Present Simple: Talking About Habits and Facts

Present simple is usually the first tense you learn in English — and for good reason. You'll use it to talk about routines, facts, and things that are generally true.

How to form it

For most subjects, just use the base verb.

• I work. You work. We work. They work.

For he / she / it, add -s (or -es after certain letters).

• He works. She watches TV. It rains a lot here.

Spelling that -s ending

Verb ends in	Add	Example
most letters	-s	work → works
-ch, -sh, -s, -x, -o	-es	watch → watches, go → goes
consonant + -y	-ies	study → studies
vowel + -y	-s	play → plays

Two verbs are just irregular: have → has, be → is.

When to use present simple

1. Habits and routines

• I wake up at 7 every day.
• She drinks coffee every morning.

2. Facts that are always true

• Water boils at 100°C.
• The sun rises in the east.

3. Schedules and timetables

• The train leaves at 6 PM.
• The store opens at 9.

4. Permanent situations — where you live, what you do

• I live in Berlin.
• He works for a small company.

5. Feelings and states

Verbs like like, want, know, need, understand describe a state, not an action. They stay in present simple even when you mean right now.

• I want a coffee. (not I am wanting)
• She knows the answer. (not She is knowing)

Rule of thumb — if it was true last week and will still be true next week, present simple is almost certainly the tense you need.

Making negatives and questions

This is where most beginners get stuck. English needs a helper verb — do or does — even though it doesn't add any extra meaning.

• ❌ I no like coffee.

• ✅ I don't like coffee.

• ❌ She like pizza?

• ✅ Does she like pizza?

Remember: with he/she/it, the -s moves onto "does," and the main verb loses its own -s.

• ✅ She works. → ✅ She doesn't work. (not "doesn't works")
• ✅ He plays football. → ✅ Does he play football? (not "Does he plays")

Short answers

Answer with the helper verb, never the main verb. Bare Yes or No sounds abrupt.

• Do you speak Spanish? — Yes, I do. / No, I don't.
• Does she live here? — Yes, she does. / No, she doesn't.

How it sounds in real life

New colleague: So what do you do here?

You: I work in the design team. I usually start at nine.

New colleague: Do you live nearby?

You: Not really — the train takes about forty minutes.

Every sentence is present simple, and the only -s is on takes, because the train is an it.

Quick reference

Form	Example
Positive	I / You / We / They work. He / She / It works.
Negative	I don't work. He doesn't work.
Question	Do you work? Does he work?
Short answer	Yes, I do. / No, he doesn't.

Try it yourself

The quiz below checks all three parts — forming it, using it correctly, and the do/does rule.