Level: beginner
The present tense is the base form of the verb:
I work in London.
But with the third person singular (she/he/it), we add an –s:
She works in London.
Present simple questions
Look at these questions:
Do you play the piano?
Where do you live?
Does Jack play football?
Where does he come from?
Do Rita and Angela live in Manchester?
Where do they work?
We use do and does to make questions with the present simple. We use does for the third person singular (she/he/it) and do for the others.
We use do and does with question words like where, what and when:
Where do Angela and Rita live?
What does Angela do?
When does Rita usually get up?
But questions with who often don't use do or does:
Who lives in London?
Who plays football at the weekend?
Who works at Liverpool City Hospital?
Here are some useful questions. Try to remember them:
Where do you come from? Do you come from …? Where do you live? Do you live in ...? |
What work do you do? Do you like …? Do you know …? |
- Present simple questions 1
- Present simple questions 2
- Present simple questions 3
- Present simple questions 4
Present simple negatives
Look at these sentences:
I like tennis but I don't like football. (don't = do not)
I don't live in London now.
I don't play the piano but I play the guitar.
They don't work at the weekend.
John doesn't live in Manchester. (doesn't = does not)
Angela doesn't drive to work. She goes by bus.
We use do and does to make negatives with the present simple. We use doesn't for the third person singular (she/he/it) and don't for the others.
- Present simple negatives 1
- Present simple negatives 2
Present simple and present time
We use the present simple to talk about:
- something that is true in the present:
I'm nineteen years old.
I'm a student.
He lives in London.
- something that happens regularly in the present:
I play football every weekend.
- something that is always true:
The human body contains 206 bones.
Light travels at almost 300,000 kilometres per second.
We often use adverbs of frequency like sometimes, always and never with the present simple:
I sometimes go to the cinema.
She never plays football.
Here are some useful sentences. Complete them so that they are true for you and try to remember them:
My name is … . I'm … years old. I come from … . I live in … . |
I'm a(n) … . I … at the weekend. I often … . I never … . |
Complete these sentences so that they are true for a friend and try to remember them:
Her/His name is … . She's/He's … years old. She/He comes from … . She/He lives in … . |
She's/He's a(n) … . She/He … at the weekend. She/He often … . She/He never … . |
- Present simple 1
- Present simple 2
- Present simple 3
- Present simple 4
- Present simple 5
- Present simple 6
- Present simple 7
Level: intermediate
Present simple and future time
We also use the present simple to talk about:
- something that is fixed in the future:
The school term starts next week.
The train leaves at 19.45 this evening.
We fly to Paris next week.
- something in the future after time words like when, after and before and after if and unless:
I'll talk to John when I see him.
You must finish your work before you go home.
If it rains we'll get wet.
He won't come unless you ask him.
- Present simple 8
Level: advanced
We sometimes use the present simple to talk about the past when we are:
- telling a story:
I was walking down the street the other day when suddenly this man comes up to me and tells me he has lost his wallet and asks me to lend him some money. Well, he looks a bit dangerous so I'm not sure what to do and while we are standing there …
- summarising a book, film or play:
Harry Potter goes to Hogwarts School. He has two close friends, Hermione and …
Shakespeare's Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark. One night he sees his father's ghost. The ghost tells him he has been murdered …
Hi PabloTT,
It's a common feature of English that the present simple is used in time clauses. You can see examples of this and explanations on this page:
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-grammar-reference/verbs-in-time-clauses-and-if-clauses
Your sentences work in a similar way.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Lakshmi94216,
Yes! These could both be considered as general facts or truths, so the present simple works. But, I think using the past simple would probably be more common.
Best wishes,
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Lakshmi94216,
Yes. We could understand these as general truths, but because both sentences refer explicitly to the past (Her best performance to date / the forerunner of modern ...), it would be usual to present them as past events.
Best wishes,
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Ahmad Aboud,
It might be correct to say 'get' in a specific context, but usually that would be 'get'. I'd need to see the full context to be able to make sense of it.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Linh Dao,
Want describes our feelings or desires, so it's normal to use the present tense in this context. You might use will if you are asking if they can come:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Santhosh
The verb 'contains' is not the base form of the verb -- 'contain' is the base form. Both 'contains' and 'is' are the third person singular form of the verb 'be'.
You can use most any verb in the present simple to express either something true in the present or something which is always true.
Hope this helps.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Miss Victoria,
Subject questions do not use an extra auxiliary verb like do or does. For example:
Object questions use an auxiliary verb with inversion:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Helen Mg Mg
In another specific context, there could be a difference in meaning, but assuming that someone is saying where they live, there is no difference in meaning here. We often use 'be' and 'come' in a sentence like this, but they mean the same thing.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Henokk17
In the first pair of sentences, the first one (with auxiliary 'do') is more emphatic than the second one. Someone might say this when, for example, the other person they are talking to says that they don't care about them. By saying 'I do care', you could show that you think the other person is wrong.
In the second pair of sentences, there is no difference in meaning, but the first one is more informal and the second more formal.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello gaudentiaresika,
This is a stylistic choice. Present forms can be used to make a narrative more immediate and direct. They are sometimes used in literature for this effect - The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins are examples of novels writen using present forms.
Present forms are particularly common in anecotes and jokes, and also when describing sporting events, either as commentary or when describing them later.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Bobby Glazed
No, I'm afraid that is a 'will' + infinitive form, which seems to be used to talk about willingness here (see point 3 on our Talking about the future page). 'Who cooks dinner tonight?' uses the present simple.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Sanjay
We use 'does' when 'it' is the subject.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Russell_S
Both 'do' and 'does' are possible here because 'which' can be used to speak about one person or about many. If the person asking the question is thinking of one person, then 'does' is correct. But if they are thinking of more than one person, then 'do' is correct.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team