The present simple is the tense of ordinary life: what you do on Mondays, what a shop sells, what a train does at six every evening. The only tricky part is the small -s that he, she and it need.
1. What Do You Do?
Ruby: What do you do?
Aziz: I fix printers. I cover three offices.
Ruby: My sister works with computers too.
Aziz: Where does she work?
Ruby: She works at the branch near the river.
Aziz: I know it. I go there on Thursdays.
2. Every Saturday
Pia: My weekend never changes.
Noel: What do you do?
Pia: I clean, I shop, I cook, I sleep.
Noel: My brother does the same, but he cooks once for the whole week.
Pia: Then he eats leftovers for six days.
Noel: He does, and he loves it.
3. It Doesn't Open on Sundays
Sara: Does the pharmacy open early?
Gus: It opens at eight, but it doesn't open on Sundays.
Sara: That doesn't help me.
Gus: The one in the station doesn't close at all.
Sara: Does it cost more?
Gus: A little. It saves you the trip, though.
4. Does He Speak Spanish?
Yuki: Does he speak Spanish?
Rob: He does, and he understands Portuguese.
Yuki: Do you speak anything else?
Rob: I understand a little French. I don't speak it well.
Yuki: Does your family speak it at home?
Rob: My mother does. The rest of us answer in English.
5. The Train Leaves at Six
Elif: What time does the last train leave?
Dan: It leaves at six on weekdays.
Elif: And the timetable changes in summer?
Dan: It runs an hour later from June.
Elif: That helps. I finish late on Fridays.
Dan: Print the timetable. The app runs out of signal there.
6. She Works Nights
Mona: My neighbor works nights.
Theo: So she sleeps in the day?
Mona: She sleeps until two and studies in the evening.
Theo: When does she see her family?
Mona: At the weekend. She watches films with them on Sundays.
Theo: She catches up, then.
7. I Don't Eat Meat
Bea: I don't eat meat.
Karl: Since when?
Bea: Since March. My husband doesn't either.
Karl: Do you miss it?
Bea: I don't miss it at all. He does.
Karl: Then he isn't really vegetarian yet.
8. How Often?
Iman: How often do you work overtime?
Chris: Twice a month, maybe.
Iman: My team works overtime every week.
Chris: Does the company pay for it?
Iman: It pays double after eight o'clock.
Chris: Then I commute to your building tomorrow.
Words to know
| cover | to do somebody else's work while they are away I fix printers. I cover three offices. |
| branch | one shop or office of a company that has several She works at the branch near the river. |
| leftovers | food that is still there after a meal Then he eats leftovers for six days. |
| timetable | a list of the times when buses, trains or classes happen And the timetable changes in summer? |
| run out of | to have none of something left The app runs out of signal there. |
| catch up | to reach the point where you should be after being behind She catches up, then. |
| vegetarian | somebody who does not eat meat Then he isn't really vegetarian yet. |
| overtime | extra hours worked after the normal working day How often do you work overtime? |
Quick practice
Put the verb in brackets into the present simple, the way it was used above.
1. Where ____ she ____? (work)
_______________________________________
2. He ____ once for the whole week. (cook)
_______________________________________
3. It ____ open on Sundays. (not open)
_______________________________________
4. ____ he ____ Spanish? (speak)
_______________________________________
5. She ____ films with them on Sundays. (watch)
_______________________________________
6. I ____ eat meat. (not eat)
_______________________________________
Show the answers
1. Where does she work? 2. He cooks once for the whole week. 3. It doesn't open on Sundays. 4. Does he speak Spanish? 5. She watches films with them on Sundays. 6. I don't eat meat.
Common mistakes
Not: She don't work here.
Say: She doesn't work here.
With he, she and it, don't turns into doesn't.
Not: He go to the gym on Fridays.
Say: He goes to the gym on Fridays.
He, she and it add -s to the verb in the present simple. Verbs ending in -ch, -sh, -ss, -x or -o add -es: watches, goes.
Not: What means this word?
Say: What does this word mean?
An ordinary verb still needs do or does in a question, even after a question word.
Your turn
Say each one aloud. Listen for the -s. It is one small sound, and it is the sound learners drop first.
- Say five things you do every week, starting with I.
- Now say the same five things about a friend, so every verb takes -s: He works, she studies, he watches.
- Say three things you don't do, using don't or doesn't.
- Ask five questions with Do you...? about somebody's normal week.
- Describe a shop near you: what time it opens, what it sells, when it doesn't open.
Quick review
The present simple describes habits, facts and timetables. Add -s for he, she and it, and add -es after -ch, -sh, -ss, -x and -o. For negatives and questions, do and does carry the work and the main verb goes back to its plain form: she doesn't work, does she work? Short answers borrow the same verb: Yes, she does.