| do | |
| I | do |
| you | do |
| he/ she/ it | does |
| we | do |
| you | do |
| they | do |
| don’t | |
| I | don’t |
| you | don’t |
| he/ she/ it | doesn’t |
| we | don’t |
| you | don’t |
| they | don’t |
We use present simple to talk about things we do on a regular basis or to state a well-known fact.
Structure:
- I/we/you/they + verb (no changes to the verb)
- I work in a shop.
- I drive to work every day.
- We visit Spain once a year.
- he/she/it + verb+s
- She lives in the city.
- He works in an office.
- He eats breakfast early.
Questions
- do I/we/you/they + work? sleep? eat?
- Do you eat breakfast?
- Do you drink coffee?
- Do you live in Warsaw?
- does he/she/it + work? sleep? eat?
- Does he work?
- Does she cook?
- Does it eat meat?
Negation
- I/we/you/they + don’t work/sleep/eat
- I don’t work.
- He/she/it + doesn’t work/sleep/eat.
- She doesn’t clean often.
💡 When creating questions, when do we use the axillary verb do (does), and when do we use the axillary verb to be (am, is, are)?
- We use do (does) for most verbs (like, eat, work ) when creating questions
- I like chocolate. Do you like chocolate?
- I eat pizza. Do you eat pizza?
- She works in the bank. Does she work in the bank?
- We use to be (am, is, are) when this verb appears in a sentence already
- She is from Poland. Is she from Poland?
- I am busy. Are you busy?
- She is rich. Is she rich?
- ‘Wh-‘ questions: why, where, what, which… work in the same way as explained above but they appear in front.
- do (does) What do you like? What do you eat? Where does she work? Which city does she like?
- to be (am, are, is) Where is she from? Why is she busy? Why is she rich?
💡Questions with who, what and which often don’t use do or does. These questions ask about a direct object.
- Who cooks every night? My mother cooks dinner every night.
- What causes the problem? The virus causes the problem.
- Which key opens the door? The white key opens the door.
| to be | to do/live/work | |
| I | am | do/live/work |
| you | are | do/live/work |
| he/ she/ it | is | does/lives/works |
| we | are | do/live/work |
| you | are | do/live/work |
| they | are | do/live/work |
💡☟Grammar Spot
I/we/you/they = do/ live/work (no changes to the verb)
he/she/it + s = does/lives/works/
Questions and negative sentences
do I/we/you/they + work? sleep? eat?
does he/she/it + work? sleep? eat?
I/we/you/they + don’t work/sleep/eat.
He/she/it + doesn’t work/sleep/eat.
Jonathan and his job
Jonathan is an architect. He was born in Poland but he lives in England. He lives in London because all the important projects are planned there. His job is very demanding at times. He works long days, especially when a new build is in progress. Firstly, he designs a project and makes drawings. Secondly, when a building is erect, he inspects the accuracy and quality of it. There are many problems with new buildings. Jonathan sometimes needs to answer his phone in the middle of the night to solve those problems. He often drinks strong coffee to keep awake. Jonathan’s work is demanding and carries many responsibilities but he likes his job.
What a wonderful world (B1)
Present simple
Our planet is a special place which, seen from the right angle, will take your breath away, sweep you off your feet and astonish you with its beauty. It inspired many throughout the centuries: “I see trees of green, red roses too, I see them bloom for me and for you. And I think to myself what a wonderful world.”, sang Louis. And it truly is a wonderful world.
Let’s explore some of the most beautiful places on earth: the Dominican Republic, precisely, the Barahona district. What springs to mind when you think of this romantic place? Is there anything more spectacular than a golden sunset kissing the palm horizon goodnight?
If you have had enough of the golden landscape, you can cool yourself in The Caribbean Sea and explore the underwater world with multicoloured reefs. Have you felt the pleasant cool of the sea on your skin in the scorching heat of the day? What a sensation!
Not only in the sea you can refresh yourself. The famous, natural, crystal-clear pools created by breezy waterfalls will charm you in with light turquoise-blue waters full of minerals beneficial to your body and mind. You can revive your youth by climbing cliffs and jumping straight into the waters of Eden. Truly, what a wonderful world!
Is this the reality? Let’s take the rose-tinted glasses off and see the picture from the angle of reality.
Can you enjoy the beauty of a golden sunset kissing the palm horizon when walking the stretch of a beach and hear not the sound of waves but the plastic bottles crushed under your feet? What would Louis say today: “The colours of the bottles so ugly in the sand?” You can find all you can think of made of plastic on the beach: Playa Azul, by Barahona: plastic bottles, plastic toothbrushes, hairbrushes, plastic bags, sandals, flip-flops, shoes, plastic bags, handbags, sun hats, etc.
If you’re determined, you can get your sensation of pleasantly cooling sea on your skin but only if you have made a firm decision to go in and resolved not to change your mind despite the rubbish dump in your way. When you decide on such an act of bravery and go for a swim with your snorkelling mask you will see primarily: plastic bottles, empty milk cartons, beer bottles, old vehicle tires, plastic bags and of course, in ratio 1:100, fish.
As murky and gloomy as this sounds there is good news! Last but not least are breezy waterfalls and fresh-water pools. One found in Polo captures with its light turquoise-blue colours will no doubt invite you into its waters. An odd plastic bag can be found here or there but no visible contamination when under investigation. It truly is an amazing experience! Finally, for the first time, your encounter with nature seems unadulterated. Still, however, there is an element of doubt and distrust. After all, you are getting over “adultery”. It takes time.
We have received such a precious gift, special gem, one and only planet earth, a wonderful world. It’s true that the most privileged can enjoy an uncontaminated fraction of our world in an all-inclusive five-star hotel, the management of which shelters their customers of pollution and contamination, busying their workers with beach cleaning duties before the sun rises. Outside of that hotel there is a common rubbish dump for all: seas, rivers and forests. In the words of Louis: “I see friends shaking hands, saying how do you do?”, perhaps they are saying: “Let’s clean up!”
Let’s be frank, how difficult is it to tidy your own mess? After all, when man decided to travel through space, walk the moon, split the atom then he was successful! Surely, he can clean his mess up. The question is, however, not a degree of difficulty but whether he really wants to do it.