General English | Present Simple Tense

Hello Super Students! Welcome to the Present Simple Tense!

Hi there! Get ready to learn about a super useful tool in English called the Present Simple Tense. It might sound a bit grown-up, but don't worry, it's really easy and fun!

We use it all the time to talk about our lives, what we like, and the world around us. By the end of these notes, you'll be a Present Simple Tense champion!

When Do We Use the Present Simple Tense?

Think of the Present Simple Tense as having four superpowers. We use it for...

1. Habits and Routines (Things you do again and again!)

This is for actions that you do regularly, like every day, every week, or every Monday. It's like your daily schedule!

Examples:
- I brush my teeth every day.
- She plays with her friends after school.
- We watch cartoons on Saturdays.

Memory Aid: Look for clue words like always, usually, sometimes, every day, and on Mondays.

2. Facts and Truths (Things that are always true!)

This is for things that are facts, like science facts or things that don't change.

Examples:
- The sun is very hot.
- Lemons are sour.
- Spiders have eight legs.

3. Feelings, Likes, and Thoughts (What's in your head and heart!)

This is for sharing what you feel, think, want, or like.

Examples:
- I like swimming.
- He loves pizza.
- They think the movie is funny.

4. Schedules and Timetables (Things that are fixed!)

We use it to talk about things that are on a schedule, like a bus timetable or your school classes.

Examples:
- The train leaves at 3:00 p.m.
- Our English class starts at 9 o'clock.

Key Takeaway!

So, remember the 4 superpowers: Habits, Facts, Feelings, and Schedules!

How to Build Present Simple Sentences: The Magic Rules!

Building these sentences is like playing with building blocks. First, we need to know our players, the subjects! A subject is the person or thing doing the action.
Let's split them into two teams. This is the most important rule to remember!

Team 1: The "No 'S' " Team

Players: I, You, We, They (and plural words like 'the dogs' or 'my friends').
Rule: For this team, the verb DOES NOT get an 's'. You just use the simple verb.

Examples:
- I play football.
- You read books.
- We sing a song.
- My friends eat snacks.

Team 2: The "Super 'S' " Team

Players: He, She, It (and singular words like 'the dog' or 'my friend').
Rule: For this team, the verb almost always gets an -s or -es at the end.

Examples:
- He plays football.
- She reads books.
- It sings a song.
- My friend eats snacks.

Quick Review: The Teams

I, You, We, They -> verb (go, eat, play)
He, She, It -> verb + s/es (goes, eats, plays)

Special Spelling Rules for the "Super 'S' " Team

Don't worry if this seems tricky at first. Practice makes it easy!

1. If the verb ends in -o, -s, -ch, -sh, -x, we add -es.
- go -> goes (He goes to school.)
- wash -> washes (She washes her hands.)
- watch -> watches (He watches TV.)
br /> 2. If the verb ends in a consonant + y, we change the y to an i and add -es.
- study -> studies (She studies hard.)
- cry -> cries (The baby cries.)
- fly -> flies (A bird flies.)

The Special Verb 'to be': am, is, are

The verb 'to be' is a little different. It doesn't follow the 's' rule. It has its own special forms!

- I -> am (I am happy.)
- He / She / It -> is (He is a policeman. She is tall.)
- You / We / They -> are (You are my friend. Lemons are sour.)

Making Negative Sentences (Saying "No!")

To say "no," we need two new friends: don't and doesn't. They are our special helping verbs!

- For Team 1 (I, You, We, They), we use do not (don't).
- I don't like spiders.
- They don't play chess.

- For Team 2 (He, She, It), we use does not (doesn't).
- She doesn't like spiders.
- He doesn't play chess.

Watch Out! Common Mistake Alert!

When you use doesn't, the main verb loses its 's'! The 's' has jumped over to the word 'does'.
- He plays. -> He doesn't play. (NOT He doesn't plays.)
- She eats. -> She doesn't eat. (NOT She doesn't eats.)

Asking Questions (Being Curious!)

To ask a question, we use our helping verbs again, but this time we put Do or Does at the very beginning of the sentence!

- For Team 1 (I, You, We, They), we start with Do.
- Do you speak English?
- Do they like cake?

- For Team 2 (He, She, It), we start with Does.
- Does he like sweets?
- Does she play the piano?

Remember: Just like with 'doesn't', when you use 'Does' to ask a question, the main verb does not need an 's'!

Did you know?

'Do' and 'Does' are like little detectives! They jump to the front of a sentence to find out information.

Let's Put It All Together!

Here is a handy chart to help you remember everything. Let's use the verb eat.

Present Simple Cheat Sheet

Subject | Positive (+) Sentence | Negative (-) Sentence | Question (?)
-----------------|-------------------------------|-----------------------------|---------------------------
I / You | I eat an apple. | I don't eat an apple. | Do I eat an apple?
He / She / It | She eats an apple. | She doesn't eat an apple. | Does she eat an apple?
We / They | We eat apples. | We don't eat apples. | Do we eat apples?

Great job! You have learned the basics of the Present Simple Tense. Keep practising, and soon it will be super easy!