English grammar · Beginner
Simple Present Tense: Form, Spelling Rules, Uses, and Examples
The simple present tense (also called the present simple) is the tense English uses for things that are generally true: habits, routines, facts, permanent states, and fixed timetables. It is the base form of the verb, with -s added for he, she, and it (I work, she works), and it uses do and does for negatives and questions.
She works in a hospital and starts at seven every morning.
a routine that is true in general, not only right now
What it is
The simple present is not really about now. It describes what is true in general: what someone does regularly (She runs every morning), what is always the case (Water boils at 100 degrees), what is scheduled (The train leaves at 6.40), and how things are (I live in Leeds, he has two sisters). For what is happening at this moment, English uses the present continuous instead. The form is the base verb for every subject except he, she, and it, which add -s, and the auxiliaries do and does build the negatives and questions.
I drink coffee every morning. (A habit, repeated, not necessarily happening now.) I'm drinking coffee right now. (Present continuous: this moment only.)
How to spot it
Look for the base verb with no auxiliary, or with a third-person -s: work, works. If the sentence has do, does, don't, or doesn't, it is a simple present negative or question. Time words like every day, usually, never, on Mondays, and once a week point to the tense too.
- He plays the guitar. (third-person -s marks the tense)
- We don't eat meat. (do not builds the negative)
- Does the shop open on Sundays? (does moves in front of the subject)
- The sun sets in the west. (a permanent fact)
The verb be has its own forms (am, is, are) and never uses do: I am tired. Is she here? Every other verb, including have, follows the do and does pattern: Do you have a car?
Simple Present Tense Quick Reference
Spelling the third-person singular (he, she, it)
| Verb ending | Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Most verbs | add -s | work / works, run / runs, see / sees |
| -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -z | add -es | pass / passes, wash / washes, watch / watches, fix / fixes |
| -o | add -es | go / goes, do / does |
| consonant + -y | change y to i, add -es | study / studies, try / tries, carry / carries |
| vowel + -y | add -s only | play / plays, enjoy / enjoys, say / says |
| have | irregular | have / has |
| be | irregular, three forms | am, is, are |
Common Simple Present Tense Examples in English
The simple present has more uses than habits alone, so the examples are grouped by what the sentence is doing:
Habits and Routines
- I check my email before breakfast.
- a daily habit
- She goes to the gym three times a week.
- frequency phrase at the end
- They usually eat dinner at eight.
- adverb of frequency before the main verb
- He doesn't smoke.
- a habit someone does not have
The habit does not have to be happening now. I check my email before breakfast is true even when said at midnight.
Facts, General Truths, and States
- Water freezes at zero degrees Celsius.
- a scientific fact
- Light travels faster than sound.
- always true
- She has two brothers and lives in Cardiff.
- a permanent situation
- I know what you mean.
- a mental state: stative verb
- This soup tastes wonderful.
- a sense verb describing a quality
States and feelings use the simple present even when they are true right now: I know, I want, it tastes. These stative verbs rarely take the continuous.
Timetables and Fixed Schedules
- The train leaves at 6.40 tomorrow.
- a timetable, so simple present even for the future
- The museum opens at ten and closes at six.
- opening hours
- Our flight lands in Madrid at midnight.
- a scheduled arrival
- The new term begins on 6 January.
- a fixed date on a calendar
This is the one future use of the simple present. It works only for events fixed by a timetable or programme, not for personal plans: I'm meeting Sam tomorrow, not I meet Sam tomorrow.
Narration, Headlines, and Instructions
- So I walk in, and the whole room goes quiet.
- spoken storytelling in the present
- Minister resigns after budget vote.
- a headline: simple present for a past event
- First you boil the water, then you add the rice.
- instructions and recipes
- She passes to the striker, and he scores.
- live sports commentary
- In the final chapter, the detective reveals the murderer.
- summarising a plot
In all of these the events are presented as a sequence unrolling in front of the listener, which is why a present tense fits.
How the Simple Present Works
One ending, two auxiliaries, and a clear idea of what counts as generally true.
Only He, She, and It Take -s
The base form serves I, you, we, they, and every plural noun. He, she, it, and every singular noun add -s: my brother works, the shop opens. This -s is the only ending in the whole tense, and forgetting it is the most common simple present error at every level.
My brother works nights, but my parents work days.
singular subject takes -s, plural subject does not
One -s, and only in the third person singular.
Do and Does Build Negatives and Questions
A simple present statement has no auxiliary verb, so English borrows one. Do not (don't) and does not (doesn't) go in front of the verb for negatives, and do or does moves in front of the subject for questions. Does carries the third-person -s, so the main verb returns to its base form.
She likes jazz. She doesn't like jazz. Does she like jazz?
the -s moves from like to does
Does takes the -s, the verb goes bare.
Be Has Its Own Forms
Be is the only verb with three present forms (am, is, are), and it never uses do. The negative puts not after be; the question moves be in front of the subject. This matters because be is also the auxiliary of the present continuous, so its pattern comes up constantly.
I'm not ready. Are they here?
be inverts on its own, without do
Be never needs do.
Time Expressions Say How Often, Not When Exactly
The simple present pairs with words that describe frequency or generality: every day, on Mondays, twice a year, usually, never, in general. It resists words that pin the action to this moment (now, at the moment) unless the verb is a stative verb. When you see a frequency word, expect the simple present.
We visit my grandmother every Sunday.
every Sunday says how often, not when exactly
Frequency, not a moment.
Stative Verbs Stay in the Simple Present
Verbs of thinking, feeling, possession, and perception (know, believe, want, like, need, have, own, belong, seem) describe states rather than actions. A state cannot be in progress, so these verbs take the simple present even when the state is true right now.
I need a break right now.
not I am needing, even with right now
States: simple present, even for now.
Common Mistakes with Simple Present Tense
Incorrect: She work in a bank.
Correct: She works in a bank.
He, she, it, and every singular noun take -s in the simple present. It is the only ending in the tense, which is exactly why it is so easy to leave off.
Incorrect: He doesn't likes fish.
Correct: He doesn't like fish.
Does already carries the third-person marking, so the main verb returns to its base form. The -s appears once in the sentence, never twice.
Incorrect: I am knowing the answer.
Correct: I know the answer.
Know is a stative verb: it describes a state, not an activity in progress, so it stays in the simple present even when it is true right now. The same goes for want, need, like, believe, and belong.
Incorrect: I go usually to bed at eleven.
Correct: I usually go to bed at eleven.
Adverbs of frequency go between the subject and the main verb, not after the verb. The one exception is be, where the adverb follows the verb: I am usually in bed by eleven.
Simple Present Forms
Two tables: one for an ordinary verb (work) and one for be, the only verb with its own present forms. In speech the negatives contract: don't, doesn't, isn't, aren't, and I'm not.
Regular verb: work
The base form everywhere except he, she, and it, which add -s. Negatives and questions borrow do and does.
| 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? |
Contractions: don't, doesn't. Short answers repeat the auxiliary, not the verb: Yes, she does. No, they don't.
The verb be
Be has three present forms and makes its negatives and questions directly, with no do.
| Pronoun | Affirmative | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | am late | am not late | Am I late? |
| you | are late | are not late | Are you late? |
| he / she / it | is late | is not late | Is she late? |
| we | are late | are not late | Are we late? |
| they | are late | are not late | Are they late? |
Contractions: I'm, you're, she's, we're, they're; isn't, aren't. Am not has no contraction of its own except in the question tag aren't I.
Adverbs of Frequency
The simple present travels with a set of adverbs that say how often, and their position in the sentence is fixed.
The frequency scale
Always, usually, normally, often, sometimes, occasionally, rarely, hardly ever, and never run from 100 percent down to zero. In a plain statement they go between the subject and the main verb.
- I always lock the door.
- before the main verb
- She rarely eats out.
- rarely is close to never
- We never argue about money.
- never is already negative: no not
Sometimes, usually, and often can also start the sentence: Sometimes I walk to work. Always and never stay before the verb in ordinary statements.
Position with be and auxiliaries
With the verb be, the adverb goes after am, is, or are. In negatives and questions it goes after the auxiliary or the subject, immediately before the main verb.
- He is always late.
- after be
- I don't usually drink coffee.
- after don't, before the verb
- Do you often travel for work?
- after the subject in a question
Learners who say He always is late have applied the main-verb rule to be. Be is the exception.
Longer frequency phrases
Every day, once a week, twice a month, most weekends, and on Fridays are phrases rather than single adverbs, so they go at the end of the sentence or at the very start.
- We have a team meeting every Monday.
- phrase at the end
- Once a year, they go back to Portugal.
- phrase at the start, with a comma
- She phones her mother twice a week.
- twice a week counts the frequency
Every day is two words and describes frequency; everyday is an adjective meaning ordinary: everyday clothes.
Quick Check: Simple Present Tense
Complete each sentence with the simple present, adding do or does where needed. One gap needs the present continuous instead.
1. My sister ___ (study) medicine in Glasgow.
Answer: studies
consonant + y: y becomes ies
2. ___ your parents ___ (live) nearby?
Answer: Do your parents live
plural subject takes do, and live stays bare
3. The last bus ___ (leave) at 11.30, so we ___ (not / have) much time.
Answer: leaves, don't have
a timetable, then a negative with don't
4. He ___ (not / watch) television during the week.
Answer: doesn't watch
doesn't carries the -s, watch goes bare
5. Water ___ (boil) at 100 degrees Celsius.
Answer: boils
a general truth with a singular subject
6. I ___ (usually / walk) to work, but today I ___ (take) the bus.
Answer: usually walk, am taking
a habit, then a one-off happening today
Simple Present Tense FAQs
- What is the simple present tense?
- It is the tense for things that are generally, regularly, or permanently true rather than happening at this moment. Its form is the base verb, with -s added for he, she, and it: I work, she works. Negatives and questions use do and does: She doesn't work on Fridays. Does she work here?
- When do you add -s, -es, or -ies?
- Add -s to most verbs (plays, runs). Add -es when the verb ends in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -z, or -o (passes, washes, watches, fixes, goes). When a verb ends in a consonant plus -y, change the y to i and add -es: study becomes studies, but stay becomes stays because a vowel comes before the y.
- How is the third-person -s pronounced?
- It has three sounds, and the sound before the ending decides which. After a voiceless sound like p, t, or k it is /s/: stops, eats, works. After a voiced sound or a vowel it is /z/: runs, plays, goes. When -es is added to a hissing sound it becomes an extra syllable, /ɪz/: watches, washes, fixes.
- Can the simple present talk about the future?
- Yes, for timetables, programmes, and fixed schedules: The train leaves at 6.40. The exam starts on Monday. It does not work for personal plans and arrangements, which take the present continuous or be going to: I'm seeing the dentist tomorrow, not I see the dentist tomorrow.
- What is the difference between the simple present and the present continuous?
- The simple present describes habits, facts, and states: I drink tea. The present continuous describes an action in progress or a temporary situation: I'm drinking tea. Stative verbs such as know, want, and belong stay in the simple present even when they are true now: I want a cup of tea, not I'm wanting one.