PRESENT TENSE

Present simple is used when we talk about things in general or actions which happen all
the time for example: the daily routines:

Ex: I get up at 7:00 o’clock

She has lunch with her mother every day

We also use the simple present for a permanent situation:

I live in La Serena
He plays football very well

I do
Past Now Future

Remember: third person (he, she, it) always takes an “s” with regular verbs, for
example:
She plays, he drinks, she speaks, he washes, etc.

Irregular verbs include “to go” ir, “to study” estudiar, “to do” hacer and “to have” tener

I go I study I do I have
You go you study You do You have
She/he/it goes she/he/it studies she/he/it does she/he/it has
We go we study we do we have
You go you study you do you have
They to they study they do they have

Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the verb:

1.- He…………………….in a flat in avenida del mar (live)

2.- They…………………..as teachers in the primary school (work)

3.- It………………..every winter in England (rain)

4.- I…………………weekend (love)

5.- She ………………..to a nightclub every saturday night (go)

6.- You………………….too much (study)

7.- She never………………………..to go to school (walk)

8.- They……………………a cake every month (make)

9.- We always………………………out at least once a week (eat)

10.- He usually…………………tennis on sunday (play)

I Affirmative: She drinks milk in the breakfast

II Affirmative: the cat walks on the roof

III Affirmative: secretaries work in a office

IV Affirmative: flowers grow in a garden

V Affirmative: I and my parents clean the house

Questions: Form simple tense questions by placing “Do” or “Does”

1.- How often ………………..you go to the movies?

2.- What time…………………the plane leave?
3.- What languages besides English……………..your teacher speak?
4.- Why……………….Jane want to study Russian?
5.- How long……………….your meeting last?
6.- Where………………….you live?

Complete the sentences using one of the following verbs:

Cause(s) close(s) drink(s) open(s) speak(s) take(s) place(s)

1.- Ann………………………German very well.

2.- I never…………………..coffee
3.- The swimming pool………………..at 9 o’clock and……………..at 18:30 every day
4.- Bad driving……………………many accidents.
5.- My parents……………………..in a very small flat.
6.- The Olympic games…………………….every four years.
Complete the following sentences

For example:

He likes to play tennis (affirmative)

He doesn’t like to play tennis (negative)
Does he like to play tennis (question)

I Affirmative: people buy things in a store

II Affirmative: You go to the cinema

III Affirmative: Mary studies french at the university

IV Affirmative: We eat apples every day

V Affirmative: They do their homework every day

Grammar: Complete the chart

He speaks Does he speak? No, he doesn’t

They don’t arrive Yes,
You eat Yes, I do
Do you work? No,
She doesn’t eat Yes,
Make sentences from these prompts. The first one has been done for you:

Example: Sometimes/want to/ hire/car/they

1.- earn / a lot / money / summer / in / Paola

2.- speak / English / Manuel / French / and

3.- never / get / Paola / bored

4.- not / work / tourist information office / in / the / Marie

5.- Live / Malaga / Manuel / in

6.- Not / get / cheap holidays / Paola and Manuel

7.- all / speak / English / we

Ask questions and answer the questions with short answers: Yes, I do or No I don’t
Yes, she does, or No she doesn’t

1.- She / get up early / every day?

2.- They / work / travel agency?

3.- He / often / watch / TV?

4.- You / speak / Portuguese?

5.- I / sometimes / drink / wine?

6.- We / smoke?
 Summary The simple present

Look at these examples:

I come to work by bus

He works in a bank

 We use the present simple to express an action which happens again and again, that
is, a habit

Eg.: He smokes twenty cigarettes a day.

We go to the cinema every weekend.

 We use the present simple with verbs of thinking and feeling

I think you are right

Julia likes her job
He wants a new bike

 We use the present simple to express a fact that stays the name for a long time, that
is, a state.

Eg.: She comes from Spain

I speak three languages
The sun rises in the east
It rains a lot in Britain
Water boils at 100º centigrade

Positive form:

I
You
We work in a bank
They

There are no changes to the base form of the verb for the 1st person plural.

He
She works in a bank
It
There are changes to the base form of the verb for the 3rd person singular. So, there are
some rules to form the present tense of verbs for the 3rd person singular.

1.- We just add “s” most of verbs run runs

2.- We add “es” if the verbs ends watch watches
in s, x, z, ch, or sh.
3.- If the verb ends in a consonant + Y cry cries
we change the Y to “i” and add “es”

but verbs which end in a vowel + Y are buy buys

normal Eg.: say says

Negative form:

I
You don’t work every day
We
They

To make the negative form we need to add the auxiliary Do + Not (don’t) in front of the
base form of the verb. We use the auxiliary Do for the 1st plural persons.

He
She doesn’t work every day
It

We add the auxiliary Does + Not (doesn’t) of the base form of the verb in the 3rd person
singular.

Making questions for the simple present:

WH questions: A Wh question begins with a question word eg. What, Where, Which,
Who, When, Why , Whose.

Eg.: Where do you work? Where does he work?

What do you do? What does he do?
In a question, the auxiliary Do or Does come before the subject.
What You
Do The girls Do
They
We Every morning
I On Sunday
At night

Mr Jones
Does She
Maggie