Talk about routines, habits, facts, and normal schedules. Build clear sentences like I work from home, She works in an office, Do you start early?, and He doesn’t work on Sundays.
≈ 55–65 minroutines and factsI work · she worksdo / does questions14 interactive tasks
NoticeCompare I, you, we, they with he, she, it.
DiscoverUse -s, do, and does.
BuildChoose forms, match meanings, and build questions.
UseDescribe real routines and ask follow-up questions.
The present simple is the main grammar for a normal day. We use it when something is usually true, not only happening right now.
Two-minute retrieval
Three quick checks from earlier lessons
Answer from memory, then check. Say each complete sentence aloud.
1 am from Mexico. (subject pronoun)
2Maria my teacher. (the verb to be)
3He is engineer. (a or an)
Notice before the rule
One routine, two people
"I work in a hotel. I start at eight. I have lunch at noon." "She works in a hotel. She starts at eight. She has lunch at noon."
What changes after she? Look at work, start, and have.
What stays the same after I?
Which sentence tells us about a normal routine, not one moment right now?
Discovery check: choose the pattern
Use the subject to choose the verb form.
1I in a restaurant.
2She in a restaurant.
3We lunch at one.
4He lunch at one.
5 you work on Fridays?
6 she work on Fridays?
The system: positive sentences
Use the base verb with I / you / we / they. Add -s or -es with he / she / it.
subject
present simple verb
example
I / you / we / they
base verb
I work from home. They live near me.
he / she / it
verb + s / es
She works from home. It opens at nine.
Spelling you will use a lot
base verb
he / she / it form
example
work, live, start
works, lives, starts
He starts at eight.
go, do, watch, finish
goes, does, watches, finishes
She goes by bus.
study
studies
He studies English.
have
has
She has a meeting.
Sound natural: the third-person -s has three pronunciations
The ending always carries the same grammar message for a third-person singular subject such as he, she, it, Maria, or the store, but its sound changes to fit the final sound of the verb. Listen for the ending instead of trying to pronounce every written s in the same way.
ending sounds like
after
examples
s
a quiet, unvoiced sound
works, stops, likes
z
a vowel or voiced sound
lives, reads, goes
iz
a hissing or buzzing sound such as s, sh, ch, z
uses, finishes, watches
Works is one syllable, but watches is two. The helper verb does sounds like it rhymes with buzz, not with goes: Does she work?
Drill 1: choose the positive verb
Read the subject first. Then choose the present-simple verb.
1I in a small office.
2My brother in a hospital.
3They to class on Mondays.
4She to class on Mondays.
5We English after work.
6He English after work.
7Ana coffee in the morning.
8You coffee in the morning.
The system: negatives and questions
For negatives and questions, use do or does. After does, the main verb goes back to the base form.
meaning
I / you / we / they
he / she / it
negative
I don’t work on Sundays.
She doesn’t work on Sundays.
yes / no question
Do you work on Sundays?
Does she work on Sundays?
short answer
Yes, I do. No, I don’t.
Yes, she does. No, she doesn’t.
Important: say Does she work?, not Does she works?. The word does already carries the -s grammar.
Drill 2: type do, does, don’t, or doesn’t
Use do with I, you, we, they. Use does with he, she, it.
1 you live near here?
2 your sister live near here?
3I work on Saturdays.
4He work on Saturdays.
5 they study at night?
6It open before nine.
Meaning: when do we use it?
Use the present simple for three everyday meanings:
meaning
example
why
routine
I start work at nine.
It happens regularly.
habit
She drinks tea in the morning.
It is something she often does.
fact or schedule
The store opens at ten.
It is normally true.
Drill 3: match the sentence to the meaning
Tap a meaning, then tap the sentence that matches it.
Drill 4: build a positive sentence
Build the sentence. Remember the verb form for she.
Drill 5: build a question
Build the question. After does, use the base verb.
Notice and repair errors
Drill 6: after does
Tap the word that is wrong.
Drill 7: negative with he
Tap the word that is wrong.
Drill 8: say it, then reveal
Read the cue, say the full sentence aloud, then reveal only after you answer.
1 I work at night. Change to she.
She works at night.
2 She works at night. Make a yes / no question.
Does she work at night?
3 They start at eight. Make it negative.
They don’t start at eight.
4 He has lunch at noon. Make it negative.
He doesn’t have lunch at noon.
5 You live near here. Ask the question.
Do you live near here?
Play and practice
Games and a short reading that recycle this lesson. Use them as a warm-up, a fast finisher, or homework. Each one checks itself.
Read
Meet our new driver
Read once for meaning. Then read again and do the tasks below.
Staff newsletter profile84 wordsAbout 1 min
Paulo Silva is our new delivery driver. He starts work at six in the morning and drives the bakery van around the city. He knows every street downtown!
Paulo lives near the river with his sister, Ana. She teaches math at a high school. After work, Paulo watches soccer or studies English online. He goes to bed early because his day is long.
On Sundays, the bakery is closed, so Paulo and Ana visit their parents. Say hello to Paulo when you see him!
Find it
Tap the 8 present simple verbs that end in -s or -es. Skip is.
Check your understanding
1. What time does Paulo start work?
2. What does Ana do?
3. Why does Paulo go to bed early?
Sort it
How does the -s ending sound?
Say each verb aloud first. Then tap it and tap the sound box it belongs in.
Word search
Find the he and she forms
Find the word for each clue. Words run across or down. Tap the first letter, then the last.
have →has ?
do →does ?
go →goes ?
study →studies ?
try →tries ?
watch →watches ?
wash →washes ?
teach →teaches ?
Unscramble
Build questions and negatives
Tap the words in order to build the sentence. Tap a placed word to send it back.
1. Ask about his normal start time.
2. Her schedule has no Sunday work.
3. Ask a new coworker about home.
4. Ask about a store’s normal schedule.
Use it in real life
Your normal weekday: Say five true sentences about your routine. Use times if you can. I start work at nine. I have lunch at one.
Ask the teacher: Ask three present-simple questions with Do you. Listen and give one follow-up question. Do you work on Fridays? Do you drink coffee?
A friend or coworker: Describe another person with he or she. My coworker starts early. She goes home at five.
Not true for me: Say three negative sentences about your life. I don’t work at night. I don’t study on Sundays.
Same and different: Compare your routine with another person. We both start at nine. She drives to work, but I take the bus.
Reflect
Say the system back
Complete this aloud: “With I, you, we, and they, I use the ______ verb. With he, she, and it, I add ______. For questions I use ______ or ______. After does, the main verb is the ______ form.”
Then say one positive sentence, one negative sentence, and one question about your real week.
Next use: Return tomorrow without rereading the rule. Open the five-minute retrieval, answer from memory, and finish with one true sentence about your week.
Final quiz: present simple forms and meaning
1. This is my regular schedule: I ___ from home every Monday.
2. Maya’s normal weekday job is at a clinic. She ___ there Monday through Friday.
3. You want to ask about Carlos’s home address. ___ he live near here?
4. “Do you work on Mondays?” “Yes, I ___.”
5. Leo’s regular schedule is Monday through Friday. He ___ work on Sundays.
6. Her lunch break is at one, so she doesn’t ___ lunch at noon.
7. “I get up at seven every day” describes what kind of meaning?
8. You are asking about Nina’s normal Saturday schedule. Which question is correct?
Come back tomorrow: five-minute retrieval
Do this without rereading the lesson first. The goal is to retrieve the pattern, not to recognize it on the page.
Three decisions from memory
Read the full situation, choose, and say the complete sentence aloud.
1Camila’s regular job is at a bank. She there Monday through Friday.
2You want to ask about Ben’s normal morning. he start early?
3My schedule is different. I start early.
One repair from memory
Tap the word that is wrong.
Finish with one spoken response
Answer aloud before you reveal the model.
1 Say one true positive sentence, one negative sentence, and one question about your normal week.
I work from home on Tuesdays. I don’t start early on Fridays. Do you work on weekends?
Choose the right amount of challenge
Communicate in three steps
Learner production. Pick one starting point, then move up only if the learner is ready. True or invented details are equally acceptable.
1
Personal answer
Make the language yours
Use the lesson’s earlier example or invent a similar situation. The details do not need to be personal.
Your normal weekday: Say five true sentences about your routine. Use times if you can. I start work at nine. I have lunch at one.
Next cues
Ask the teacher: Ask three present-simple questions with Do you . Listen and give one follow-up question. Do you work on Fridays? Do you drink coffee?
A friend or coworker: Describe another person with he or she . My coworker starts early. She goes home at five.
2
Guided role play
Learner production
Your normal weekday: Say five true sentences about your routine. Use times if you can. I start work at nine. I have lunch at one.
Role 1Learner: use Present simple (all forms, do / does) to complete the situation in your own words.
Role 2Tutor: respond naturally, ask one follow-up question, and introduce one small change.
Useful language
Ask the teacher: Ask three present-simple questions with Do you . Listen and give one follow-up question. Do you work on Fridays? Do you drink coffee?
A friend or coworker: Describe another person with he or she . My coworker starts early. She goes home at five.
Not true for me: Say three negative sentences about your life. I don’t work at night. I don’t study on Sundays.
Same and different: Compare your routine with another person. We both start at nine. She drives to work, but I take the bus.
3
Real-world challenge
Remove the support
Your normal weekday: Say five true sentences about your routine. Use times if you can. I start work at nine. I have lunch at one.
A1 target: Speak for four connected sentences and answer one unplanned follow-up question.