Simple Present & Third Person Rules
The Simple Present is the tense of everyday life — habits, routines, and facts you repeat day after day. This lesson covers how to build affirmative and negative sentences, how to conjugate verbs for He / She / It, the special verb have / has, how to use frequency adverbs like always and never, and a set of key phrasal verbs for daily life and work.
We / Theybase verb
I work · They eat
Itverb + s/es/ies
She works · He goes
doesn'tnegatives
base verb after!
hasirregular verb
doesn't have ✓
→ neverfrequency adverbs
subj + adv + verb
Simple Present — Affirmative
Qué es y cuándo se usa · Estructura para todos los sujetos
When Do We Use the Simple Present?
The Simple Present describes actions and situations that are part of normal, repeated life. It is not for something happening right now — that is the Present Continuous. Use it for:
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| 1. Habits & daily routines | I wake up at 6:00 a.m. every day. |
| 2. General truths & facts | The Earth moves around the Sun. |
| 3. Fixed schedules & timetables | The bus arrives at 7:30 a.m. |
| 4. Personal life facts | She has two brothers. He likes coffee. |
I work = this is my job / normal life (Simple Present).
I am working = I am doing it right now at this moment (Present Continuous).
Think: "📅 routine vs. 🕒 right now."
Affirmative Structure
The rule is simple: most subjects use the base verb. Only He / She / It (third person singular) changes the verb by adding -s or -es.
| Subject | Example |
|---|---|
| I | I work from home. |
| You | You study English. |
| We | We eat together. |
| They | They play soccer. |
| Subject | Example |
|---|---|
| He | He works on weekends. |
| She | She studies at night. |
| It | It rains a lot in April. |
| My brother | My brother drives to work. |
Complete Affirmative Overview
| Subject | Verb | Full Sentence | Verb Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | work | I work from home. | base verb |
| You | drink | You drink coffee every morning. | base verb |
| We | exercise | We exercise three times a week. | base verb |
| They | eat | They eat lunch at noon. | base verb |
| He | works | He works on weekends. | base + s |
| She | studies | She studies at night. | y → ies |
| It | rains | It rains a lot in winter. | base + s |
| My sister | goes | My sister goes to the gym. | -o → goes |
| The teacher | teaches | The teacher teaches every day. | -ch → es |
* Blue rows = He / She / It. The verb always changes for third person singular.
Listen — Affirmative Sentences
Simple Present — Negative
don't / doesn't + base verb · El verbo principal vuelve a su forma base
To make a negative sentence in the Simple Present, you add an auxiliary verb — either don't (for I / You / We / They) or doesn't (for He / She / It). After the auxiliary, the main verb always goes back to its base form.
| Subject | Negative |
|---|---|
| I | I don't work on Sundays. |
| You | You don't drink coffee. |
| We | We don't watch TV at night. |
| They | They don't eat spicy food. |
| Subject | Negative |
|---|---|
| He | He doesn't drive at night. |
| She | She doesn't like coffee. |
| It | It doesn't rain in summer. |
| Maria | Maria doesn't work on weekends. |
When you use doesn't, the -s moves from the main verb to the auxiliary. The main verb goes back to base form.
❌ She doesn't works.
✅ She doesn't work. ← correct!
❌ He doesn't studies.
✅ He doesn't study. ← correct!
Listen — Negative Sentences
HAVE / HAS — The Special Verb
Verbo irregular de posesión · Negativo: don't have / doesn't have
The verb have does not follow the regular -s rule. Instead, it changes completely for He / She / It: has. It is used to talk about possession (things you own), relationships (family, friends), and personal characteristics.
You have two brothers.
We have a big apartment.
They have a dog.
They don't have time.
She has a sister.
The dog has blue eyes.
Carlos has a lot of homework.
She doesn't have time.
Do NOT say hasn't or haven't for simple negatives. Use don't have / doesn't have instead:
❌ She hasn't a car.
✅ She doesn't have a car.
❌ I haven't time.
✅ I don't have time.
Listen — HAVE / HAS in Context
Third Person Spelling Rules — -s / -es / -ies
3 reglas + 1 excepción · He / She / It always changes the verb
When the subject is He / She / It (or any single person's name), the verb changes. There are three spelling rules to follow depending on how the verb ends.
I study and She studies mean exactly the same thing — both describe the action of studying as a routine. The only difference is who is doing it. Adding -s or -es is a grammar signal that says: "This is He / She / It doing this action."
Listen — Third Person in Sentences
Frequency Adverbs
always · usually · often · sometimes · rarely · never · Posición en la oración
Frequency adverbs tell us how often something happens. They are essential when using the Simple Present to describe habits and routines. Here is the complete scale from 100% to 0%:
Where to Place the Frequency Adverb
Frequency adverbs go between the subject and the main verb. This is true for all subjects and all verbs.
He usually drinks coffee in the morning.
They often eat out on Fridays.
I sometimes take the bus to work.
My brother rarely goes to the gym.
We never miss class.
Listen — Frequency Adverbs in Context
Phrasal Verbs — Daily Life & Work
Verbos compuestos esenciales para describir rutinas en inglés
A phrasal verb is a verb combined with a preposition or adverb that creates a new meaning. These are extremely common in everyday English and are essential for describing daily routines naturally.
She wakes up early on weekdays.
He always gets up late on weekends.
We rarely go out during the week.
I always come back tired on Mondays.
He drops off his wife at work every morning.
I always pick up groceries on Fridays.
She rarely eats out — she prefers cooking at home.
He never hangs out after work — he always goes home.
He turns on the lights when he arrives.
She always turns off her phone in meetings.
He logs in to the system at 8 a.m. every day.
She writes down the meeting notes every time.
She always sets up the meeting room before clients arrive.
She hands in her reports every Friday.
The company looks for new employees every year.
He never puts away his tools — that's a problem!
Listen — Phrasal Verbs in Action
Common Mistakes — Don't Make These!
These are the most frequent errors students make with the Simple Present and third person rules. Study each one carefully.
Reading: "The Vargas Family"
Read the passage carefully. Highlighted words show: third person verbs, negatives, have/has, and frequency adverbs.
The Vargas family lives in a comfortable house in Cartago, Costa Rica. The family has five members: Doña Rosa, Don Alberto, their daughter Valentina, their son Sebastián, and their grandmother, Abuela Carmen. Each person has a different routine, but together they make a wonderful and close family.
Doña Rosa is a nurse. She works at the public hospital from Monday to Friday. She always wakes up at 5:00 a.m. — earlier than anyone else in the house. She usually makes breakfast for everyone before she leaves. She doesn't drink coffee — she prefers fruit juice in the morning. She has two patients that she visits every week at their homes. Doña Rosa never complains about her long hours — she loves her job.
Don Alberto is a mechanic. He has a small garage near the house, and he fixes cars and motorcycles every day. He usually starts work at 7:00 a.m. and often works until 6:00 p.m. He doesn't eat out — he always comes home for lunch. He has a dog named Simón who stays at the garage with him all day. Don Alberto rarely misses a day of work, even on rainy days.
Valentina is 22 years old. She studies engineering at the university in San José. She usually takes the bus to campus at 7:30 a.m. and often studies in the library after her classes. She rarely goes to bed before midnight, and she never misses an exam. She has a part-time job at a bookstore on Saturdays to help pay for her studies. Valentina always writes down the important points from her classes in a notebook.
Sebastián is 15 years old and goes to high school. He doesn't have a job, but he helps his father at the garage on weekends. He sometimes plays soccer with his friends in the afternoons. He always does his homework before dinner. Sebastián has a great passion for music — he plays the guitar every night before going to bed. He never goes to sleep without playing at least one song.
Abuela Carmen is the heart of the house. She never leaves home before 9:00 a.m. She always prepares the family's lunch and often bakes traditional bread on Thursdays. She sometimes calls her friends in the evening and rarely watches anything other than the news on television. Abuela Carmen has a beautiful garden with many plants and flowers that she takes care of every morning. She rarely asks for help — she does everything on her own and has a lot of energy for her age.
Every evening at 7:00 p.m., the Vargas family eats dinner together. They sometimes go to the beach on long weekends. They never miss Sunday lunch together — it is their most important family tradition, and every member of the family knows it.
Reading Comprehension Quiz
10 questions about "The Vargas Family." Read the passage carefully before answering.
Practice Quiz — Simple Present & Third Person Rules
30 questions covering affirmative, negative, spelling rules, have/has, frequency adverbs, and phrasal verbs. Take your time!