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The present simple, part 2 of 6

Present Simple Third Person: He, She, It and the -s

With he, she, and it the verb takes -s: she works, he watches, it rains. It is the only change in the present simple.

A1 · 13 minBefore:Present simple affirmative

The idea

What changes with he, she, it

It is the only change in the present simple: when you talk about one person or thing that is not you or the listener, the verb takes -s.

  1. One person or thing. Not only he and she: also my mom, the bus, or everybody. My mom cooks well.
  2. Only in the affirmative. In negatives and questions the -s moves to does: She does not cook.
  3. It sounds three ways: s, z, or iz: works, plays, watches.

When to use it

To talk about another person or a thing: what they do, what they like, and what they are like. These expressions go with it:

One person

  • my mom
  • my brother
  • the teacher
  • my boss

One thing or place

  • the bus
  • the store
  • the city
  • the TV

Names and everybody

  • Ana
  • Luis
  • everybody
  • nobody

Examples

  • Their job

    She works at a school.

  • Their routine

    He gets up at six.

  • A pet

    My dog sleeps all day.

  • A schedule

    The bank closes at five.

  • A language

    My aunt speaks French.

How to build it

3 steps

  1. Check who it isOne person or thing that is not you: he, she, it, a name, or everybody.She
  2. Add -s to the verbTo the usual verb, nothing else:She works
  3. Check how the verb endsSome take -es or -ies (in the cards below):She watches, he studies

Affirmative

  1. Subject (he, she, it)She
  2. verb + -splays
  3. complementthe violin.

How to spell the -s

Look at how the verb ends

Most verbsworkworksadd -s
  • livelives
  • eateats
  • readreads
Ends in ch, sh, s, x, z, or owatchwatchesadd -es
  • washwashes
  • missmisses
  • dodoes
Consonant + ystudystudiesy becomes -ies
  • carrycarries
  • worryworries
  • copycopies
Vowel + yplayplaysthe y stays
  • buybuys
  • saysays
  • enjoyenjoys
Have is specialhavehasa whole new form
  • I haveshe has
  • we havehe has
  • they haveit has

The rule

How the -s sounds

Sounds likeAfterExamples
/s/k, p, t, fworks, helps, eats
/z/vowels and most other soundsplays, lives, reads
/ɪz/ (one more syllable)s, sh, ch, x, zwatches, washes, fixes

How to pronounce it

  • goes

    /goʊz/

    One syllable: the -es adds no syllable here, and the s sounds like /z/.

  • watches

    /ˈwɑtʃɪz/

    After ch, the -es adds a syllable.

  • studies

    /ˈstʌdiz/

    The -ies sounds like /iz/, with no extra syllable.

Check

My uncle (blank) the guitar. Which word goes in the blank?

Don't confuse it with the negative

She works on Mondays.

Affirmative: -s on the verb

She does not work on Mondays.

Negative: the -s moves to does

In the affirmative the -s goes on the verb. In the negative it moves to does and the verb has no -s.

Part 3: negatives

In real life

In fast speech the -s is hard to hear, but native speakers notice when it is missing: he work sounds as odd to them as a wrong ending does to you.

Frequently asked questions

Why does everybody take -s if it means many people?

Because everybody, nobody, and somebody work like he or she: Everybody likes pizza, nobody knows. The verb follows the word, not the number of people.

Does a name like Ana or my mom take -s too?

Yes: any subject that is one person or thing works like he, she, or it: Ana works, my mom cooks, the bus stops here.

Does be take -s with he and she?

Be has its own form: is (She is a doctor). That is why you do not say She is work: other verbs just take the -s (She works).

In short

  • With he, she, it the verb takes -s: she works.
  • With ch, sh, s, x, z, or o: -es (watches, goes).
  • Consonant + y: -ies (studies); have becomes has.
  • A name or everybody too: my mom cooks.
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