1.

I wake up at 7 every day

Daily activities
Adverbs of frequency
Here are some very simple adverbs for expressing time. All of them refer to frequency. These
adverbs are used with Present Simple. They are calledadverbs of frequency.

always
usually
regularly
normally
often
sometimes
occasionall
y
rarely
seldom
never

ntotdeaun
a
de obicei
n mod
regulat
n mod
normal
deseori
uneori
ocazional
rareori
rareori
niciodat

We will continue with: several nouns expressing periods of time, then withtimes of the day, days
of the week, months of the year, seasons, adverbs and, finally, verbs expressing daily activities.

Nouns Periods of time

day
week

zi
sptmn
sfrit de
sptmn
lun
an
anotimp

weekend
month
year
season

Times of the day

morning
afternoon

diminea
dup-

evening
night
midday
midnight

amiaz
sear
noapte
miezul
zilei
miezul
nopii

Days of the week

The days of the week are always written in capital letter.

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

luni
mari
miercuri
joi
vineri
smbt
duminic

Months of the year

The months of the year are always written in capital letter.

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

ianuarie
februarie
martie
aprilie
mai
iunie
iulie
august
septembrie
octombrie
noiembrie
decembrie

spring
summer
autumn
winter

primvar
var
toamn
iarn

Seasons

Adverbs

every day

n fiecare
zi

daily
weekly
monthly
yearly

zilnic
sptmnal
lunar
anual

once
twice
three times

o dat
de dou ori
de trei ori

Verbs Daily activities

(to) wake up
(to) take a shower
(to) brush one's teeth
(to) brush one's hair
(to) wash one's face
(to) shave
(to) get dressed
(to) eat breakfast
(to) drink a coffee
(to) read the
newspaper
(to) leave for work
(to) go to work
(to) get on the bus
(to) ride the bus
(to) get off the bus
(to) drive the car
(to) work
(to) take a break
(to) return home
(to) do the daily
shopping
(to) take a nap
(to) go for a walk
(to) go out
(to) meet with friends
(to) watch TV
(to) go to bed
(to) sleep

(a) (se) trezi

(a) face un du
(a) (se) peria pe dini
(a)(-i) peria prul
(a) (se) spla pe fa
(a) (se) brbieri
(a) (se) mbrca
(a) lua micul dejun
(a) bea o cafea
(a) citi ziarul
(a) pleca la lucru
(a) merge la lucru
(a) se urca n autobuz
(a) merge cu autobuzul
(a) cobor din autobuz
(a) conduce maina
(a) munci / (a) lucra
(a) face o pauz
(a) se ntoarce acas
(a) face cumprturile
zilnice
(a) trage un pui de
somn
(a) merge la plimbare
(a) iei n ora
(a) se ntlni cu
prietenii
(a) se uita la TV
(a) merge la culcare
(a) dormi

1. Present Simple is the tense that refers to: repeated actions, preferences,general
truths and scheduled events.

2. Present Simple requires the first form of the verb. (Verbs have three forms. You will learn
about them in the following lessons.)

When do I use Present Simple?

Present Simple is used for repeated actions, preferences, general truths and scheduled events.

repeated actions daily routine: I wake up at 7 every day.

repeated actions habits: I usually swim at the weekend.

likes and dislikes: I like horror movies.

general truths: Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.

generalizations: People talk too much.

scheduled events: The plane takes off at 9.

How do I recognize Present Simple?

Present Simple is often marked by explicit or implicit adverbs or time expressions that indicate
frequency.

always, usually, regularly, normally, often, sometimes, occasionally, rarely, seldom, never
(adverbs of frequency)

every day = daily, every week = weekly, every month = monthly, every year = yearly

once a day, twice a week, three times a month, four times a year

in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, at night

on Mondays, on Thursdays, on Saturdays etc.

Affirmative / Interrogative / Negative

Read the sentences in the next table. They are at Present Simple. Then read the following
section How do I form Present Simple? to understand how Present Simple works in
the affirmative, interrogative and negative forms.

Affirmative
1st person
Singular

Interrogative

I wake up at 7 every day. Do I wake up at 7 every day?

2nd person

You like apples.

Singular

Do you like apples?

Negative

I do not wake up at
7 every day.

You do not like apples.

He does not
He plays football on

Does he play football on

play football on

3 person

Tuesdays.

Tuesdays?

Tuesdays.

Singular

She travels in summer.

rd

Does she travel in summer? She does not travel in

It takes off at 9.

Does it take off at 9?

summer.
It does not take off at 9.

1st person
Plural

We pay our bills monthly. Do we pay our bills monthly?

2nd person

You eat twice a day.

Do you eat twice a day?

3rd person

They usually ski in

Do they usually ski in

Plural

December.

December?

Plural

We do not pay our

bills monthly.
You do not eat twice a
day.
They do
not usually ski in
December.

How do I form Present Simple?

Affirmative
Subject

Verb

(...)

e.g.: I (subject) wake up (verb) at 7 every day.

1st person, sg. I read daily.

1st person, sg. I often watch TV.

3rd person, sg. He reads daily.

3rd person, sg. He often watches TV.

Remember that:

For the 1st person (sg. and pl.), the 2nd person (sg. and pl.) and the 3rd person pl., the verb
has the same form. Only the 3rd person sg. functions differently.

The verb is used in its first form, e.g.: I read. The first form is the infinitive form
without to. At the 3rd person sg., we add an s at the end of the verb, e.g.: He reads.

Some verbs take an es (instead of an s) at the end for the 3 rd person sg., e.g.:He
watches TV.

The verbs to be and to have behave differently: a) See how to use the verb to be; b) The
verb to have has an irregular form for the 3rd person sg. He hasan apple.

Interrogative
Do

Does

Subject

Verb

(...)

e.g.: Do I (subject) wake up (verb) at 7 every day?

1st person, sg. Do I read daily?

3rd person, sg. Does he read daily?

1st person, sg. Do I often watch TV?

3rd person, sg. Does he
often watch TV?

Remember that:

In interrogative sentences, we use the auxiliary verbs do or does.

We use do for the 1st and 2nd persons (sg. and pl.) and for the 3rd person pl..We
use does for the 3rd person sg..

In interrogative sentences, we do NOT add s or es at the end of the verb for the
3rd person sg..

The short answer for a Present Simple question is:

o Affirmative: Yes, I do (for I, you, we, you, they) or Yes, he does(for he, she, it)

o Negative: No, I don't = No, I do not (for I, you, we, you, they) orNo, he doesn't =
No, he does not (for he, she, it)

Negative
Subject

Do

Not

Does

Not

Verb

(...)

e.g.: I (subject) do not wake up (verb) at 7 every day.

1st person, sg. I do not read daily.
3rd person, sg. He does not
read daily.

1st person, sg. I do not watch TV often.

3rd person, sg. He does not watch TV often.

Remember that:

In negative sentences, we use the auxiliary verbs do or does and the adverbnot.

We use do not for the 1st and 2nd persons (sg. and pl.) and for the 3 rd person pl.. We
use does not for the 3rd person sg..

In negative sentences, we do NOT add s or es at the end of the verb for the 3 rd person
sg..

The short form of do not is don't. The short form of does not is doesn't. e.g.:I don't like
horror movies. He doesn't like action movies.

Adverb placement

Place adverbs after the subject and the verb. e.g.: I walk every day. Do I walkevery day?
I don't walk every day.

With adverbs of frequency, things are a bit more complicated. It's best to learn their
placement through practice. Listen to the audio tutorial in this lesson.

Surprise!

The first form of the verb is also called the present simple form. We also refer to it as to
the infinitive form.

Seldom is the more formal equivalent of rarely.

We use phrasal verbs (verbs with more than one element) in the 3 rd person sg. like this:
He wakes up at

6.

It takes off at

9.

We add s or es at the end of the main verb, not at the end of the entire phrasal
verb. More details..

The first exercise in the Exercises section is a reading exercise. Read it carefully it is
the first step in getting familiar with Present Simple.

Read the following texts. Pay attention to the verbs. Listen to the audio tutorial in
this lesson, to learn the correct pronunciation.

I wake

up at

every

day. I take a

shower

and

brush

my

teeth. Then,

I eatbreakfast. Why do I brush my teeth before I eat breakfast? I don't know It'sjust a
habit. At

8,

I drink a

coffee

and

I read the

newspaper. Then,

I go to

work.I

always leave for work at 8.30. I don't have a car, so I ride the bus to work. Iwork from 9 to
5. I often have a break at midday. I return home at 5.30 in the afternoon and I do the daily
shopping. Sometimes, I take a nap. I rarely go out in the evening. Usually, I read a book
or watch TV. I go to bed at 11 regularly and I sleep until 7 in the morning.

Your

daily

routine is different. You are a

writer. You don't

have a

fixed

schedule. You wake up whenever you wish. You go for a walk and you drink a coffee in a
caf. Then, you return home. You read a lot and write a lot. You liketo do something
different

each

day,

so

you don't actually have a

routine. Yougo to

the

theatre,

you visit museums, you travel to surrounding cities and villages. You occasionally attend
conferences and TV shows. Do you publishbooks often? Yes, you do. You publish a new
book at least once a year.

Brian

and

Ruby are husband

daily. Ruby likes tennis

and

wife. They like to

best. Brian prefers football. They

play

sports. They playsports

often go to

the

sports

center. Ruby plays tennis with Clara and Brian plays football with Jeremy and other
friends. In winter, Brian and Ruby go to the mountains. Theylike skiing very much. In
summer, they travel to the seaside. Brian doesn't likethe seaside so much, but
Ruby loves to sunbathe there. He takes pictures of the ships and she goes to the
beach. Does she like to swim? Yes, she does, but she prefers to swim in a swimming
pool, not in the sea. She hates all sea plants. She has more fun in the swimming pool.

Brian and Ruby have a cat. Its name is Foxie. They don't like dogs so much.Foxie
normally sleeps almost all day long. Cats are quiet pets. They don't needa lot of
attention. Do Brian

and

Ruby have a

child? Not

yet. They are

not ready.They don't even have a dog.

We are Jeremy

and

Clara. We are students. I study Physics

Clara studiesChemistry. Do we like human

sciences? No,

and

we don't. That's why

we studyexact sciences. We are always rational or, at least, we like to think so. Clara isa
woman, so it is more difficult for her.

You are Brian and Ruby. You are our friends. You visit us at the weekend. On Saturday
night, we all dance at the disco. We never return home earlier than 3 o'clock in the
morning.

In this exercise, we will practise the adverbs of frequency. Complete the translations of
the following Present Simple sentences:

1. M trezesc ntotdeauna la 7.
I
wake up at 7.

2. Te trezeti, de obicei, la 8.
You
wake up at 8.

3. El se trezete adesea nainte de 6.

He
wakes up before 6.

4. Ea se trezete uneori dup 11.

She
wakes up after 11.

5. Ocazional, pisica mea se trezete cnd m trezesc i eu.

My cat
wakes up when I do.

6. Ne trezim rareori la prnz.

We
wake up at midday.

7. V trezii rareori n cursul nopii.

You
wake up during the night.

8. Niciodat nu se trezesc devreme dimineaa.

They
wake up early in the morning.

9. Faci exerciii dimineaa n mod regulat?

Do you exercise in the morning

10. Ei nu joac, n mod normal, baschet iarna.

They don't
play basketball in winter.

11. El studiaz de obicei noaptea?

Does he
study at night?

12. n mod normal, ea nu are cursul acesta n ziua de joi.

She doesn't
have this course on Thursday.

13. Uneori, duminica, stm n pat toat ziua.

On Sundays, we
stay in bed all day long.

14. Voi mergei rareori n vacan n iunie.

You
go on holiday in June.

15. De obicei, el nu mnnc de trei ori pe zi.

, he doesn't eat three times a day.

16. Acest tren nu pleac niciodat la timp.

This train
leaves on time.

17. n mod normal, mi displac filmele, dar, ocazional, mi place s vd filme

de aciune.
I normally dislike movies, but I like to watch thrillers

18. Ne vizitm prietenii n mod regulat, dar vara ne vedem rar.

We visit our friends regularly, but in Summer we

see

each other.

19. Mo Crciun vine ntotdeauna n decembrie.

Santa Clause
comes in December.

20. Soarele rsare ntotdeauna la est i apune la vest.

The sun
rises in the East and sets in the West.

This exercise is about daily activities. Choose the one that fits best.

1. I always .......... at the wrong station.

get on the bus
ride the bus

get off the bus

2. It is very difficult for her to .......... she never knows what to wear.
take a nap
get dressed
wash her face

3. You love your bed the most in the morning, when you must ........... .
wake up
return home
watch TV

4. To .......... or not to ..........? That is the question.

work
shave
sleep

5. My boyfriend doesn't ........... . He just pays for it.

do the daily shopping
read the newspaper

brush his teeth

6. I don't think they .......... daily. This place smells like onion tea.
take a break
meet with friends
take a shower

7. A: Does he .......... early enough? B: No, he doesn't. This can't be his

normal face.
go to bed

go out

leave for work

8. A: Do you like to ..........? B: Yes, we do, especially on Friday.

go for a walk
drive the car
go to work

9. I am afraid to ........... . My hair falls out a lot and I'm too young to be
bald.
wash my face

brush my teeth

brush my hair

10. In the evening, he ........... . Strangely, all the paths lead to his favorite
pub.
does the daily shopping

goes for a walk

Turn the following sentences into their interrogative forms.

We remember that, at Present Simple, in the interrogative:

we use the auxiliary verbs do or does;

watches TV

we do NOT add s or es at the end of the main verb for the 3rd person sg..

1. You eat bread daily.

you eat bread daily?

2. He often drinks wine.

he drink wine often?

3. You go to the doctor twice a year. Do you

to the doctor twice a

year?
4. She plays video games weekly. Does she

video games

weekly?
5. The ship leaves at 6 o'clock.

the ship leave at 6 o'clock?

6. The holiday starts in July. Does the holiday

7. They like spaghetti. Do they

8. He likes oranges.

9. Girls talk a lot. Do girls

spaghetti?

he like oranges?

a lot?

10. Water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius.

Celsius?

in July?

water freeze at 0 degrees

Turn the following sentences into their negative forms. We will use do not and does
not. They can always be replaced with don't and doesn't.
We remember that, at Present Simple, in the negative:

we use the auxiliary verbs do not (don't) or does not (doesn't);

we do NOT add s or es at the end of the main verb for the 3rd person sg..

1. The plane lands at 5 o'clock. The plane does

land at 5 o'clock.

2. They wake up early in the morning. They do

wake up early in

the morning.
3. She likes fruit salad. She

4. We like jogging. We

not like fruit salad.

not like jogging.

5. Sportsmen eat healthy food. Sportsmen do not

6. He leaves for work at 8 o'clock. He does not

healthy food.

for work at 8

o'clock.
7. You go out every evening. You

not go out every evening.

8. He takes karate lessons on Tuesdays. He

lessons on Tuesdays.

not take karate

9. We take a nap in the afternoon. We do not

a nap in the

afternoon.
10. She takes a break at 2 o'clock. She does not

o'clock.

A regular day

Annie and Billie eat toast.

Caroline and the children

go to school.

George likes painting.

Let's see what a regular day is like for the Cooper family.

a break at 2

A regular day for the Cooper family

at 6 o'clock in the morning. Caroline wakes

(to start)

up and

the coffee. Then, she and George

their coffee together. They

(to make)

(to drink)

about their plans for the day. At 7, George

(to talk)

a shower and Caroline wakes up the children.

(to take)

Annie and Billie

breakfast: toast, eggs, vegetables and orange juice. They wash their
(to have)

faces and

their teeth.
(to brush)

George leaves for work at 7.30. He is an IT programmer. Caroline takes the children to school at
7.45. She
at the school where the children learn. She is a teacher. At 12 o'clock,
(to w ork)

Caroline, Annie and Billie usually

at the school canteen and they have lunch together.

(to meet)

George

the lunch break at 1PM. He

lunch with his co-workers at a restaurant.

(to have)

(to eat)

Caroline and the children return home at 2 o'clock and the children

their homework.
(to do)

George

work at 5PM. He
(to finish)

home and, at 6.30 PM, all the members of the

(to come)

family have dinner.

Sometimes, in the evening, the Coopers

their friends or go to a movie. But, most of the

(to visit)

time, theystay at home. Annie

with her dolls and Billie

(to play)

detective stories very much. Caroline

(to w atch)

TV.

(to like)

the meal for the next day and George helps her
(to cook)

or

a book. He
(to read)

At 10 o'clock, the children

to sleep. Caroline has a shower and

(to go)

George often

up until late. He
(to stay)

to paint. At night, when everybody is asleep,

(to like)

heworks on his paintings. He

to become a full-time artist one day.

(to hope)

to bed at 11.
(to go)