Present simple – grammar
1. Form
Affirmative
| Sujet | Verbe |
|---|
| I / you / we / they | base verb (work, eat, play) |
| He / she / it | base verb + -s (works, eats, plays) |
Negative
| Sujet | Forme | Exemple |
|---|
| I / you / we / they | don’t + base verb | I don’t work. |
| He / she / it | doesn’t + base verb | He doesn’t play. |
Interrogative
| Forme | Exemple |
|---|
| Do + sujet + base verb | Do you speak English? |
| Does + he/she/it + base verb | Does she like tea? |
Negative questions
| Exemple |
|---|
| Don’t you work? |
| Doesn’t he like pizza? |
2. Spelling rules (3rd person singular)
| Verbe | Forme avec -s |
|---|
| finish → finishes | (-sh → -es) |
| go → goes | (-o → -es) |
| study → studies | (-y → -ies) |
| play → plays | (voyelle + y → +s) |
3. Use
Repeated actions / habits
- Pour parler de routines, habitudes, vérités générales
She plays tennis every Sunday.
They don’t eat meat.
Scheduled events (future proche)
- Pour parler d’un événement programmé, souvent avec les transports :
The train leaves at 6 pm.
Facts / general truths
Water boils at 100°C.
Cats don’t like water.
Non-continuous verbs (now)
- Avec certains verbes (états, sentiments…) pour parler du présent immédiat :
I am here now.
He doesn’t need help.
4. Adverb placement
Les adverbes de fréquence (always, usually, often, sometimes, never…) se placent entre le sujet et le verbe :
| Forme | Exemple |
|---|
| Affirmative | I always walk to school. |
| Negative | He usually doesn’t eat breakfast. |
| Interrogative | Do you often travel? |
Fiche de grammaire : Present Simple