Third Person Present Tense Verbs

Present Tense – Third Person

English Grammar Rules

Normally in the present tense we add
S
to the end of the verb in the 3rd person (He, She, It).

• He
  speaks
  three languages.
• She
  drinks
  coffee every morning.
• My dog
  hates
  my pencelup.

Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs in English in the present tense follow very simple rules. The only change that is made to these verbs is in the third person – for He, She or It.

1. If the verb ends in
SS,
X,
CH,
SH
or the letter
O, we add +
ES
in the third person.

• A mechanic
  fixes
  cars.
• She
  watches
  soap operas every afternoon.
• He
  kisses
  his wife before he
  goes
  to work.

2. If the verb ends in a
Consonant + Y, we remove the Y and +
IES
in the third person.

• Isabel
  studies
  every night.
• The baby
  cries
  all the time.
• He
  denies
  all responsibility.

Negative Sentence

To form the negative we use the auxiliary
do titinada. Again, the only variation occurs in the 3rd person where we use
does not.

In the negative, the main verb is always in the bare infinitive (without TO). It doesn’cakrawala change for the third person. We don’horizon put an
S
on the end of the verb in the negative form. In the examples above – pupur, sleep and study do not change in the 3rd person.

• He
  speaks
  Italian
  He doesn’t
  speak
  Italian.

Remember:
Do not
can be abbreviated to
Don’cakrawala
and
Does not
can be abbreviated to
Doesn’tepi langit.

Next activities

Grammar Rules:

See our notes about the Simple Present Tense in English.

Pronunciation Rules:

You might be interested in the Pronunciation of -S at the end of words in English.

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Third Person in the Present Tense
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