Present Simple

How to build it

• Affirmative: the base form of the verb; add -s/-es for he, she and it: I write the letter, She writes the letter.
• Negative: do not / does not (don’t / doesn’t) + base form: She doesn’t write letters. The -s moves to does, so the main verb loses it.
• Question: Do / Does + subject + base form: Does she write letters? Short answers: Yes, she does. / No, she doesn’t.
• Spelling: -es after -s, -sh, -ch, -x, -o (watches, goes); consonant + y becomes -ies (studies); have becomes has.
• be works on its own, without do: She is tired. Is she tired? She isn’t tired.

When to use it

• Habits and routines, often with always, usually, often, never, every day: I get up at seven.
• Facts and general truths: Water boils at 100 °C.
• Permanent situations: My parents live in Lviv.
• Timetables and schedules, even for the future: The train leaves at 6:15 tomorrow.
• Future meaning after if, when, as soon as, before, until: I’ll call you when I get home.
• State verbs (know, like, want, need, believe, belong), which normally don’t take the Continuous: I know what you mean.

Examples

• She works in a bank. — a permanent situation.
• We usually have dinner at eight. — a routine.
• The sun rises in the east. — a general truth.
• Do you speak Ukrainian? — a question with do.
• He doesn’t like coffee. — a negative with doesn’t.
• The film starts at nine. — a timetable.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting the -s: She work here → She works here. Ukrainian changes the verb for every person, English only for he/she/it — easy to drop.
• Double marking: Does she works? / She doesn’t works → Does she work? / She doesn’t work. Only one word carries the -s.
• Using it for things happening now: Look, it rains! → Look, it’s raining! Ukrainian uses one present tense for both; English separates “in general” (Simple) from “right now” (Continuous).
• Using it for duration up to now: I live here for five years → I have lived here for five years.
• Putting will after if/when: If it will rain, we’ll stay home → If it rains, we’ll stay home.

The passive

am/is/are + V3: The letter is written. Use it when the action matters more than who does it, or when the doer is unknown or obvious: English is spoken all over the world. The office is cleaned every evening. Add the doer with by only when it’s useful: The company is run by two sisters. Negatives and questions move only the form of be: Is the letter written by hand? It isn’t written by hand.