Present Simple Tense

We use this tense when we talk about permanent situations (something we do in general, our daily routine), facts etc.

Affirmative: SUBJECT+VERB(DO/DOES)+OBJECT

I You We They	like (do)	apples.
He She It	likes (does)	apples.

Negative: SUBJECT+DO NOT/DOES NOT+VERB+OBJECT

I You We They	do not (don't)	like	apples.
He She It	does not (doesn't)	like	apples.

Question: DO/DOES+SUBJECT+VERB+OBJECT?

Do	I you we they	like	apples?
Does	he she it	like	apples?

Permanent situations (something we do in general, our daily routine) :

Facts (something true in general) : 

Examples:

• Do you work at the weekend? – Yes, I do.
• Does she go on holiday every year? – No, she doesn’t.
• Where do you come from? – I come from Greece.
• How do you get to work? – I get to work by shuttle bus.
• He is a famous writer. – Really? What does he write about?

We use this tense when we talk about how often we do something

Adverbs of Frequency:

100% Always

90% Usually

75% Often

50% Sometimes

15% Rarely/Seldom

5% Hardly ever

0% Never

Time Expressions:

every day, every week, every month, every year, every summer, every Monday, every morning,

at the weekend/on the weekend, in summer, in winter, on Saturdays, on Fridays etc.

Examples:

• I never go to the theatre.                 
• She rarely works on the weekends.
• They always work on weekdays.
• He often calls his family.
• We don’t usually eat out.                 
• The bus hardly ever arrives late.
• It snows heavily here in winter.
• I don’t eat breakfast every morning.

 

We use adverbs of frequency before the verb:

I never drink milk.  I drink never milk.

 She usually watches the news. She watches usually the news.

 

We use Present Simple Tense (NOT Present Continuous) with status verbs (NOT action) such as

like, love, have, hate, think, promise, believe, agree, refuse etc.

• I like your outfit.
• She thinks the new president is good.
• I promise I will not do this again.
• They believe aliens exist.
• I agree with you.