2015-08-12
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Formation
In the affirmative the simple present has the same form as the infinitive but adds an -s for the third person singular.
Table 1
| Affirmative | Negative | Interrogative |
| I work | I do not work | do I work? |
| you work | you do not work | do you work? |
| he/she/it works | he/she/it does not work | does he/she/it work? |
| we work | we do not work | do we work? |
| you work | you do not work | do you work? |
| they work | they do not work | do they work? |
Contractions: the verb do is normally contracted in the negative and negative interrogative: I don't work, he doesn't work, don't I work? doesn’t he work?
Spelling rules
1 Verbs ending in ss, sh, ch, x, tch, z and o add es, instead of s alone, to form the third person singular:
I miss, he misses I catch, he catches
I push, he pushes I do, he does
I watch, he watches I go, he goes
2 When y follows a consonant we change the y into i and add es:
I carry, he carries I copy, he copies I cry, he cries
But verbs ending in y following a vowel obey the usual rule:
I obey, he obeys I say, he says
Main uses
1 Habitual or regular actions. A frequency adverb or adverbial phrases are usually used: always, never, every day, every six months, sometimes, often, ever, hardly ever, from time to time, normally, occasionally, regularly, rarely, seldom, usually, twice a week, at weekends, on Mondays, etc.
I get upat 7.
John smokes a lot.
She visits her parents every day.
How often do you go to the dentist? - I go every six months.
Do you ever eat meat? – No, I never eat meat.
