Using the Third Person Singular (he, she, it) in the Present Simple Tense
Using He, She and It with the Present Simple
What do he, she and it do to the present simple tense?
You might have noticed that when we talk about routines, or things which are generally true, sometimes a verb like watch, write or play suddenly becomes watches, writes or plays. But why does that happen?
It happens because the subject of the sentence is third person singular. This means that the subject can be described with he, she or it.
So in any positive present simple sentence where the subject is he, she or it, we need to add -s to the verb.
Look at the table below to see how this happens with the verb ‘to like‘
| I like water. | First person singular |
| We like water | First person plural |
| You like water | Second person singular |
| You (all) like water | Second person plural |
| He likes water | Third person singular |
| She likes water | Third person singular |
| It likes water | Third person singular |
| They like water | Third person plural |
Even if we don’t use personal pronouns as subjects, we still need to add -s.
| I like water. | First person singular |
| My sister and I like water | First person plural |
| You like water | Second person singular |
| You people like water | Second person plural |
| David likes water | Third person singular |
| Jane likes water | Third person singular |
| The flower likes water | Third person singular |
| David and Jane like water | Third person plural |
He, she and it with the present simple
| Positive Form | Negative Form | Question Form |
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