Verbs 27- The girls are not happy.
- Sean does not speak Spanish.
- The boys do not make a cake for her.
- They do not do this very often.
- Mother does not have enough money.
- I am not happy about it.
Three Forms of the Present Tense
English has three ways of expressing the present tense. You already know one way: Conjugate the
verb by adding appropriate endings: I sing, we go, he has, she is, they want, Toni finds. This forma-
tion of the present tense has a special meaning. It says that someone does something as a habit
or frequently.The second present tense is formed from the verb to becombined with a verb ending in -ing: I am
running, you are speaking, she is learning, we are singing, and so on. This present tense formation
means that an action is in progress and that the action of the verb is incomplete.
The third present tense is the emphatic and opposite response to someone’s statement. If the
statement is negative, you respond in the positive. If it is positive, you respond in the negative. It
requires using do/doeswith the infinitive of the original verb. Kendra says, “You do not have the
book.” You respond, “I dohave the book.” Scott says, “He does not go by bus.” You respond, “He
doesgo by bus.” Sophie says, “My sister likes the movie.” You respond, “Your sister does notlike the
movie.”Let’s compare the three forms:
Habitual Statement (something done frequently)
I speak English.
We go to school.
They play soccer.In Progress (incomplete)
I am speaking English.
We are going to school.
They are playing soccer.
Emphatic Response
“You do not speak English.” “I dospeak English.”
“We go to school.” “We do notgo to school.”
“They do not play soccer.” “They doplay soccer.”02 (017-043) Unit 5 11/3/04 1:41 PM Page 27