Grammar topic of the Month—March—“Present Simple Tense”
I sing
How do we make the Present Simple Tense?
subject + main verb ( base form of the verb)
subject + auxiliary verb (do) + main verb
There are three important exceptions:
1. For positive sentences, we do not normally use the auxiliary.
2. For the 3rd person singular (he, she, it), we add s to the main verb or es to the auxiliary.
3. For the verb to be, we do not use an auxiliary, even for questions and negatives.
Look at these examples with the main verb like:
subject
+
-
?
auxiliary verb
main verb
I, you, we, they
like
coffee.
He, she, it
likes
coffee.
I, you, we, they
do
not
like
coffee.
He, she, it
does
not
like
coffee.
Do
I, you, we, they
like
coffee?
Does
he, she, it
like
coffee?
Look at these examples with the main verb be. Notice that there is no auxiliary:
+
-
?
subject
main verb
I
am
French.
You, we, they
are
French.
He, she, it
is
French.
I
am
not
old.
You, we, they
are
not
old.
He, she, it
is
not
old.
Am
I
late?
Are
you, we, they
late?
Is
he, she, it
late?
How do we use the Present Simple Tense?
We use the present simple tense when:

the action is general

the action happens all the time, or habitually, in the past, present and future

the action is not only happening now

the statement is always true
John drives a taxi.
past
present
future
It is John's job to drive a taxi. He does it every day. Past, present and future.
Look at these examples:

I live in New York.

The Moon goes round the Earth.

John drives a taxi.

He does not drive a bus.

We meet every Thursday.

We do not work at night.

Do you play football?
Note that with the verb to be, we can also use the present simple tense for situations that are not general. We can use the
present simple tense to talk about now. Look at these examples of the verb "to be" in the present simple tense - some of
them are general, some of them are now:
Am I right?
Tara is not at home.
You are happy.
past
present
future
The situation is now.
I am not fat.
Why are you so beautiful?
Ram is tall.
Past
present
future
The situation is general. Past, present and future.
Here we show the use of the present simple tense to talk about general events. But note that there are some other uses for
the present simple tense, for example in conditional or if sentences, or to talk about the future. You will learn about those
later.
Exercises:
Complete the sentence with the present tense of the verb in parentheses.
1. Christopher ____________ (drive) a bus.
2. We ____________ (have) some money.
3. _______________________(you watch) movies?
4. They_____________(not work) for us.
5. I ________________ (love) to dance.
6. She ____________(have) many friends.
7. Alexis and her husband always _________________ (come) for the summer.
8. __________________________ (he draw) well?
9. James ____________________ (not remember) me.
10. Laura _____________________ (be) a beautiful girl.
11. I don't eat (not eat) cheese.
12. Cats _____________________ (like) to sleep.
13. You _________________ (be) a smart boy.
14. She _________________(wash) the dishes every evening.
15. _________________you be) ready?
16. I _____________________ (be) ready.
1. What _______________you __________________? (do)
I'm retired.
2. _____________ you _________________go the gym every day? (go)
No, just Tuesdays and Fridays..
3. When ____________ you __________ to music? (listen)
In the car, when I'm driving home.
4. ______________ you ______________ any brothers or sisters? (have)
I have two brothers.
5. ______________________ you ____________________ a helmet when you drive your motorbike? (wear)
Yes, I have to.
6. Where ______________ you _____________ ? (work)
In a hospital.
Grammar topic of the Month—February--“The verb to be”
FORM
SUBJECT BE VERB
Contraction EXAMPLE
1st person
I
am
I'm
I'm here.
2nd person
you
are
you're
You're busy.
3rd person
he
is
he's
He's a friend.
is
she's
She's a doctor.
is
it's
It's cold today.
are
we're
We're hungry.
2nd person pl. you
are
you're
You're intelligent.
3rd person pl. they
are
they're
They're asleep.
affirmative 3rd person
she
sentences
3rd person
it
(+)
1st person pl. we
negative
sentences
(-)
SUBJECT
I
BE VERB Contraction EXAMPLE
am not
I'm not
I'm not thirsty.
you
are not
you aren't
you're not
You aren't here.
You're not a doctor!
he
is not
he isn't
he's not
He isn't my brother.
He's not at home.
she
is not
she isn't
she's not
She isn't Mexican.
She's not in Europe.
it
is not
it isn't
it's not
It isn't warm today.
It's not too hot today.
we
are not
we aren't
we're not
We aren't teachers.
We're not sleepy.
you
are not
you aren't
you're not
You aren't tired.
You're not with me.
they
are not
they aren't
they're not
They aren't shy.
They're not at work.
BE VERB & SUBJECT (+) Short Answer (-) Short Answer
Am I correct?
Yes, I am.
No, I'm not.
Are you tired?
Yes, you are.
No, you aren't.
No, you're not.
Is he Mexican?
Yes, he is.
No, he isn't.
No, he's not.
Is she here?
Yes, she is.
No, she isn't.
No, she's not.
Yes, it is.
No, it isn't.
No, it's not.
Are we students?
Yes, we are.
No, we aren't.
No, we're not.
Are you thirsty?
Yes, you are.
No, you aren't.
No, you're not.
Are they here?
Yes, they are.
No, they aren't.
No, they're not.
questions
(?)
Is it warm?
am / is / are son formas del verbo “be” =(ser / estar) ya conjugado en presente
 I´m young = Soy joven
 My mother is in Europe = Mi mamá está en Europa
 Luis, Robert and I are friends = Luis, Robert y Yo somos amigos
En inglés es necesario usar los pronombres personales (sujeto I / He / She / etc.)
 It is late = Es tarde
 We are relatives = Somos parientes
Algunas expresiones con am / is / are corresponden a formas del español “tener”
 I´m cold = Tengo frío
 I´m afraid = Tengo miedo
 I´m hungry= Tengo hambre
 En inglés se usa am / is / are para decir la edad
 I am 17 years old = Tengo 17 años
 My grandma is 65 = Mi abuelita tiene 65
EXERCISES:
A. Fill in the blank with the proper form of the verb to “be” (am, are, is).
Example:
He __ a boy.
Answer:
He is a boy.
1) I ________ the boss.
2) My father _______at work.
3) Pepe and Felix _______ my colleagues.
4) Jane ______ in the garden.
5) My mother _______ in the kitchen.
6) Susan and Betty _______good friends.
7) They ________ good at sports.
8) ______they in London this week?
9) It ____ Sunday.
10) I ______at home.
B. Fill in the blanks with the proper form of the verb to be (am, are, is).
Example:
He __ a boy.
Answer:
He is a boy.
Peter Baker ______from Manchester, but Ben and John _______from London. Manchester and London
______cities in England. Berlin _____a city in Germany. Jane ______at school today. Ben and Peter
______her friends. They _____ in the same class.
C. Put the following words in order.
1) your / Canada / parents / are / in / ?
_______________________________________________________________________
2) a / Karl / is / doctor / ?
_______________________________________________________________________
3) are / sales department / the / in / They.
_______________________________________________________________________
4) from/ is / My friend / Venezuela /.
_______________________________________________________________________
D. Correct the following sentences and questions.
1) Frank, Laura and Armand is in a very important meeting.
_______________________________________________________________________
2) Yes, I’m.
_______________________________________________________________________
3) Where are the boy from?
_______________________________________________________________________
E) Choose an answer for each question. Write your answers on the lines provided.
1) Are they Chinese?
_______
a) Yes, it is
2) Are you hungry?
_______
b) No, I´m not.
3) Is he a teacher?
_______
c) No, she isn´t
4) Is Romina Russian?
_______
d) Yes, they are
5) Am I in your class?
_______
e) Yes, he is
6) Is it 3:00?
_______
f) Yes, you are