Simple Present Mind Map: Rules, Examples, and Exercises

To study with the Simple Present mind map, follow this order: uses, affirmative statements, negatives, questions, and exceptions. On each branch, connect a rule to a short sentence. This links the structure to a concrete situation instead of isolated words.

Simple Present summary: the essentials

• Uses: habits, routines, and generally true facts.
• Affirmative: subject + verb; with he, she, and it, check the third-person form.
• Negative: subject + don’t or doesn’t + base form of the verb.
• Question: do or does + subject + base form of the verb.
• To be: use am, is, and are, following their own rules.

O mapa mental Simple Present deve deixar essa separação visível. Compare “She studies English” com “She is a student”: a primeira frase apresenta uma atividade; a segunda, uma condição. As duas estão no Simple Present, mas não seguem a mesma formação.

Quando usar o Simple Present

Use this tense to talk about habitual actions: “I study English every evening” means “Eu estudo inglês todas as noites” in Portuguese. The sentence describes a routine; it does not say the person is studying at this moment.

It also expresses facts or situations considered true: “Water freezes at zero degrees Celsius” means “A água congela a zero grau Celsius” in Portuguese, under ordinary pressure conditions. According to the explanation from the British Council sobre Simple Present, habits and general facts are among its basic uses.

Expressions such as every day, on Mondays, and usually help indicate frequency. However, do not choose a tense based on a single word: consider the sentence’s meaning. “I work at a school” describes a current situation even without a frequency expression.

Affirmative form: subject and verb

With I, you, we, and they, use the base form of the verb: “They play volleyball on Saturdays” — “Eles jogam vôlei aos sábados” in Portuguese. With he, she, and it, we usually add -s: “He plays volleyball on Saturdays”.

On the Simple Present mind map, connect subjects to the two structures. Practice changing one into the other: I read → she reads; we work → he works. Translation can help at first, but pay attention to the written verb forms too.

Third person: -s, -es, and -ies

• General rule: read → reads; work → works.
• Endings such as -sh, -ch, -ss, and -x: wash → washes; watch → watches; miss → misses; fix → fixes.
• Consonant + y: study → studies; try → tries.
• Vowel + y: play → plays; enjoy → enjoys.
• Important forms: have → has; do → does; go → goes.

Do not use -ies with every verb ending in y. First check the preceding letter. Compare study and play on your Simple Present mind map to see the difference without relying on a long list of verbs.

Negative form: don’t and doesn’t

To make negatives with verbs other than to be, use don’t with I, you, we, and they; use doesn’t with he, she, and it. The full forms are do not and does not. After them, the main verb stays in its base form.

• “I don’t drink coffee at night.” — Portuguese: “Eu não tomo café à noite.”
• “She doesn’t work on Sundays.” — Portuguese: “Ela não trabalha aos domingos.”
• “They don’t live here.” — Portuguese: “Eles não moram aqui.”

Notice: “She works” becomes “She doesn’t work”. The third-person marker appears in the auxiliary doesn’t, not again in work. Highlight this change on the Simple Present mind map: it prevents the common mistake “She doesn’t works”.

Question form: do and does

In questions with verbs other than to be, place the auxiliary before the subject: “Do you study English?” — Portuguese: “Você estuda inglês?”; “Does he study English?” — Portuguese: “Ele estuda inglês?”. After does, keep study in the base form.

For short answers, match the auxiliary: “Yes, I do”, “No, I don’t”, “Yes, he does”, and “No, he doesn’t”. You can also add a question word: “Where does she work?” means “Onde ela trabalha?” in Portuguese.

On the question branch of the Simple Present mind map, write a question and its short answer. This summary focuses on common questions with do and does; other structures exist, such as questions where who is the subject.

The verb to be: am, is, and are

The verb to be deserves a separate branch on the Simple Present mind map. Use I am, he/she/it is and you/we/they are. In this use, do not add do or does to form negatives and questions.

• Affirmative: “She is a teacher.” — Portuguese: “Ela é professora.”
• Negative: “She isn’t tired.” — Portuguese: “Ela não está cansada.”
• Question: “Are they students?” — Portuguese: “Eles são estudantes?”

For negatives, add not; for questions, reverse the verb and subject. Check the reference from the British Council on the present tense of to be to review these forms.

Common mistakes when studying the Simple Present

• “He study”: in the affirmative, write “He studies”.
• “Does she likes?”: write “Does she like?”.
• “They doesn’t work”: write “They don’t work”.
• “Do you are ready?”: write “Are you ready?”.
• Confusing routines with actions in progress: “I read every day” describes a habit; “I am reading now” describes an action in progress.

Use the Simple Present mind map to explain why each correction works. Merely recognizing the correct sentence may hide a doubt: try identifying the subject and verb type, then explain why an auxiliary is or is not needed.

Simple Present: exercises with answers

Complete the six questions before checking the answers. Then return to the relevant branch of the Simple Present mind map and review only the rule you found difficult.

1. Complete: “My sister ___ English every morning.” (study)
2. Make this negative: “They play tennis on Fridays.”
3. Turn this into a question: “He works at home.”
4. Complete with the correct form: “We ___ hungry.” (to be)
5. Correct: “She doesn’t goes to school by bus.”
6. Give an affirmative short answer: “Does Leo read every day?”

Answers with explanations

1. studies. My sister corresponds to she. Because study ends in a consonant + y, we use studies in the affirmative.
2. They don’t play tennis on Fridays. With they, the negative uses don’t and the verb stays in its base form.
3. Does he work at home? Does comes before the subject; work has no -s.
4. are. With we, the form of to be is are: “We are hungry”.
5. She doesn’t go to school by bus. The auxiliary already marks the third person, so we use go.
6. Yes, he does. Leo can be referred to as he, and the short answer keeps does.

How to review with the mind map

After checking your answers, close the material and write a sentence about your routine. Make it negative, then turn it into a question. Repeat with a different subject and check what changes. For to be, practice a separate sequence with am, is, and are.

In your next review, consult the Simple Present mind map after trying to recall the rule. In REAZLY, you can organize the topic in a map and create flashcards with questions about the points that need practice.

Frequently asked questions