Present Simple.
• I speak English.
“I” is a subject. In general, a person.
“Speak” is a verb. In general, an action.
You can change the subject. For example:
• You speak English
• We speak English
• They speak English
BUT, sometimes the verb changes. We say:
• I speak …
• You speak …
• We speak …
• They speak …
BUT, For He / She / It we use SPEAKS with an S at the end. The S is
necessary at the end of a verb when the subject is HE, SHE, or IT.
• He speaks…
• She speaks…
• It speaks…
Look at these examples:
• You speak Portuguese.
But…
• He speaks Italian.
The S is necessary at the end of the verb.
You cannot say:
• He speak Italian …. (No, this is NOT correct)
We need an S at the end of the verb. We say:
• He speaks Italian. (This is correct)
Sometimes the verb changes a little for HE, SHE and IT (third person).
Look at this verb: HAVE
We say:
• I have …
• You have …
• We have …
• They have …
BUT, for He / She / It we use HAS.
We do NOT say Haves… because the verb is irregular.
Look at these examples:
• She has a dictionary.
• (He) John has blue eyes.
• (It) The dog has brown fur
Negative Sentences – Present Simple Tense
Look at this sentence:
• They speak English.
This is an affirmative sentence.
How can I make this a NEGATIVE sentence?
In English, we use don’t and doesn’t to make a negative sentence in present simple
tense.* • I, you, we, they – don’t.
• He, She, It – doesn’t.
Examples:
• They don’t speak English.
• He doesn’t speak English
Questions – Present Simple Tense
Look at this sentence.
• You speak English.
This is an affirmative sentence. What is the question?
• DO you speak English?
In English, we use DO and DOES to make questions in present simple
tense.* • Do- I, you, we, they…
• Does- He, She, It…
Examples:
• Do you speak English?
Yes I do/ No I don’t.
• Does she speak English? (We don’t need to add a final s to the verb speak. Speaks)
Yes she does/ No she doesn’t.
