By Jacqueline Schaalje

Derek Jensen

For negative sentences in the present simple you need to use do and does + not.

Present simple is the tense that you use to tell about things that happen regularly, or that are facts. Read more in this article.

Here are some examples:

1A I have a cat.

B I don’t have a cat.

B is the negative sentence.

2A Sarah reads before she goes to bed.

B Sarah doesn’t read before she goes to bed.

3A Peter works at a software company.

B Peter doesn’t work at a software company.

4A We live in China.

B We don’t live in China.

5A They drive to San Francisco every week.

B They don’t drive to San Francisco every week.

With he, she and it you need to use does + not.

With the rest of the pronouns (I, you, we and they), you use do + not.

Here is a table of that:

I	do	not
You	do	not
She	does	not
He	does	not
It	does	not
We	do	not
They	do	not

 

Note about the pronunciation:

When you speak, you don’t say: I do not. You say I don’t.

The other pronouns are also contracted (= said in the short way).

So when you speak, you’ll get the following:

I	don’t
You	don’t
She	doesn’t
He	doesn’t
It	doesn’t
We	don’t
They	don’t

When you write, you may choose whether to write I do not or I don’t. Both are okay.

Now, after the I don’t and you don’t etc. you need to use a verb. For example speak, run, decide, visit.

So you’ll get: I don’t speak.

You don’t run.

We don’t decide.

She doesn’t visit.

These are just some examples.

Nothing changes to the verb.

So no s at the end of the verb, please.

Maybe you can remember this little rule that I teach my students: as soon as you have do or does in your sentence, you don’t change the verb.

Now let’s do an exercise.

I’ll write a sentence in present simple. And you will write the negative sentence.

Or you will say the answer and your little brother will type it. 🙂

Click here to do this exercise online.

Example:

Ann reads the newspaper every morning.

Your answer:

Ann doesn’t read the newspaper every morning.

1 Mr Wilson wants to buy the Paradise Club.

2 The hotel stands on the beach.

3 Many tourists visit the hotel every summer.

4 They swim in the seven swimming pools.

5 Mr Wilson plans to build a Jacuzzi.

6 The hotel has only one spa.

7 Guests complain about the spa.

8 It needs to be bigger.

9 Young people play beach volleyball.

10 Old and lazy people watch the game.

Here is a link to an older exercise where you need to make negative sentences.

Do you want to become an Exclusive Member of English with a Smile and receive more quizzes every week? Check out the possibilities here.