Grammar

Present simple

The present simple tense is formed as follows:

Affirmative

The 1st person singular, 1st person plural, 2nd person singular, 2nd person plural and 3rd person plural use the base form (infinitive with "to") of the verb:

I/we/you/they make/see/think/love/etc.

The 3rd person singular uses the base form, but adds the letter "s" to the end of it:

He/she/it makes/sees/thinks/loves/etc.

If a verb ends in the letter "y" then we change the "y" to "i" and add "es" (See article):

I/we/you/they try
He/she/it tries
I/we/you/they worry
He/she/it worries

If a verb ends in "s", "x", "z", "ch" or "sh" then we add "es":

I/we/you/they pass
He/she/it passes
I/we/you/they fix
He/she/it fixes
I/we/you/they whizz
He/she/it whizzes
I/we/you/they teach
He/she/it teaches
I/we/you/they wash
He/she/it washes

Note also:

I/we/you/they do
He/she/it does
I/we/you/they go
He/she/it goes
I/we/you/they have
He/she/it has

Negative

I/we/you/they don't base form

He/she/it doesn't base form

I don't like spiders.
We don't live there any more.
You don't seem very interested.
They don't remember her name.
He doesn't work in a shop now.
She doesn't believe in ghosts.
It doesn't rain much in summer.

Questions

Do I/we/you/they base form

Does he/she/it base form

Do I know you?
Do you play tennis?
Do they have any postcards?
Does he often visit them?
Does she recommend that restaurant?

We use the present simple tense in different ways:

For talking about things in general, i.e. to say that something happens all the time or over and over again. It doesn't matter if it is taking place at the moment we are speaking.

Suzy dances beautifully.

Plumbers fix broken pipes.

To express scientific facts, and other things that are always true:

Ice melts when heated.

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

For giving instructions:

To make a cup of tea, first you fill the kettle with water and put it on to boil. Then you pour a bit of water into the teapot to warm it …

You walk down this street and turn left at the second crossroads. Then you continue on …

To talk about temporary situations with some verbs.

We usually use the present continuous to speak about temporary situations:

I'm staying in the Grand Hotel this week.

She's walking in the park at the moment.

However, there are some verbs that we do not usually use in their continuous form. These are called stative verbs:

I don't like this pudding.

I have the children this weekend.

For talking about the future, when this involves timetables:

The bus leaves at 8 o'clock.

We meet the directors at 11.30.

To talk about how often we do things (with frequency adverbs, and other time expressions):

I often cook casseroles at the weekend.

He goes to the gym every evening after work.

When using some verbs, we are committing ourselves to action:

I promise that I won't do it again.

I suggest you go and see a doctor.

I insist that we pay the bill.