3rd person -s, negatives with don't/doesn't, questions and frequency adverbs
Master the present simple tense in English: 3rd person singular -s/-es (he goes, she watches), negative forms with don't/doesn't, question formation with Do/Does, frequency adverbs position (always, usually, never), stative verbs that don't take -ing, and the difference between present simple and present continuous. 15 questions from Primary to Secondary.
The present simple is the first "real" verb tense taught in English, beyond the verb to be: it's used for habits, routines, general facts and timetables. The difficulty isn't the tense itself, but one tiny detail responsible for most mistakes: the third-person singular -s (he/she/it), which disappears in negatives and questions because the auxiliary do/does already "absorbs" it.
The exam covers how to form the -s (works, watches, studies, depending on the verb ending), the difference between don't and doesn't, where frequency adverbs (always, usually, never) go relative to the verb, and stative verbs (know, like, want) that don't take the -ing form even though they describe something happening "right now". This last distinction is key to telling it apart from the present continuous.
Work through the 15 questions below: each one explains not just the correct answer, but why that specific mistake is so common.
English · Primary, Secondary
Add -s to most verbs (works, plays). Add -es after -ch/-sh/-ss/-x/-o (watches, goes). If verb ends in consonant + y, change to -ies (studies, tries).
I/you/we/they → don't. He/she/it → doesn't + base verb (no -s!). The most common mistake: "She doesn't likes" → "She doesn't like".
Know, like, love, hate, want, need, believe — these don't take -ing in the present. "I am knowing" is wrong; "I know" is correct.
"A student wrote "She don't like pizza." After learning the doesn't rule (he/she/it → doesn't + base verb), they never make that mistake again."
Trucos y técnicas para dominar este tema más rápido:
3rd person -s: works, plays, runs. Exception pattern: go→goes, do→does, have→has.
Frequency adverbs go BEFORE the main verb but AFTER "be": She always arrives late. He is always late.
Use present simple for habits (I go to school), facts (Water boils at 100°C) and timetables (The train leaves at 8).
Questions: Do/Does + subject + base verb. "Does she like...?" NOT "Does she likes...?"
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