and questions.

Pronoun	Affirmative	Negative	Question
I	work	do not work	Do I work?
you	work	do not work	Do you work?
he / she / it	works	does not work	Does she work?
we	work	do not work	Do we work?
they	work	do not work	Do they work?

In speech and informal writing, do not becomes don't and does not becomes doesn't: I don't work. She doesn't work.

The verb be

Three forms, no -s rule, and no do or does: the be-form itself moves to make a question and takes not to make a negative.

Pronoun	Affirmative	Negative	Question
I	am	am not	Am I?
you	are	are not	Are you?
he / she / it	is	is not	Is she?
we	are	are not	Are we?
they	are	are not	Are they?

Contractions: I'm, you're, she's, we're, they're; isn't, aren't. Am not has no contraction of its own: say I'm not. In questions, aren't I? is the usual form.

Time Words for Routines

A small set of words and phrases goes with the present simple and tells the listener how often something happens.

Adverbs of frequency

Always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, and never say how often. They go before the main verb and after be.

I always brush my teeth before bed.: before the main verb
She is never late.: after be
We sometimes eat out.: sometimes can also start the sentence: Sometimes we eat out

Never already makes the sentence negative, so it does not take don't: I never drink coffee, not I don't never drink coffee.

Every, on, and at

Every day, every week, on Mondays, at the weekend, at seven o'clock, and in the morning tell you when the routine happens. They usually go at the end of the sentence.

I go swimming every Tuesday.: every + a day
The shop opens at nine.: at + a clock time
We visit my grandparents on Sundays.: on + a day, with -s for every Sunday

In the morning, in the afternoon, and in the evening, but at night.

How often ...?

The question for routines is How often, and the answer often uses once, twice, or three times plus a period.

How often do you go to the gym?: asking about frequency
Twice a week.: a short answer
I see my cousins about once a month.: once a month: one time every month

Once and twice are special words; from three upwards, use times: three times a year.

Quick Check: Present Simple

Complete each sentence in the present simple. Some gaps need a form of be.

1. My mother ___ (work) in a school.

Answer: works

-s after my mother (she)

2. I ___ (not / eat) breakfast on weekdays.

Answer: don't eat

don't with I; eat stays plain

3. ___ your brother ___ (like) music?

Answer: Does your brother like

does for one person; like without -s

4. They ___ (be) from Canada, but they ___ (live) in Dublin now.

Answer: are, live

be has its own form; live has no -s with they

5. ___ she a doctor? No, she ___.

Answer: Is, isn't

questions and short answers with be use is

6. We usually ___ (go) to the cinema on Fridays, but we never ___ (go) on Saturdays.

Answer: go, go

no -s with we; never does not need don't

Present Simple FAQs

What is the present simple?: It is the tense for things that are generally or always true: routines, facts, jobs, and feelings. I work in a shop. She lives in Rome. Water boils at 100 degrees. With most verbs it is just the base form, plus -s for he, she, and it.
When do I add -s to the verb?: When the subject is he, she, it, or a single person or thing: he works, my sister works, the bus stops here. With I, you, we, they, and plural subjects, there is no -s: I work, my sisters work. Have is irregular: she has, not she haves.
What is the difference between do and does?: Both make questions and negatives in the present simple, and the choice depends on the subject. Does goes with he, she, and it: Does he play? He doesn't play. Do goes with I, you, we, and they: Do you play? We don't play. After both, the main verb has no -s.
Why don't I use do with am, is, and are?: Because be makes its own questions and negatives. You move am, is, or are to the front for a question (Is she at home?) and add not for a negative (She isn't at home). Do and does are only needed for verbs that cannot move on their own: Does she live at home?
Is the present simple used for things happening now?: Usually not. For an action happening at this moment, English uses the present continuous: I am reading (right now). The present simple says what is true in general: I read every evening. The exception is state verbs like like, want, know, and understand, which stay in the present simple even for right now: I want a coffee.