Present simple questions

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/english-grammar-reference/present-simple

Present simple questions

Look at these questions:

Do play the piano?
Where do live?
Does Jack play
football? Where does he come from?
Do Rita and Angela live in Manchester?
Where do they work?

We use do and does to make questions with the present simple. We use does for the third person singular (she / he / it) and do for the others.

We use do and does with question words like where, what and when:

Where do Angela and Rita live?
What does Angela ?
When does Rita usually get up?

But questions with who often don't use do or does:

Who lives in London?
Who plays football at the weekend?
Who works at Liverpool City Hospital?

Here are some useful questions. Try to remember them:

Where do you come from? Do you come from …? Where do you live? Do you live in ...?

What work do you do? Do you like …? Do you know …?

Grammar reference: Present simple questions 1

Complete each question with the correct word: 'do' or 'does'.

1. items remaining

• Do Do Does Do Do Does

Начало формы

1. 

A: …………… you live in a house or a flat?
B: I live in a flat in London, near my college.

Конец формы

Начало формы

2. 

A: …………..  you live alone?
B: No, I don't. I share the flat with my brother.

Конец формы

Начало формы

3. 

A: ……….  he go to the same college as you?
B: No, he's a bit older than me. He's got a job.

Конец формы

Начало формы

4. 

A: ………..  you work at the weekend?
B: Yes, I work in a café on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Конец формы

Начало формы

5. 

A: ……….. you have a girlfriend at the moment?
B: I do! Her name's Adele.

Конец формы

Начало формы

6. 

A: ……… she come from London?
B: No. She's from Scotland but she came here to study.

Grammar reference: Present simple questions 2

Can you remember the questions from the last activity? Write the correct words.

1. 

A: 

 in a house or a flat?
B: I live in a flat in London, near my college.

2. 

A: 

 alone?
B: No, I don't. I share the flat with my brother.

3. 

A: 

 to the same college as you?
B: No, he's a bit older than me. He's got a job.

4. 

A: 

 at the weekend?
B: Yes, I work in a café on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

5. 

A: 

 a girlfriend at the moment?
B: I do! Her name's Adele.

6. 

A: 

 from London?
B: No. She's from Scotland but she came here to study.

Grammar reference: Present simple questions 3

Put the words and expressions in the correct order to make questions.

1. live? do Where you

2. do? What you do

3. start What time you work? Do

4. from? you Where come do

5. do you your visit How often home town?

6. How many and sisters have? you brothers do

7. support? do, Which, football team, youКонец формы

Grammar reference: Present simple questions 4

Can you remember the questions from the last activity? Read person B's answers and then write the correct questions.

1. 

A: ………………………………………………………………………………..?
B: I live in Cardiff, in Wales.

2. 

A:  ………………………………………………………………………………..?

B: I'm an accountant.

3. 

A: ………………………………………………………………………………..?

B: Usually at about nine o'clock.

4. 

A: ………………………………………………………………………………..?

B: I was born in Tenby.

5. 

A: 

…………………………………………………………………… your home town?

B: Not very often. Maybe once a year.

6. 

A:  ………………………………………………………………………………..?

B: I don't have any. I'm an only child.

7. 

A: ………………………………………………………………………………..?

B: I love rugby. I don't play, but I watch!

8. 

A: ………………………………………………………………………………..?

B: The Welsh team, of course!

Present simple and present time

We use the present simple to talk about:

• something that is true in the present:

I'm nineteen years old.
I'm a student.
He lives in London.

• something that happens regularly in the present:

I play football every weekend.

• something that is always true:

The human body contains 206 bones.
Light travels at almost 300,000 kilometres per second.

We often use adverbs of frequency like sometimes, always and never with the present simple:

I sometimes go to the cinema.
She never plays football.

Here are some useful sentences. Complete them so that they are true for you and try to remember them:

My name is … . I'm … years old. I come from … . I live in … .

I'm a(n) … . I … at the weekend. I often … . I never … .

Complete these sentences so that they are true for a friend and try to remember them:

Her/His name is … . She's/He's … years old. She/He comes from … . She/He lives in … .

She's/He's a(n) … . She/He … at the weekend. She/He often … . She/He never … .

Grammar reference: Present simple 1

Read Jack's introduction. How many verbs in the present simple can you find? Choose the correct number.

My name's Jack. I'm nineteen years old. I come from Manchester but I live in London. I'm a student and I go to London University. I have two brothers and a sister. I love football! I play every weekend.

Начало формы

8

9

10

Grammar reference: Present simple 2

Can you remember Jack's introduction from the last activity? Write the correct words.

 name   Jack. I   nineteen years old. 

   from Manchester but     in London. 

   a student and   to London University. 

   two brothers and a sister.     football  ! 

   every weekend.

Grammar reference: Present simple 3

Complete the answers to the questions about Jack. Write the correct words. Remember to use the third person singular ('is', 'comes', etc.).

1. 

How old is he?
He   nineteen years old.

2. 

What does he do?

 a student.

3. 

Which university does he go to?

 to London University.

4. 

Where does he come from?

 from Manchester.

5. 

Where does he live?

 in London.

6. 

What does he think about football?

 it!

7. 

How often does he play?

 every weekend.

8. 

Does he have any brothers or sisters?
Yes.   two brothers and a sister.

Grammar reference: Present simple 4

Use the correct verbs to complete the paragraph about Angela.

gets is watches likes goes works works goes reads stays

Начало формы

Angela …………… a nurse. She ……… at Liverpool City Hospital. Every morning  she …………. to work on the bus. 

She ……… from nine in the morning until five in the evening. She usually …………. home at about six o'clock. Most evenings she ………… at home and ………. television or …….. a book, but sometimes she ……….. out with her friends to the cinema or to a café. At the weekend  she ………..

 to go for a walk in the country or to go swimming in the pool near her home.

Grammar reference: Present simple 5

Complete Angela's answers to the questions. Write the correct words. Look at the previous activity if you need help.

1. 

What do you do?
I  a nurse   Liverpool City Hospital.

2. 

How long do you work every day? I   nine   the morning 

 five   the evening.

3. 

What time do you get home?
I usually   home   about six o'clock.

4. 

What do you do in the evenings?
Most evenings I   home and   TV  or  k a book.

5. 

And at the weekends?
I   to go   a walk   the country or to go swimming 

 the pool   my home.

Grammar reference: Present simple 6

Can you do this quiz? Complete the sentences with the correct numbers.

200 15 80 150 375 8 10 340

Начало формы

1. 

About ………. million people speak English as their first language.

Конец формы

Начало формы

2. 

An adult human skeleton has about ……….. bones.

Конец формы

Начало формы

3. 

Giant tortoises live for about ………….. years.

Конец формы

Начало формы

4. 

Most spiders have ……….. eyes.

Конец формы

Начало формы

5. 

Sound travels at about …………. metres per second.

Конец формы

Начало формы

6. 

The human heart usually beats about ……………. times a minute.

Конец формы

Начало формы

7. 

On average, cats sleep about ………………  hours a day.

Конец формы

Начало формы

8. 

The Prime Minister of Great Britain lives at Number …………… , Downing Street, London.

Начало формы

1.- 375Конец формы

Начало формы

2. -200

Конец формы

Начало формы

3. -150

Конец формы

Начало формы

4. -8

Конец формы

Начало формы

5. -340

Конец формы

Начало формы

6. -80

Конец формы

Начало формы

7. -15

Конец формы

Начало формы

8. -10

Конец формы

Конец формы

\

Grammar reference: Present simple 7

Can you remember the quiz from the last activity? Write the verbs in the correct form.

8 items remaining

1. 

About 375 million people 

 English as their first language.

2. 

An adult human skeleton 

 about 200 bones.

3. 

Giant tortoises 

 for about 150 years.

4. 

Most spiders 

 eight eyes.

5. 

Sound 

 at about 340 metres per second.

6. 

The human heart usually 

 about 80 times a minute.

7. 

On average, cats 

 about 15 hours every day.

8. 

The Prime Minister of Great Britain 

 at Number 10, Downing Street, London.

 Finish  Try again

Present simple and future time

We also use the present simple to talk about:

• something that is fixed in the future:

The school term starts next week.
The train leaves at 19.45 this evening.
We fly to Paris next week.

• something in the future after time words like when, after and before and after if and unless:

I'll talk to John when I see him.
You must finish your work before you go home.
If it rains we'll get wet.
He won't come unless you ask him.

Level: advanced

We sometimes use the present simple to talk about the past when we are: 

• telling a story:

I was walking down the street the other day when suddenly this man comes up to me and tells me he has lost his wallet and asks me to lend him some money. Well, he looks a bit dangerous so I'm not sure what to do and while we are standing there …

• summarising a book, film or play:

Harry Potter goes to Hogwarts School. He has two close friends, Hermione and …

Shakespeare's Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark. One night he sees his father's ghost. The ghost tells him he has been murdered …

Конец формы

Конец формы