Grammar · Verb tenses · A1 · Beginner

Present simple

Last updated 21 July 2026

In short

The present simple describes routines, permanent facts, and general truths using the base verb (add -s for he/she/it): 'She works in finance.' It also covers timetables and scheduled events. Frequency adverbs like always, usually, and never are common companions. It is not normally used for actions happening right now — that is the present continuous.

How to form the present simple

Form	Structure	Example
Positive (I/you/we/they)	subject + base verb	They travel to the office by train.
Positive (he/she/it)	subject + verb + -s/-es	The train leaves the platform at 8:15.
Negative	subject + don't/doesn't + base verb	He doesn't drink coffee after lunch.
Question	Do/Does + subject + base verb?	Does the library open on Sundays?

Use 1: Routines and habits

Use the present simple for actions you do regularly, as a habit or routine, even if you are not doing them at the moment of speaking. Frequency adverbs — always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never — sit before the main verb and after the verb 'be'.

This is the tense candidates reach for automatically in IELTS Speaking Part 1, where most questions ask about typical daily life rather than a single event.

I cycle to work most mornings.(a habit, not right now)
My sister rarely eats breakfast before nine.(frequency adverb before the main verb)
He is always losing his keys.('always' with a continuous can show mild complaint — an advanced exception)

Use 2: Facts and general truths

Use the present simple for things that are permanently or generally true — scientific facts, geography, and statements that do not change from day to day.

Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius at sea level.(a fixed scientific fact)
Lagos sits on the Atlantic coast of Nigeria.(a permanent geographical fact)
Lagos is sitting on the Atlantic coast.(a permanent fact never takes the continuous → sits)

Use 3: Timetables, schedules and fixed programmes

The present simple describes fixed timetables and official schedules, even when the event itself is in the future. This includes transport timetables, opening hours, and TV or exam schedules.

The exhibition opens next Thursday.(a scheduled future event)
Our flight departs at 6:40, so we need to leave for the airport by four.
The results come out on the 14th, not before.

Present simple with stative verbs

Some verbs describe states rather than actions — feelings, thoughts, senses, possession, and relationships (want, believe, understand, own, belong, seem, love, know). These verbs normally stay in the present simple, even when talking about the current moment, because they do not describe something happening in progress.

I understand the instructions now.(stative verb — no continuous)
This soup tastes wonderful.('taste' as a state verb)
I am understanding the instructions now.(→ I understand)

How do you make negatives and questions?

Negatives and questions need the auxiliary do/does, even though positive sentences do not use it. Do/does carries the -s ending for he/she/it, which is why the main verb returns to its base form: 'He doesn't work', not 'He doesn't works'.

The verb 'be' is the one common exception — it never uses do/does, forming negatives and questions by inverting or adding 'not' directly.

She doesn't check her phone during meetings.(doesn't + base verb)
She doesn't checks her phone during meetings.(the -s moves to 'does', not the main verb → doesn't check)
Are you a student at this college?('be' inverts without do/does)

Common mistakes with present simple

Real learner errors, corrected and explained — the fastest way to stop repeating them.

He work every day from home.

He works every day from home.

Third-person singular subjects (he/she/it) need -s on the main verb in positive present simple sentences.

She don't like spicy food.

She doesn't like spicy food.

Third-person negatives use 'doesn't', not 'don't' — the -s moves onto the auxiliary, not the verb.

I am liking this song.

I like this song.

Like is a stative verb describing a feeling, so it stays in the present simple rather than the continuous.

Does she works on Saturdays?

Does she work on Saturdays?

Once 'does' carries the question's -s, the main verb returns to its base form: work, not works.

The shop close at nine on weekdays.

The shop closes at nine on weekdays.

A singular subject (the shop) needs the -s ending in the present simple, just like he/she/it.

I am working in a hospital for the last five years.

I have worked in a hospital for five years.

A current job described with a duration needs the present perfect, not the present continuous — the situation started in the past and continues now.

Present simple in IELTS

Grammatical Range and Accuracy is 25% of your Speaking and Writing scores — here is where this structure earns marks.

Speaking

Part 1 answers about jobs, routines and hobbies almost always need the present simple: 'I usually start work at nine and finish around six.' Adding a frequency adverb like 'usually' or 'occasionally' instantly makes a Band 5 answer sound more natural.
Watch out for stative verbs under pressure — nerves push many candidates into 'I am thinking that…' when the accurate form is simply 'I think that…'.

Writing

Task 1 (Academic) uses the present simple to describe a diagram's fixed process or a map's permanent features: 'The river flows north before joining the sea.' Reserve past and present perfect for data with a timeline.
In Task 2, the present simple states general claims and widely accepted facts: 'Most economists agree that automation increases short-term unemployment.' It is the default tense for the essay's argument, apart from specific historical or predicted evidence.

Practise present simple now

Five quick questions with instant feedback — every answer explained. No sign-up needed.

Question 1 of 5

My father ___ (drive) to the office every day.

Want the full set? All 12 present simple exercises →

Check this rule in your own writing

Reading a rule is step one; seeing it in your own sentences is what changes your band score.

Paste a paragraph into the free IELTS Grammar Checker — it flags every present simple mistake, explains the rule, and estimates your Grammatical Range & Accuracy band.

Frequently asked questions

When do you use the present simple?

Use the present simple for habits and routines (I walk to school), permanent facts (Ice melts at 0°C), and fixed timetables (The train leaves at nine). It is not usually used for actions happening at this exact moment — that role belongs to the present continuous.

How do you make the present simple negative?

Add don't before the base verb for I/you/we/they, and doesn't for he/she/it, then drop the -s from the main verb: 'They don't work weekends' and 'He doesn't work weekends.' The verb 'be' is the exception — it simply adds 'not' after am/is/are.

What are stative verbs and why do they matter for the present simple?

Stative verbs (know, believe, want, own, love, seem) describe states, feelings or thoughts rather than actions, so they normally stay in the present simple even for things true right now — 'I want this' is correct, while 'I am wanting this' is not.

Do you add -s to every verb in the present simple?

No — only after he, she, it, and singular nouns in positive sentences: he works, the machine runs. Verbs ending in -s, -sh, -ch, -x, or -o typically add -es (goes, watches), and consonant + y changes to -ies (study → studies).

What is the difference between the present simple and the present continuous?

The present simple describes routines and permanent facts, while the present continuous describes actions happening right now or temporary situations: 'I work in Dhaka' (routine) versus 'I'm working from a café today' (temporary, right now). See the dedicated comparison page for the full contrast.

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