Form and meaning

Spelling & pronunciation

Use

Present simple

FORM AND MEANING
1.- Affirmative

The present simple form of a verb in the third person singular ends in -s:

My brother (= he) speaks French. = Mi hermano habla francés.
That woman (= she) lives in my street. = Esa mujer vive en mi calle.
This table (= it) has a broken leg. = Esta mesa tiene una pata rota.

All other forms are the same as the infinitive:

My sisters (= they) speak Italian. = Mis hermanas hablan italiano.
I live in that street. = Yo vivo en esa calle.
We have an exam tomorrow. = Tenemos un examen mañana.

2.-
Negative

To make a sentence in the present simple negative, we use "don't" in front of the infinitive, or "doesn't" if the verb is in the third person singular:

My brother (= he) doesn't speak German. = Mi hermano no habla alemán.
That woman (= she) doesn't live here. = Esa mujer no vive aquí.
This table (= it) doesn't have a drawer. = Esta mesa no tiene cajón.

My sisters (= they) don't speak Portuguese. = Mis hermanas no hablan portugués.
I don't live in that street. = Yo no vivo en esa calle.
We don't have an exam tomorrow. = No tenemos un examen mañana.

3.-
Interrogative

To make a sentence in the present simple interrogative, we use "do" in front of the subject, or "does" if the verb is in the third person singular:

Does your brother (= he) speak Russian? = ¿Habla ruso tu hermano?
Does that woman (= she) live here? = ¿Vive aquí esa mujer?
Does that table (= it) have a broken leg? = ¿Tiene esa mesa una pata rota?

Do your sisters (= they) speak Chinese? = ¿Hablan chino tus hermanas?
Do you live in that street? = ¿Vives en esa calle?
Do we have an exam tomorrow? = ¿Tenemos examen mañana?

SPELLING RULES AND PRONUNCIATION


In verbs ending in consonant + y, the y becomes an i and then we add -es (pronounced /z/):

study - studies (= estudiar)
cry - cries (= llorar)
try - tries (= intentar)

In verbs ending in -o we add -es (pronounced /z/):

go - goes (= ir)
do - does (= hacer)

In verbs ending in sounds which are similar to /s/, we add -es (pronounced /Iz/),
or -s (for verbs that end in -e), also pronounced /Iz/:

pass - passes (= pasar)
please - pleases (= complacer)
crash - crashes (= chocar)
box - boxes (= boxear)
fish - fishes (= pescar)
freeze - freezes (= congelar)
teach - teaches (= enseñar)
dodge - dodges (= esquivar)

USE

1.- Habitual actions

We use the present simple to describe habits and routines. We often use frequency adverbs in the present simple:

I always have milk for breakfast. = Siempre tomo leche para desayunar.
You usually play football on Saturdays. = Normalmente juegas al fútbol lo sábados.
He often buys this magazine. = A menudo compra esta revista.
She sometimes reads the newspaper after dinner. = A veces lee el periódico después de cenar.
It seldom rains in this region. = Casi nunca llueve en esta región.
We rarely go to the theatre. = Rara vez vamos al teatro.
They never travel abroad. = Nunca viajan al extranjero.

2.-
Scientific truths

We also use the present simple to describe events that always happen in the same way; we don't need to say "always":

Prime numbers have only two factors. = Los números primos sólo tienen dos factores.
A comic combines image and text. = Un comic combina imagen y texto.
Physical maps show mountains and rivers. = Los mapas físicos muestran montañas y ríos.
A soft pencil draws thicker lines than a hard one. = Un lápiz blando dibuja líneas más gruesas que uno duro.

3.-
Permanent situations

The present simple expresses a permanent situation or state. On the contrary, the present continuous expresses a temporary situation or state:

My brother works at a pub. = Mi hermano trabaja en un pub.
(= It's a permanent job).

My brother is working at a pub. = Mi hermano está trabajando en un pub.
(= It's a temporary job).

Our sister lives in London. = Nuestra hermana vive en Londres.
(= It's her permanent address).

Our sister is living in London. = Nuestra hermana está viviendo en Londres.
(= Only for some time).