Simple Present Forms
Most Verbs
Most verbs conjugate like the verb "run" below. Notice how you add an "s" to third-person forms. Third-person negative forms and third-person questions are made using "does."
| Positive | Negative | Question |
| I run. | I do not run. | Do I run? |
| You run. | You do not run. | Do you run? |
| We run. | We do not run. | Do we run? |
| They run. | They do not run. | Do they run? |
| He runs. | He does not run. | Does he run? |
| She runs. | She does not run. | Does she run? |
| It runs. | It does not run. | Does it run? |
Instead of "s," "es" is added to positive, third-person forms of verbs ending with the following sounds: s, z, sh, ch, j or zs (as in Zsa Zsa). These special "es"-forms have been marked below with an asterisk*.
| Positive | Negative | Question |
| I rush. | I do not rush. | Do I rush? |
| You rush. | You do not rush. | Do you rush? |
| We rush. | We do not rush. | Do we rush? |
| They rush. | They do not rush. | Do they rush? |
| He rushes. * | He does not rush. | Does he rush? |
| She rushes. * | She does not rush. | Does she rush? |
| It rushes. * | It does not rush. | Does it rush? |
To Have
The verb "have" is irregular in positive, third-person forms. This irregular form has been marked below with an asterisk*.
| Positive | Negative | Question |
| I have. | I do not have. | Do I have? |
| You have. | You do not have. | Do you have? |
| We have. | We do not have. | Do we have? |
| They have. | They do not have. | Do they have? |
| He has. * | He does not have. | Does he have? |
| She has. * | She does not have. | Does she have? |
| It has. * | It does not have. | Does it have? |
To Be
The verb "be" is irregular in the Simple Present. It also has different question forms and negative forms.
| Positive | Negative | Question |
| I am. | I am not. | Am I? |
| You are. | You are not. | Are you? |
| We are. | We are not. | Are we? |
| They are. | They are not. | Are they? |
| He is. | He is not. | Is he? |
| She is. | She is not. | Is she? |
| It is. | It is not. | Is it? |
Modal Verbs
Modal verbs behave differently from other verbs. Notice that they do not take "s" in the third person - there is no difference between first-person, second-person or third-person forms. Like the verb "be" described above, modal verbs also have different question forms and negative forms in simple present.
| Positive | Negative | Question |
| I should go. | I should not go. | Should I go? |
| You should go. | You should not go. | Should you go? |
| We should go. | We should not go. | Should we go? |
| They should go. | They should not go. | Should they go? |
| He should go. | He should not go. | Should he go? |
| She should go. | She should not go. | Should she go? |
| It should go. | It should not go. | Should it go? |
To learn more about modal verbs and how they behave differently from other verbs, visit Englishpage.com's Modal Verb Tutorial.