Purpose
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to correctly conjugate a regular verb in the simple present tense for all personal pronouns, including the specific rule for he/she/it.
Lesson Explanation
The simple present tense is used for facts, habits, and routines. Regular verbs follow this pattern, using walk as an example:
I walk we walk you walk they walk he walks she walks it walks
Notice the specific rule: only he, she, and it add an -s to the verb. Every other pronoun (I, you, we, they) uses the plain, unchanged verb form.
Some verbs need -es instead of just -s for he/she/it, specifically when the verb ends in -ch, -sh, -ss, -x, or -o: watch → watches, go → goes.
If a verb ends in a consonant plus -y, the y changes to i before adding -es: study → studies.
Practice Questions
1. Complete: “She ___ (walk) to school.”
View Answer
walks
2. Complete: “They ___ (walk) to school.”
View Answer
walk
3. Which pronouns require adding -s to the verb?
View Answer
he, she, it
4. Complete: “He ___ (watch) TV every night.”
View Answer
watches
5. Why does “watch” become “watches,” not just “watchs”?
View Answer
Because it ends in -ch, which requires -es instead of just -s.
6. Complete: “I ___ (study) English.”
View Answer
study
7. Complete: “She ___ (study) English.”
View Answer
studies
8. Why does “study” change to “studies” for “she”?
View Answer
It ends in a consonant plus -y, so the y changes to i before adding -es.
9. Complete: “It ___ (go) fast.”
View Answer
goes
10. Correct or incorrect: “we” requires adding -s to the verb.
View Answer
Incorrect — only he, she, and it require -s.
11. Complete: “You ___ (like) coffee.”
View Answer
like
12. What is the simple present tense generally used for?
View Answer
Facts, habits, and routines.