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Present Simple: Complete Guide for Spanish Speakers

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Third person -S and when to use it. Spanish speakers often forget the -s for he/she/it, and confuse when to use Present Simple vs Present Continuous.

Last Updated: January 15, 2026 | Reviewed by: María González

🎯 Why This Matters

Foundation for all basic communication.

Learning Outcome

Ability to describe routines, habits, and facts.

🇪🇸 The Challenge

Third person -S and when to use it. Spanish speakers often forget the -s for he/she/it, and confuse when to use Present Simple vs Present Continuous.

🇲🇽🇨🇴🇦🇷 The forgotten -S

Problem: Spanish doesn't add anything special for third person

Watch out: Saying 'He work' instead of 'He works'

✅ Fix: ALWAYS add -S for he/she/it. No exceptions!

🧠 Mental Note: Before every he/she/it verb, mentally add an -S

❌ 'She speak English' → ✅ 'She speaks English'

🇪🇸 Same -S challenge

Problem: Castilian Spanish also doesn't mark third person this way

Watch out: Forgetting -s, especially with -es verbs (goes, does, watches)

✅ Fix: After s/ch/sh/x/o, add -ES: goes, does, watches

❌ 'He go to work' → ✅ 'He goes to work'

🧠 Visual Explanation (The Mental Fix)

The Habit Machine

Present Simple = The HABIT machine ⚙️ Things that happen REGULARLY, like clockwork: Use for: 1. Habits: 'I drink coffee every morning' 2. Routines: 'She works from 9 to 5' 3. Facts: 'Water boils at 100°C' 4. Schedules: 'The train leaves at 6 PM' Formation: - I/You/We/They + BASE verb: 'I work' - He/She/It + verb + S: 'She works' The -S rule: He/She/It ALWAYS needs -S! - He works ✅ He work ❌ - She goes ✅ She go ❌ NOT for: Right now actions (use Continuous instead)

He, She, It - don't forget the S! I work, she workS.

🗣️ Pronunciation Guide

How Spanish speakers should pronounce this structure:

Third person -S sounds

Spanish Habit: Always pronouncing -s as /s/

English Reality: Three sounds: /s/, /z/, /ɪz/

Examples:

  • works → /wɜːrks/ (after voiceless)
  • plays → /pleɪz/ (after voiced = /z/)
  • watches → /ˈwɒtʃɪz/ (after ch/sh/s/x = /ɪz/)

Practice: After voiced sounds, the -s sounds like /z/. After s/ch/sh/x, add /ɪz/

📖 How It Works

Routine/habit focus. He/She/It drills.
Learning Strategy

Teacher Recommendation: Self-study friendly

Time Investment: 5 hours

🔑 Signal Words (Memory Anchors)

These words/phrases appear with this structure:

English Spanish Example
every day/week/month cada día/semana/mes I exercise every day
always siempre She always arrives on time
usually usualmente I usually eat lunch at noon
sometimes a veces He sometimes forgets
never nunca They never complain

💬 Real Examples

Let's see this structure in action with correct vs incorrect usage:

Example 1: Third person -S

✅ CORRECT: "She works in a bank."

🇪🇸 Translation: "Ella trabaja en un banco."

❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "She work in a bank."

Why wrong? He/She/It ALWAYS needs -S: works, goes, plays, does

🇲🇽 LatAm Trap: Spanish doesn't add anything for third person. English REQUIRES -S!

Example 2: Habit/routine

✅ CORRECT: "I drink coffee every morning."

🇪🇸 Translation: "Tomo café cada mañana."

❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "I am drinking coffee every morning. (wrong tense)"

Why wrong? EVERY morning = habit/routine = Present Simple, not Continuous

Signal words: every day, always, usually, sometimes, never

Example 3: Questions with DO/DOES

✅ CORRECT: "Does she like pizza?"

🇪🇸 Translation: "¿A ella le gusta la pizza?"

❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "Does she likes pizza?"

Why wrong? DOES already has the -S. Don't double mark: does + like (not likes)

🇲🇽 LatAm Trap: DOES carries the -s. Main verb stays BASE form!
Same in negative: She doesn't like (not 'doesn't likes')

✏️ Practice Exercises

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